Ugali

  Meals at the Mpala Research Center are prepared by a cook staff and served at the dining hall (see picture in arrival album). Breakfast consists of cereal, milk, toast and jam (and I think eggs by request), and lunch and dinner change each day. Each meal has a meat option and a vegetarian option, although the latter is sometimes a little weak (cooked spinach vs. lamb stew). I’ve decided that while I’m here it makes sense for me to bend my vegetarianism a bit, so I’m eating small amounts of meat once every few days when the veggie meals aren’t quite as filling. The food is good, although not quite 2D good ;-), and generally there’s enough to go around. Most of the dishes served are recognizable as an American, however every once in a while a traditional Kenyan dish with no obvious equivalent gets thrown in. Enter ugali.

  Ugali is a white corn based dish. It has a texture somewhere between grits and polenta, and is pretty dry and clumps together. Twice during our first week we were served ugali, both times right next to a potato/squash soup. There were no eating instructions next to it, so both times I took the ugali, poured some soup over it, and ate it with a spoon. It was ok, but not particularly appetizing, and it had a weird texture. The second night I was politely corrected by a researcher who has been at the camp for a few years: the ugali was not meant to be eaten with the soup, it actually went with the spinach and tomato dishes also being served that night. The proper way to eat it (which, as I looked around the table, all of the Kenyans and most of the other researchers were doing) is by taking a small clump and rolling it into a ball in your hands, then scooping up some of the spinach/tomato and popping it into your mouth. I said I’d give it a try, and hopped up to replenish my plate. When I sat back down and tentatively dug in, most of the 10-12 people at the table were watching me expectantly. It took a few tries but I got the hang of it, and I was rewarded with some approving smiles from the researchers and a (significantly) more delicious meal.