Lots of people have been asking what the food is like... so here's the inevitable food post. As part of my contract I get one hot meal provided each day. These are cooked in the mess, so most of the expats eat dinner together, which is really nice.
The sociableness of eating dinner together is great, and really the only reason we eat there, because the food is kinda terrible. Maybe that's not fair, but it's VERY repetitive and bland. There are generally three meals - chicken, beans or bouncey beef. Known as that because it's so chewy if you threw it on the floor, you'd expect it to bounce. This is then served with either rice or pasta and always the same vegetable - rape, which is about as appetising as it sounds. It's a green leafy vegetable that's like a bitter, gritty version of kale. Yum...
At one point we went through a terrible phase of having the WORST meal - rape stew. Instead of any protein it's just rape in this watery tomato and onion sauce on rice. So disappointing! Luckily not had it for a while.
The sociableness of eating dinner together is great, and really the only reason we eat there, because the food is kinda terrible. Maybe that's not fair, but it's VERY repetitive and bland. There are generally three meals - chicken, beans or bouncey beef. Known as that because it's so chewy if you threw it on the floor, you'd expect it to bounce. This is then served with either rice or pasta and always the same vegetable - rape, which is about as appetising as it sounds. It's a green leafy vegetable that's like a bitter, gritty version of kale. Yum...
At one point we went through a terrible phase of having the WORST meal - rape stew. Instead of any protein it's just rape in this watery tomato and onion sauce on rice. So disappointing! Luckily not had it for a while.
Beans and rice and rape #instragramthat
For lunch, two or three times a week I go to what we (ironically) call "high cost". It's a little restaurant next to the high cost out-patient department (private out patients). For 10kwacha (80p) you can get a traditional Zambian meal of nshima (pronounced shee-ma or en-shee-ma in full), which is ground, boiled maize. This is served with chicken, beef, beans, liver or sausage and comes with a tomato sauce and a green vegetable, which traditionally would be rape, but my friend Alyda who owns high cost knows I don't like it so gives me a variety of other Zambian greens.
Nshima, chicken and pumpkin leaves
A clearer picture from the internet of nshima, chicken and rape
A lot of my expat friends don't like nshima, but I actually prefer it to the mess food. It's definitely the nicest starch base I've had travelling in Africa.
I have quite a well stocked kitchen now since I brought back tonnes of food from UK, so I've been cooking quite a bit. Also it's avocado season at the moment, and the avocados are SOOO good! Only 5 kwacha (40p) for each huge one - not quite as cheap as mangos which were 5 kwacha a bucket, but I think they'll get cheaper as the season gets underway.
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