How I buy my veggies

I've come to learn that here, there is a whole new culture associated with vegetable buying; an experience very different than what I grew up with.

Everyday (with the exception of one) Eden and I go to a nearby vegetable stand to by our veggies. Eden calls it our 'date night' (she knows that Papa Clarkson and I have 'date nights' when we spend time together, just the two of us, so she calls our shopping adventures 'date nights' because it's just me and her). We go while Isaaq is napping because he is getting so heavy to carry all the way, every day, and the "roads" here are about as flat as if an earthquake went through. Not ideal for little legs who just figured out walking a few months ago. We walk about 300 meters to our friend Ferrah's store (a tin 10 by 10 hut). She primarily sells vegetables, and is only open between 9:30-10:30AM.

The concept of customer loyalty is extremely important here. You ALWAYS buy your veggies from the same person. Every day she goes to the market to purchase just the amount of veggies she knows she will sell. In a land of no refrigerators, whatever vegetables she doesn't sell by the end of the day will go to waste, and she will loose money. Women generally only buy enough vegetables for the day. So, every day, Eden and I buy a quarter kilo of tomatoes, two onions, some ground meat, a small amount of whatever other vegetable she happens to sell for that day (usually okra, sweet peppers, or beets), a head of lettuce, and two bananas. Often we'll buy potatoes, garlic, fresh parsley, hot peppers, or limes as well. I used to think it would be too time consuming to go veggie shopping every single day, but the Father has taught me much about slowing down, and truly living alongside the people around me. It's a good time to socialize and hear about how my friends are doing as we do our shopping. I'm grateful my friends here aren't bothered by my voice recorder that I tirelessly bring with me everywhere to use when I find a new word to learn. Eden sits outside the shop and pets the goats or plays with the other kids who've accompanied their moms to the store.

If Ferrah doesn't have what I need, she'll go to another store nearby, and get it for me. So nice. Great service. Ferrah is the mom of our friends who live right across the path/road from us. We know their family, and we enjoy getting to support them in this way. If I'm late, she'll get my bag of veggies ready and put them aside for me. When Eden and I arrive she has our food all ready for us. Its nice. I've seen her not sell meat or veggies to people who don't usually shop at her store, not because she doesn't like them, but because she's only purchased enough veggies for her customers.

The city market is quite a ways from our neighborhood, so a few times a month, my house helper will go and buy carrots, nuts, spinach, fruits, and other foods that we can't find in our neighborhood. Eden, Isaaq, and I would go, but we attract a RIDICULOUS amount of attention and it just stresses us all out.

And, for those that are interested here's my menu plan for the week:

Sunday: lunch- tuna casserole, supper- herbed potato soup, with salad and homemade creamy garlic dressing

Monday: lunch- pasta with meat sauce, supper- cream of spinach soup with pesto frittatas

Tuesday: lunch- leftovers, supper- tuna sandwiches

Wednesday: lunch- creamy chicken and rice casserole, supper- tacos

Thursday: lunch- chicken and dumplings, supper- pancakes with homemade pineapple syrup

Friday: lunch- rice and beans, supper- garbanzo bean spread on homemade oatmeal bread

Saturday: lunch- rice, supper- egg sandwiches