2 years ago Andrea was making frequent trips overseas and left both the kids with me; I'd put them on the school bus early on, go for a run and then go to work. They'd come home on the bus and a local kindergarten teacher we had hired would pick them up and look after them until I got back from work. During these trips I'd be doing the cooking, though only 1 meal a day, and just for me and the kids, and just for a couple of weeks. We managed.
Last year I was cooking just for myself most of the time, which is really very simple since I am not picky, and I was happy to be repeating a handful of meals over and over again. For the last month, with Hannah and Andrea in Germany I have been cooking again, but this time for Leah and the teacher (lunch only for her). Thankfully the teacher is also not particularly picky, so we've managed.
Hannah eats almost anything which is great, but Leah is the one who is picky nowadays, especially with vegetables. At any one time there tends to only be 1 or 2 vegetables she will eat, but she will eat them like crazy if you manage to find out the right one at the right time (and get her to try it, because then she realises she likes it; it is this switching that is the challenge)! Tomatoes and cucumber sometimes work, corn is pretty common, broccoli too. Butternut Squash soup is a good one (though certainly easier and quicker to buy than cook). She's always quite reliably good at eating meat (mostly chicken, but frequently beef too) and some fish (especially steamed, fillet). And in the last year or so she has certainly got more into chicken/fish nuggets/fingers.
Leah has always been obsessed with carbohydrates, so for a long time we have limited these. Rarely eating too much rice, noodles, pasta or sweet potatoes, for example. And very rarely Chips. This brings me onto Kenyan food, which, as with many diets around the world (Europeans tend to be big on potatoes; Asians big on noodles/rice) also are heavily carbohydrate-based (presumably it is common because it is cheap, filling and provides good energy for those working physically).
Though in Kenya it is quite different forms of carbohydrates. For breakfast, a Mandazi is quite common, which is a form of fried bread (it looks like a samosa, but is hollow inside) - as are sausages and boiled eggs. During lunch and dinner Ugali is the most common, which looks sort of like rice tightly packed intogether or just a big ball of dough, simply made of flour and water. It is very useful for mopping up sauces and stews (using the hands) which the gives it flavor. Other popular carbohydrates are chapati (presumably a legacy of the Indian influence) which is similar to naan bread. There are also lots of root vegetables, such as taro, yams and cassava (especially for a snack alongside the typical Kenyan tea that is made of milk and sugar, not water). Corn (or maize) is common too.
When it comes to vegetables, there is quite a good variety locally available, often green in color including spinach (mchicha), Sukuma wiki which is similar to kale. There are also an interesting mix of beans available (maharagwe), and kachumbari which is tomato and onion salad. Kenyans are very much into their meat, with the famous phrase nyama choma meaning grilled meat covering all sorts, mostly beef, goat and chicken. Fantastically, the word in Swahili for chicken is kuku. Fish is also common, since there is a large coast and lake in Kenya, and can be cooked dry or wet, as with some other ways of eating meat (i.e. if not grilled) - with wet meaning in a stew with sauces.
There are of course plenty of regional specialties based on the climate and culture there. Most notably in Northern Kenya, which is quite arid, the predominance is of meat, such as goat; whilst along the Coast there is a heavy Arabic and Indian influence which means plenty of rice based dishes like pilau and more spices.
Kenyan food is alright. I wouldn't say it is spectacular, but it is certainly not awful. You of course get what you pay for, which poor quality and very tough meat something that annoys me and my teeth! There is not as much variety as Asian food in general, but of course, living in Nairobi, almost anything can be bought from anywhere in the world. Here foods from all over the world can be bought in restaurants or even in supermarkets, so there is no complaints. You can choose the cheap fast food restaurants (that often serve Kenyan food, not only American style) or higher quality restaurants. And of course, almost every restaurant delivers nowadays (especially since COVID-19, but even before then) and most of the middle class restaurants come with large car parks and playgrounds alongside lots of outdoor seating which is excellent!
