food: where to buy, eat out

last updated 1 May 2007, sophy

Purchasing food to cook on your own:

-ladies along Jomo Kenyatta Ave between Oginga Odinga Road and United Mall: sukima wiki (kale/collards) 10Ksh a bag, tomatoes, cucumbers, dried beans of all kinds, fish in various states of preparedness.

-Nakumat Market in the Mega Mall plaza on Oginga Odinga Road: almost like Wal-Mart, and can be just as crowded; has most of the packaged goods you would ever want. It also has a fruit and veggie mart in a smaller room next to it which is pricier than the outdoor market but not bad. Also has lots of imported fruits and veggies that you can’t get in the outdoor market (i.e. Asian stir-fry veggies, nice oranges, kiwi fruits, etc.).

-Ukwala Market on Oginga Odinga Road: has more Asian food items (mostly South Asian but has a decent selection of Chinese sauces).

-Tusky’s in United Mall on Jomo Kenyatta Ave: like Target and Safeway rolled into one. A very modern, clean, and relatively pricey (though cheap for US standards) supermarket.

-La Patisserie in the Mega Mall plaza on Oginga Odinga Road has great whole grain and other fresh breads.

-Kenshop bakery on on Oginga Odinga Road has a decent cookie and baked sweets selection.

Lunch at FACES Kisumu:

Most of us take a tea break around 11 am: the CIS break room has hot milk with Kenyan tea bags, and the stand outside sells sodas (300 and 500 ml) for 16 and 25 Ksh as well as mandazi (Kenyan donuts, which are basically unflavored fried dough), bread and popcorn. There is no water sold at the stand, and the water cooler in the break room is frequently empty. Bring your own water or walk to the Tusky’s at the United Mall to buy bottled water.

Most people take lunch at 1 or 2 pm, on a rotating basis so that there are always people at the clinic. Waya is a local woman who sells plates of food for staff. Veggie dishes cost 30 Ksh and meat dishes are 50 Ksh and up. You get to choose from the following elements:

-starch: ugali (white corn meal), white rice, chapati

-veggies: sukima wiki (kale/collards, literally, “push the week,” as it is one of the cheapest foods to buy), cabbage

-legumes: green grams (lentils), red kidney beans (“big beans”)

-meat: whatever Waya has for the day; i’ve never eaten any of it so i can’t vouch for it.

Other lunch options include walking to the United Mall for the semi-fancy restaurants at the casino or inside (expect to pay 350 Ksh, or about $5 US). The hotelis along the road in back of the United Mall also have lots of food stands. Beware of limited food options. Most of our Kenyan colleagues will eat only chips (soggy fries) and soda for lunch.

Restaurants in town that we like:

-Mon Ami: bar with decent restaurant with pizzas, Kenyan food, and lots of veggie options, a favorite local hang-out spot, which is fairly safe at night with DJ’ed music of various quality. It’s in the Mega Mall on Oginga Odinga Road. Expect to pay about 350-400 Ksh for a meal.

-Somi Snacks: in the Mega Mall plaza on Oginga Odinga Road is a South Asian mid-priced café style place specializing in vegetarian foods (!!) with excellent dhosas and juices. They also have pizzas. Expect to pay about 350-400 Ksh for a meal. Sophy’s favorite for veggie food options.