Preparing Lunch
A catering crew prepares lunch and tea for the conference and workshops taking place over these two weeks. The crew is set up in Dan's backyard, next door to TICH. They stew beef and fry chicken, cook ugali and rice and sumoki wiki on the back patio of Dan's house. A temporary shelter has been erected to shade them from the sun.
Chickens are shewed, flies are swatted as the crew cooks and hauls food, plates, silverware and clean drinking water to the school. I enjoy hanging out in Dan's backyard, watching the process, how well they work together to produce such a large amount of various dishes. It's a huge job. They also wash all the plates and cutlery here, too. In the US, food cooked in such an environment would not be suitable for serving. Here, these meals are luxuries.
Sometimes, they'll allow me and other staff members to make a plate and we'll sit in Dan's living or dining room and eat. It's a nice reprieve from the hectic conference atmosphere. Especially when the TV is tuned to a music video station (playing Outkast, which reminds me of Jaime and Atlanta) or a cheesy American movie is on. Just the sound of a cheesy American movie is soothing at times. Today, I help them carry serving dishes heaped with chicken and ugali to the lunch tables under the trees of our courtyard. Being with the cooking crew in Dan's backyard is like being at a family reunion; relaxed, surrounded by wonderful aromas and a sense of belonging.
Chickens are shewed, flies are swatted as the crew cooks and hauls food, plates, silverware and clean drinking water to the school. I enjoy hanging out in Dan's backyard, watching the process, how well they work together to produce such a large amount of various dishes. It's a huge job. They also wash all the plates and cutlery here, too. In the US, food cooked in such an environment would not be suitable for serving. Here, these meals are luxuries.
Sometimes, they'll allow me and other staff members to make a plate and we'll sit in Dan's living or dining room and eat. It's a nice reprieve from the hectic conference atmosphere. Especially when the TV is tuned to a music video station (playing Outkast, which reminds me of Jaime and Atlanta) or a cheesy American movie is on. Just the sound of a cheesy American movie is soothing at times. Today, I help them carry serving dishes heaped with chicken and ugali to the lunch tables under the trees of our courtyard. Being with the cooking crew in Dan's backyard is like being at a family reunion; relaxed, surrounded by wonderful aromas and a sense of belonging.
posted by Cindi at 10:13 PM
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