Feb 14, Saturday, Victoria Falls

We got to sleep in!  After breakfast we went shopping at the local supermarket which was like our regular grocery store, but they carried specialized foods such as dried little fish called kapenta.   We had to get peanut butter as well.  At the traditional market we each bought a separate ingredient, all for about a dollar.  David got a bag of onions, someone a bag of beautiful tomatoes, a huge cabbage, some chomolia greens,  and some dried black catepillars called mopane worms.  then we drove to a local family's traditional home/village where they prepared lunch for us.

We chopped tomatoes and onions and helped stir the ingredients and add the veges.  I made the chicken.  It was all cooked over a campfire grate with a wood fire, in a round thatched roofed cooking area.  Thompson bought bottled water to wash the vegetables in.  

My guide for making the chicken

Mr. Siwela and ladies

The village

The staple was pap, or sadza, which is maize meal, cooked in water and boiled and stirred quickly and carefully so as not to burn or clump, and became the perfect consistency for balling up in your hand to eat.   David posted a movie of the women stirring this on Facebook.  The heat and especially the smoke got to me and some of the other ladies.  the men were taken to look at the fields of maize and around the fenced area, which kept out the cattle because only women cook the food.

We ate in another thatched roof area with mats for the women and stools for the men.  The woman prepares a plate for the husband first, which we did.  then the women eat.  the toddler children loved the pap and the gravies.  Most ate with their hand, like in India.  David was very skilled at this.  

this was the first time OAT had done the meal preparation and eating so it took awhile longer than anticipated.  The village ladies were nervous, but very hospitable and friendly.  We each got a colorful cotton sarong to wear like the village women. 

 The Headman, Mr. Siwela, spoke to us about how his village worked and what his job was for the people.  How you become a headman is through your father.  It is a royalty system.  If one of his sons who works in the city doesn't want to be headman, his niece will do it.   He is also the bartender at our hotel.  He said he loves his work because he gets tips.  

There are 62 headmen in the area under one Chief.  There are many chiefs in the country and for each tribe.  There are 7 tribes in the nation.  This one is Ndebele.  Thompson is Shona.  This is the form of self government.  but this headman had responsibility for about 600 people and their children.  The Jabulani school we visited yesterday was where these children went.  We saw the headman's home, a two room thatched rectangular hut.  This is the way of life for most people in Zimbabwe.  He said the meal we had was just like what he was used to eating.  He said, for example, his people would consider someone eating oysters as crazy, just like we may think eating caterpillars was crazy.  the caterpillar was actually very good.  We all ate some of everything.  

In fact, OAT arranged another meal for us in case we didn't eat this traditional food, but we were full and just picked at it.  At this second lunch our choice was crododile fingers or impala meat balls.  Both were very tasty.  We didn't get back until 3:00.  David and I were going to go to the Victoria Falls hotel to have high tea for a valentines celebration, but we couldn't eat anything more and were exhausted from the heat and smoke.  

Coming back to the room, our room was not made up, probably because the door doesn't work and the maid couldn't get into the room.  We switched rooms to the one next door.  It has been thundering and we hope they get rain soon for the crops.  We have another meal at Lola's restaurant at 7:00.