Guest Post: Trek to Narok

From my friend Rob, recently returned from Africa [pardon the formatting, this was copied from an email]:

The guidebook warned that Narok would basically be a tourist's hell on
earth, full of people pushing you to buy trinkets and tours. The
guidebook also warned not to come without having arranged private
transportation. And me? I was all set for a 4-hour layover in between
matutu rides. This time, though, the guidebook lost. I walked into the
center of town and found Peter, who managed the Talek matatu. He put
my bag onboard and told me we'd leave at 1. Feeling a bit springy, I
climbed the metal ladder on the side of the mini-bus to get a better
view of town. Dusty dirt roads criss-crossed each other, corners and
curbs filled with small huts selling drinks, cell phone credit
(everyone pays by-the-minute here, and EVERYONE has a phone), or food.
Motorcycles mixed with matatus, food traffic, and cattle herds heading
opposite directions. And to the east, two little kids began waving and
yelling "mzungu,' swahili for "white person." I waved back and two
quickly became four, continuing to wave, yell, and now to sing "How
are youuuuuuuu!" This reaction made me clear to me how unusual it was
for tourists to take public transportation to Narok and then to Talek.
I climbed down and bought a Coke, and the kids came and sat across
from me on a small wooden table. There being no common language
between us, I resorted to an old favorite: childish behavior. They
enjoyed my mourning dove call and silly faces and offered a few of
their own. They kept touching my shoe and shouting something in
swahili. Turned out, they were saying "your shoe." Not just cute, but
smart! An older boy of 10 soon came by and joined us. Bernard was very
shy at first- whenever I looked at him, he would look away and smile.
He eventually began to speak english with me. (English is Kenya's
official language, though it is also a second language for many
citizens.) He answered my questions directly: I go to school. I like
soccer. My friends and I walk around for fun. I have 3 brothers and a
sister. When I asked him where I might get lunch, he lead me to a
kiosk near the center, where we had a dish made of rice, carrots,
peppers, peas, and goat meat (including heart or tripe? unsure.).


A bit suspicious, I asked if this was his mother's place. Of course,
like a good son he had lead me to his mother's kitchen. And the food
was delicious. He then led me to a toilet house accessible for a mere
10 Keyan shillings (about 14 cents). There I shared a bathroom with
the first Masai warrior I had seen, wearing typical clothes and
carrying his long knife

Do eat with your hands

Dukem
Washington, DC

The massive combo platter on injera bread

So . . . when I found myself in DC recently I wanted to have some Ethiopian food b/c I knew there was an Ethiopian population in DC and thus good food to be had. Since there were too many dishes on the platter to analyze every one (as if I still remember any of it!), I'll provide a general overview of Ethiopian food (no cheating by looking anything up) based on my limited experience: Injera bread is a staple. It's spongy and great for picking up food or sopping up sauce (also swells up in your stomach after the fact making you feel very full). Meals are eaten communally, traditionally without utensils (using only your right hand). Honey wine (self-explanatory) is also drunk (I don't know if that's the correct p. participle of "drink" but I said I wouldn't look anything up so . . . we're just gonna go with that.) and so will you be if you have a lot because it's sweet and tasty.
The general themes of the various selections offered were legumes (lentils in lots of different sauces), grains (I think there was some bulgur) and greens (spinach, what look like collards but probably aren't). Dukem is a good spot. The general level of spiciness was moderate but the food was certainly not bland. . The portion was right for 3 people. We got more (a smaller combo plate) but given the injera-coma that came after, we could've probably stood pat after the first round.