We have been here less than a week and I have been trying to learn the ropes of running MPH in 2 1/2+ days. This hostel is for church related guests only. It is a very nice place to stay. (Clay and Cindy are remodeling it and bring it up to a wonderful standard.) Tonight a pastor brought in a French speaking President of a church group who will be here checking on his seminary students. I have also been busy learning the procurement of groceries in a third world country. There are no Walmarts and no grocery store chains. Just several smallish grocery stores. Run by Lebanese and Europeans, they are set up like ours in the states etc.as far as displays.
They are sort of like Dollar general stores but have more. I saw Oreos, Pringles, Mount Olive pickle relish, Sensadine toothpaste( $12.00), chips and Bazooka bubble gum! So, at a minimum I will have the chauffeur take Ken and me to three grocery stores. (Ken "gets "to go too. Cindy and Clay sort of use it as a work day and "get away day" and do lunch downtown together. So we will continue the tradition.) In watching last week, one can make a decision to not get something at one store and try the next only to find out it is more expensive. So you go on and get it because last week the third store you are headed to didn't have any.You get to the next store, they have it and it is the cheapest of all! Cindy took us to a fourth grocery and we loved it. It is South African, new and the produce and all is gorgeous! Reminds me of Whole Foods Stores. Bad news is that the prices are out of sight. Makes the prices we saw last year in Hawaii look cheap. Speaking of prices- before I forget - fuel is $5-6 a gallon. Yipes! Glad I have a chauffeur!
The steps involved in getting a grocery list together for shopping on Wednesdays of each week are interesting. The groceries are bought for meals to be served Thursdays through Wednesdays. I have to count the number of people that will be here for the next week. So I have to count the numbers of people on each reservation and get the count to the cook . He needs the minimum number for a day and the possible maximum and the average per meal. So this next week the most we will have at a meal is 27 and the least is 14. He picks the menus and goes to the "magazine"/pantry room- a huge room in the back of the kitchen- and makes a list of what he will need to cook the menus for the week. He also adds to the list of the items we are running low on. All of the cooks are over seventy- which is considered old out here-and sometimes a double check has to be done. :;) (It is done on the QT.) Also they were requesting 5 bottles of Ketchup (I saw Heinz at one store) every couple of weeks and hamburgers or Sloppy Joes are only served once a week. So cooking oil, coffee,and Ketchup are now stored in the office and have to be signed out by the cook. There are now still three bottles of Ketchup left. ;) Or is that ;( ? The head cook use to cook at the American Embassy. But he got too old and had to retire. So he works here now.
Once the cook has his lists we then add to it anything else that is needed. This week I will need to get Coka Lite for sure for the drink machine and don't know of anything else at this point. I am sent with a preset amount of money so I have to do the math -francs to dollars and then I have to decide whether to get the 5 he listed or only 4 because of the price.We will also get some food stuff for us to keep in the apartment if we'd rather have a tuna fish or jambon et fromage ( ham and cheese) sandwich instead of what's being served. Lots of carbs are in the noon meals since they are always native fare. Of course there is no Hellman's Mayonnaise- I haven't seen any- for the sandwiches, so I am not sure how Ken will deal with that! ;) If we need any maintenance stuff etc. Ken will pick that up too while we are out. It is nice having the chauffeur know where to go for what we need. We can also tell him what food we want and he can take us to good and safe restaurants. Maybe Chinese this week.
The kitchen is huge. But it is out of date by US standards. It's more modern than the old wooden stoves and kerosene refrigerators used here when we were kids. There is a gas and an electric stove. Also in the kitchen is the water purification system for the drinking water. Also are several freezers and refrigerators. The sinks are the most antiquated of all. No dish washer. Breakfast and lunch dishes are done by the cooks. Supper dishes are done by the night sentry. (Having trouble with blog caption deal. Left: Cook Papa Mata with water purification behind him and Right: the kitchen sink- metal sinks in the old cement one.)
Meals are served at the sound of the bell that the cook rings in the dining room.(Just like at Central School!) Breakfast 7-8 ( Saturday and Sunday 7-9), lunch 12-13:00 and supper 18-19:00. ( Love my 24 hour Walmart watch!!) Each day after breakfast we have to sign up if we will be here for the other two meals. Various Correll dishes and paper napkins.
Menus are on cycles- not bicycles- but we are new so no repeats yet. Breakfast- baked bread always and french toast, omelets, oatmeal, pancakes, fresh baked sweet rolls, baguettes with cheese or jellies. Fresh local fruits at every breakfast plus hot tea and coffee,water and milk. Lunch is native fare- rice or fufu/bedia, ( a manioc and flour gruel) and native cooked greens often mixed with palm oil and a meat most days or beans and a dessert. Supper is Sroganoff, fried chicken, pork tenderloin, pasta and beef, chicken Caccitore, chili and cornbread and steaks and I don't know what else is coming down the pike. These meals are also served with rice or potatoes, vegetables- canned or fresh from the garden, salad of some sort -fruits or greens-and a dessert. Like I said, lots of carbs. All is organic here to say the least! Meal pictured is Native food, Chicken Mwamba with matamba greens and palm oil gravy.SOOO good and full of memories.
