Serwanda: Rwandan Food

I love cereal. It is my favorite snack. For as long as I can remember I have had cereal every morning for breakfast. In college I started eating it as a snack in the evening. I don’t really care what kind of cereal I eat. I have loved so many kinds of it. I just finished a big bowl of cereal with powdered milk. I do not like the fresh milk (straight from the cow that it is necessary to boil). I was raised on skim milk. So I add a little extra water to my already weak powdered milk. Although I do enjoy the African tea which is made with the fresh milk, but I don’t crave it. Not like I crave cereal.

I visited Kigali last weekend for some business and while I was there I bought a 5000 franks (9.50 dollars) quart of mint ice cream and my friend bought a 7000 franks (13 dollars) box of Froot Loops. We both shared with each other and took great advantage of this rare moment. I have gotten prepared American food plenty of times at restaurants and paid a lot for them, but the only packaged foods that I get are from my mom’s packages. They come pretty regularly and I and I think my roommates are very grateful for them. I am expecting a package from my friend Chris right now too, so that is exciting. My favorite things that I get in these packages are crackers, cookies, packaged meats and just about anything else that my mom puts in there, but nothing makes me happier than eating cereal.

My normal breakfast here is whatever cold rice, potatoes, or vegetables that are left from the night before. Lunch is usually rice and beans or kayunga (corn flower and water it tastes like old stale tortilla chips to me). I eat lunch with the other teachers at my school which is usually a lot of fun. We make fun of each other a lot and even have some serious conversation sometimes. I pay 5000 franks per month to eat with them, notice that that is the same that I paid for one quart of ice cream and less than it costs for Froot Loops.

Dinner is usually at home with my roommates. We just make the rice or potatoes mostly with vegetables and beans. For a long time we were having a housekeeper cook for us, but she was stealing from us so she had to go. Now we cook for ourselves. I have been mixing all kinds of spices and trying different recipes in the cook book I got from another volunteer. Both of my roommates love to pile on the hot spices so I doubt they can even taste most of what they eat. I enjoy it though.

Something that I wish I got more of is the fruit. It is not as available as it once seemed. It is still more available than cereal.

Here I am with my roommates and Chi the Taiwanese guy who slept on my couch for a week.