Monday, November 16, 2009

Uganda dining 101


Admittedly I have only been here a few days, so I am no expert, but for those of you considering traveling here, I have a few dining pointers. The currency is the shilling which is basically 2000 to 1 USD. You will want to make sure you have a bunch of small bills as most places (at least the ones I go to), don't have change for anything upwards of $20 USD. The cost of a meal at a nice restaurant is approximately $8 USD, but you can easily eat meals for less than $3 USD. The "rich people's" diet consists of very starch and carbo-heavy items (e.g. rice, beans, mashed plantains, white bread), so if you want a balanced meal, it is best to stay to a poor person's diet which is where you will find your vegetables. If you are a mzungu (like me), the assumption will be that you will want your meats fried, but stay with what the locals do, and go for the grill instead. Word of warning here ... you might not want to do a "grill sample" unless you really like offal. My suggestion is to stick to the pieces of meat which are recognizable. Most people speak English, so asking questions isn't a problem, but learning a few basics like "thank you" in Luganda will get you props (and perhaps an even bigger smile). There is a sizable Indian population because many relocated here when the railroad was being built, so samosas and curries are readily available. As a side note, I have been told that we are currently in the height of "cricket season" so I am off to find some tasty morsels before I leave on the gorilla trek.

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