Visit With Maruge and Friends: Day 3-4

I woke to the smell of beans cooking over a fire. It reminded me of camping, the calming sounds of nature and the smell of burning wood. Maruge and a few other villagers were already outside preparing breakfast. I started my meal with a hot cup of black tea.  I was handed a boiling porridge called Ugali which was said to be made out of fresh picked maize. The next course, Githeri, was a mix of chopped corn, potatoes, greens and it was seasoned to perfection. I was told by one of Maruge's friends that this dish was invented and made by their tribe, the Kikuyu tribe. I was surprised by the large portion size because of the poor community they live in.
For the next two days I was treated like royalty. I got to enjoy many different entrees and experience a new way of life. The meals I tasted gave me a chance to compare the food in Kenya to California. Most of the meals in Africa share the same ingredients, whereas America provides tons of variety and different genres of food. Another new taste I experienced was a cocoanut and rice recipe called Wali.