Last week we ate at Chantilly's in town. (Oh, forgot to tell you that at each place you stop you have to tip the policeman 500 francs/50 cents- which they are thrilled to get- to watch your car and help you back up and get going again out into this ridiculous traffic). Nice bakery and deli type place. Cloth table cloth and napkins. Bedecked waiters. Ken had grilled Ham and Cheese, I had a Cheese steak on a baguettes sandwich -hold the cheese- and Cindy had soup and meat Samosas. Did not get a pastry this time but saw the swan pastries I loved as a girl at the bakery in Luluabourg/Kananga today. Memories!
In case you can't tell we are having a wonderful time. At the BBQ the other night we ran into Ruthie Bob of long ago and her husband David. Fun to catch up. Coming in Monday are some more" missionary kids" with a group. Jimmy Shafe , Lillibet Vass and Saragay/ "Shruggy" Stockwell- as I knew them- are on their way up country. So it will be old home week/days.
Take care and let us hear from you too! Love Ya! Me
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| Registration desk- my office door over right edge of chalkboard |
We have been here less than a week and I have been trying to learn the ropes of running MPH in 2 1/2+ days. This hostel is for church related guests only. It is a very nice place to stay. (Clay and Cindy are remodeling it and bring it up to a wonderful standard.) Tonight a pastor brought in a French speaking President of a church group who will be here checking on his seminary students. I have also been busy learning the procurement of groceries in a third world country. There are no Walmarts and no grocery store chains. Just several smallish grocery stores. Run by Lebanese and Europeans, they are set up like ours in the states etc.as far as displays.
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| Coffee like home! |
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| Hot Dogs! |
The steps involved in getting a grocery list together for shopping on Wednesdays of each week are interesting. The groceries are bought for meals to be served Thursdays through Wednesdays. I have to count the number of people that will be here for the next week. So I have to count the numbers of people on each reservation and get the count to the cook . He needs the minimum number for a day and the possible maximum and the average per meal. So this next week the most we will have at a meal is 27 and the least is 14. He picks the menus and goes to the "magazine"/pantry room- a huge room in the back of the kitchen- and makes a list of what he will need to cook the menus for the week. He also adds to the list of the items we are running low on. All of the cooks are over seventy- which is considered old out here-and sometimes a double check has to be done. :;) (It is done on the QT.) Also they were requesting 5 bottles of Ketchup (I saw Heinz at one store) every couple of weeks and hamburgers or Sloppy Joes are only served once a week. So cooking oil, coffee,and Ketchup are now stored in the office and have to be signed out by the cook. There are now still three bottles of Ketchup left. ;) Or is that ;( ? The head cook use to cook at the American Embassy. But he got too old and had to retire. So he works here now.
Once the cook has his lists we then add to it anything else that is needed. This week I will need to get Coka Lite for sure for the drink machine and don't know of anything else at this point. I am sent with a preset amount of money so I have to do the math -francs to dollars and then I have to decide whether to get the 5 he listed or only 4 because of the price.We will also get some food stuff for us to keep in the apartment if we'd rather have a tuna fish or jambon et fromage ( ham and cheese) sandwich instead of what's being served. Lots of carbs are in the noon meals since they are always native fare. Of course there is no Hellman's Mayonnaise- I haven't seen any- for the sandwiches, so I am not sure how Ken will deal with that! ;) If we need any maintenance stuff etc. Ken will pick that up too while we are out. It is nice having the chauffeur know where to go for what we need. We can also tell him what food we want and he can take us to good and safe restaurants. Maybe Chinese this week.
The kitchen is huge. But it is out of date by US standards. It's more modern than the old wooden stoves and kerosene refrigerators used here when we were kids. There is a gas and an electric stove. Also in the kitchen is the water purification system for the drinking water. Also are several freezers and refrigerators. The sinks are the most antiquated of all. No dish washer. Breakfast and lunch dishes are done by the cooks. Supper dishes are done by the night sentry. (Having trouble with blog caption deal. Left: Cook Papa Mata with water purification behind him and Right: the kitchen sink- metal sinks in the old cement one.)
Meals are served at the sound of the bell that the cook rings in the dining room.(Just like at Central School!) Breakfast 7-8 ( Saturday and Sunday 7-9), lunch 12-13:00 and supper 18-19:00. ( Love my 24 hour Walmart watch!!) Each day after breakfast we have to sign up if we will be here for the other two meals. Various Correll dishes and paper napkins.
Last week we ate at Chantilly's in town. (Oh, forgot to tell you that at each place you stop you have to tip the policeman 500 francs/50 cents- which they are thrilled to get- to watch your car and help you back up and get going again out into this ridiculous traffic). Nice bakery and deli type place. Cloth table cloth and napkins. Bedecked waiters. Ken had grilled Ham and Cheese, I had a Cheese steak on a baguettes sandwich -hold the cheese- and Cindy had soup and meat Samosas. Did not get a pastry this time but saw the swan pastries I loved as a girl at the bakery in Luluabourg/Kananga today. Memories!In case you can't tell we are having a wonderful time. At the BBQ the other night we ran into Ruthie Bob of long ago and her husband David. Fun to catch up. Coming in Monday are some more" missionary kids" with a group. Jimmy Shafe , Lillibet Vass and Saragay/ "Shruggy" Stockwell- as I knew them- are on their way up country. So it will be old home week/days.
Take care and let us hear from you too! Love Ya! Me
The hostel looks really nice. It's cool that you found books with your names on the old checkout cards in the library and that you're getting to eat some of the native foods you remember from your childhood. All the food sounds great! (But nice to have the tuna and ham & cheese back-ups just in case.) Loved the photos and your descriptions.
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