My intro to Rwandan food

Yesterday, we went to a restaurant called "Africa Bite," which is a buffet-style restaurant known for its cleanliness and quality of African food. In the yard outside the restaurant building, there is a tradition to wash your hands in a tap prior to eating. Everyone then dries their hands on the same communal towel. :) I did it. And I didn't get sick :)

I took some of everything there was offered in the pots around the table. The waiters are very quiet and respectful and wait on you hand and foot. As I was enjoying the food, the other people we were with (new teachers like me, the headmaster and his family, and the KICS orientation leaders) began raving about the delicious sauce that I had poured over my rice and some of my potatoes (as I had seen the locals do...so of course I followed in suit)...and it was peanut sauce. I laughed and pushed that sauce to the side, as I am allergic to nuts. Then a few minutes later, they explained what all the food was that we were eating... grilled fish, tomato/onion/green pepper salad, beef stew, potatoes, and mashed bananas (the bananas I gave to someone else to finish for me as I am allergic to those as well...I thought they were potatoes when I scooped them on to my plate!). Thankfully, I had no allergic reactions at all! The food was delicious and I would definitely eat there again!

As for other food so far, we have eaten a lot of Mexican-style food, although the tortilla chips are very expensive and can only be found in a few stores. Maybe I should start a tortilla chip fund, since that has been a staple in my Canadian diet because I can actually eat them (!!!!), and they will definitely be a staple in my diet here! :)

You can buy powdered coconut milk here - which the people I am staying with right now have given me as a gift - since there are no other milk alternatives (yes, another allergy). I haven't tried it yet - and frankly, I'm a little nervous to actually try it! - but I think I will just have to get used to it if I ever need to use milk in a recipe. Yumm!

We cannot drink the water here, so all water must either be filtered or purchased in bottle form. I find I am very thirsty and want lots of water, but don't quite get enough yet. Hopefully, those kinds of things will work themselves out more once we get into a routine and have our own place.