A Taste of Africa...

and I'm ready to return...

Yesterday, I spent the morning cooking an African meal with my co-workers for our boss. Yeah, it was another grueling day at the office. Yeah right! You see, when it is someone's birthday they get to choose what they would like for lunch. Dave's birthday was about a week ago or so, but since Monday was the first day we all could be here for lunch, that is when we celebrated. And it was a very tasty celebration.

A couple weeks ago when asking Dave what he would like for his birthday lunch, he remembered that I purchased an African cookbook and requested some dishes from that. And I of course couldn't have been happier. The staff was a bit hesitant, so I offered to cook most of it, while another co-worker or two offered to help and try to make some dishes as well. It was so much fun!

We spent the morning in the kitchen mixing our spices, our sauces, and just laughing and talking. And in the end, the meal was delicious! Oh how it all reminded me of Malawi. The food was a bit different as they are in each country, but there are so many similarities. The seasonings were similar, the starches of course are common, and the gathering of people just reminded me of the nights Phil, Aaron, and I were taught how to cook nsima, chambo, and breakfast. We spent those nights in Malawi laughing as we attempted to try to cook some of these dishes and just enjoyed the time spent with each other. And that same environment was found in the kitchen yesterday.

In the end we all enjoyed an Ethiopian dish known as doro wett, shiro, or tibs wett, which is a traditional Ethiopian-style stir-fry made with beef or lamb. There was a dish of candied yams and plantains which are two staples of West African cooking. Along with that we had garlic roasted potatoes. And then finished off the meal with a dessert known as Koesisters, a doughnut like dessert found in Cape Town. Not to mention we also had tea. As delicious as the meal was, I truly enjoyed the interaction with my co-workers.

I sure do miss Africa, and hope God does lead me there again, but He definitely showed me the community we can have here, where ever we are, as long as we are open to each other and just take the time to listen and laugh with one another. It definitely was a great moment!