Fruits of Friendship

[16-8-10]
When I first got my assignment to Nyanza province one of my first questions as "What do the Luo's eat?" Rech and Kuon (fish and ugali) are staples at every meal, but what really got me excited were the stories of rows of pineapple plants on every farm, market stands tumbling over with sweet potatoes, and the promise of at least one avocado tree on every compound. The tomatoes here have a flavor that can't be cooked out, and ever the multiple varieties of bananas explore a wide spectrum of sweetness and texture. Yes, the fertile soil here produces a mecca of tasty foods that are guaranteed to make my next two years here a joy. And the sweetest joy of all? All these delicious foods have been gifts from my welcoming community members. My coworkers regularly supply me with avocados, cassava, bananas, and groundnuts. My supervisors daughter-in-law brings at least 7 avocados and some pineapples with each visit. (Now these things are huge and heavy. Child on back and fruits in hand, she happily makes the trip to Mikai - I remind her every time that she's the strongest Kenyan I know.) Visitors to the office come to greet me and take my order. The next day I'm surprised to find freshly harvested groundnuts from a local shamba. And just the other day while walking I received an avocado from a seller for the sake of friendship. So yes, friends and family back home, I am eating very well. I came here in the hopes of discovering something new about the culture, and I'm staying for the warmness of the friendships.