Muhogo, Mua and Khanga

It takes two trips for the jeep to take all GSC staff (volunteers and counterparts) from Integrity School back to the main office and today I was part of the second group. After the first group left we walked to the shop stands near the school in Moshono village and dined on muhogo (grilled cassava root with chili sauce for dipping) and parachichi (avocado).  Cassava is a new and exciting food for me.  This was the third time I have had it in Tanzania and I am intrigued by its cooking potential.  It has only been prepared grilled for me so far, but my sister told me it can also be boiled and used in many other dishes.  With a crispy exterior (when grilled) and a soft interior, cassava tastes similar to a well baked potato although sweeter and having a much thicker texture.  If too much is chewed at once, it becomes a bit chalky so taking small bites and dipping it in chili sauce is the best way to enjoy it.  Already I am dreaming up different ways it could be prepared: stir-fried with peas and carrots; diced and cooked with beans; dipped in a peanut sauce; or maybe chopped in bite-size pieces and served in tomato soup.  However I think carbohydrates is its only nutritional value, so although tasty, it does not add variety to the starchy diet I have acquired here.

After our snack we began walking the dirt road back to Arusha alongside the corn fields, passing by men following herds of cattle and women carrying the day's crops on their heads.  The cold season is here and I go to bed and wake up slightly chilled, but during the afternoon the warm equatorial sun beats down, tanning my arms, neck and scalp.  After the jeep picked us up we pulled over to purchase muwa (sugar cane) from a man walking away from town.  The man chopped and peeled a large piece and handed it through the back window to my friend next to me.  He handed the machete through the window and my friend sliced through the plant to divide enough pieces for the car load, skillfully stopping the blade after cutting the plant before it reached my thighs beneath.  To eat muwa one must bite the stalk, tear off a piece of pulp and suck on the pulp until the liquid is gone, chewing helps to speed this step.  The pulp is then removed from the mouth by spitting and another piece is ripped and the action continues until the entire stalk has been devoured.  I have seen many Tanzanians enjoying this sugary plant and am still impressed by the skill and ease of which they can bite, suck/chew, and spit.

Back at the office the staff of GSC gave each volunteer a khanga wrap.  Khanga wraps are worn by women as skirts, dresses, hair coverings, scarves, or shawls.  They are a good covering for pants, especially in villages where women are expected to be covered from shoulders to calves with loose-fitting clothes, or else risk appearing promiscuous.  In the town it is not unusual to see women walking in pants or knee-length skirts, but never shorts.  My sister agreed to help fashion me with the many styles of the khanga since I barely managed the simple skirt-like wrap around the waist without it falling.  She promised that it will not take long for me to master the stylish hair wraps- complete with flowers and ties that some women model for an ordinary day of work- with her assistance, that is.