B.Y.O.S. (Bring Your Own Silverware!)
Those who know me well won't be the least surprised that I squirreled away rather surreptitiously the plastic utensils from my flight to Uganda from Amsterdam last week. I just knew they'd come in handy sometime during my travels in Africa, and today was that day.
Francis Omaswa, M.D., dancing to Iteso music
At the invitation of Francis Omaswa, a gracious medical doctor who heads up the African Center for Global Health and Social Transformation, I attended an event to celebrate the culture of the Iteso, a people group spanning some of Eastern Uganda and on into parts of Kenya. I didn't quite know what to expect, but was delighted to go and learn.
All the proceedings were in Ateso (their language), but Francis kindly interpreted some of what was said. What needed no interpretation was the joy and laughter present in the some 200 attendees. I had fun watching them have fun even though language stood between us. Then there was the dancing and singing. A special band had traveled down to Kampala for the celebration. (Listen to a clip of their music above.)
Iteso Band
After 5 hours (no exaggeration), it was time to eat. As a special guest of Dr. Omaswa, we led the line and he explained to me all of the delicious options. Dried beef, chicken, cow peas (like black-eyed peas), spinach, a cassava/millet blend, potatoes and dried cucumber, many of which were served in a ground nut (very similar to peanut) sauce.
When we sat down at the table with plates piled high I realized I hadn't seen a fork, spoon or knife at the serving table, and it occurred to me that there might not be any. "Oh no," I thought to my panicky, germaphobe self, "Why did I not think to bring those plastic utensils?"
Is this drumstick more like a spoon or a fork?
I asked Francis what we were supposed to eat with. He declared, "Your hands! It is the traditional way." Thankfully, there was a hand washing station, but I still slathered on half a tablespoon of antibacterial gel. At first, I thought I was pretty clever by using my chicken leg as a scoop of sorts, but that only went so far. Finally, I had to literally dig in!
Francis Omaswa and Jill Braden Balderas after a delicious meal.
The food was as scrumptious as it looked; I'm glad I left the silverware at home so I could eat "the traditional way."
Jill Braden Balderas is in Uganda for 5 weeks as a fellow with the International Reporting Project (IRP). The stories she's covering there include access to malaria testing and drugs as well as how climate change might be affecting coffee farming in Uganda, the second largest producer of the beans in Africa. Read more at Israel & Jill's Blog.
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