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No. 00270 |
May 17-23, 2003 |
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Eating it in style at the Sanawari joint!By Valentine Marc Nkwame
Now, the joint’s policy of selling meals at the lowest prices possible, will flutter even the heart of town’s meanest miser .... A paradise for Arusha’s own, uncle Scrooges. Not that it has much variety of meals, the joint actually specializes in cooked (or maybe boiled) Rice and Beans delicacy, known as "Wali Maharage!" This meal, is usually served on some, Record- album sized, plastic plates, that are stocked in a variety of all Rainbow colours. Even a highly starved, Ethiopian refugee will still be challenged to finish a Full plate of "Wali-maharage," going for around, Tsh.300 (US$ 0.25) at the joint. A Half plate serving, costing Tsh.150 (US$ 0.13) per dish, can also satisfy an amateur, but most promising local glutton. The joint itself, a low roofed outfit, that is very wide and dark inside, is fitted with long, strong wooden benches, for the patrons to sit on .... However, there have been some isolated cases of the seats crashing under weight of customers, who have just had their tummies full. It is also a Semi Self-service affair, depending on the respective moods of its numerous waiters and at a given period of time. At the self service mood, the customer will be required to walk up the "Counter" then bark: "Nipe Wali Maharage" (I want Rice and Beans), loudly. A female cashier (Yes! Cashier), who seems like she is suffering from an acute attack of SARS, may also shout back, even louder: "Kubwa au ndogo?" Meaning full or half plate serving? She will then wipe dry a wet plate, with her once white, but now brown, apron, before sniffing her way towards a large plastic container .... located at the corner. Whether full or half, one good scoop of the rice serving, is guaranteed to shock even the legendary Hercules. A steaming , bowl of beans drawn from yet another plastic container, will then follow. This hot supplement is meant to neutralize the otherwise low temperature of the rice .... Probably cooked the previous night. A dusty, 20-inch, Hitachi Television screen, entertains patrons as they tuck into their freezing cold, rice and scalding hot, beans. The screen usually show some video playback of badly dubbed, Ex-Hollywood, Action movies, full of fights, blood and brains bashed out of people’s skulls. .... Somehow, the joint customers are usually expected to watch these gory films, while eating. Never mind but the Images on the Television screen always keep flickering off, resulting to angry protests from the joint patrons. Cursing, one of the waiter will be forced to go behind the set and juggle with the wires, at which the tube would then flash back into life. Below the TV set, there is an old and even dustier, refrigerator, full of soda drinks also for sale. Since the joint’s reigning policy is to sell things cheaply, the refrigerator’s stock of beverages are those of the Pepsi brand. As you know, the Pepsi family of drinks, normally cost Tsh.200 (US$ 0.15), per 350 millilitre bottle and that is Tsh.50 (US$ 0.045) less, than their Coca, counterparts. Anyway a drink is unnecessary, because one has to wade through some strong waves of soup currents before finally reaching to the beans, sub-merged at the bottom of the bowl. Other than the daily speciality of rice and beans, the joint also offers other special dishes but on special orders. "Lete Matumbo!" Shouts a sweaty mechanic, as he slumps at a far off bench in the joint. "Fanya haraka." "Matumbo" is what animals intestines, are called in Kiswahili. This dish is usually served with cooked bananas, known as "Ndizi" or maize meal, common by the name of, "Ugali" .... All at less than USD 0.5, inclusive of a Pepsi drink, plus free, Hollywood made movie. Okay! So, where is that idiot, who keep complaining about life being expensive here in Arusha ? |
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Last modified:
May 15, 2003. Webmaster: WDJMallya |
Up along that dusty
track, leading from the Sanawari junction, there is a certain eating joint going
by the name of ... Eh ... Hotel!.