Fast Food in Tanzania

The title would be an oxymoron if phrases could be an oxymoron. There is no such thing as “fast food” in traditional Tanzania. Well, there is a single dish I have found, chipsi mayai, fries cooked into scrambled eggs, that could be considered “fast food” though it is cooked to order and can take awhile. There are restaurants with “fast food” in the name yet it is a sit down restaurant where you get a menu and a server.

The best example of this is The Silver Spoon by my dorm. I popped in one day for a quick meal on my way to a movie. Let’s just say I missed the previews and a good portion of the introduction. I went to the counter to order and was directed to a table. A lady in a very clean and pressed green and yellow uniform came to my table and brought me a menu and took my drink order. Realizing that this was going to take a bit of time, I caved to the daily special of beef lasagna (I was craving cheese!). I presumed it was already made and sitting in a warmer in the kitchen…nope. I waited for my very own personal sized lasagna to be made. Upon delivery to my table, after a considerable wait, I unwrapped my napkin enclosed silverware and proceeded to chow down on my pseudo-Italian dish. It was fantastic until the last bite…it tasted like soap. My best guess is that some other individual ordered the lasagna before right before me and in their haste to wash someone forgot to rinse.

Reflecting on this after my movie, I concluded that even “convenience food” in Tanzania is a chance to meet someone...in my story it was my server who chatted with me about why I was in Dar and where I come form. I have to confess that at home I am guilty of eating my share of fast food – the kind you order through a speaker out of your car window. From the time I pick up my “meal” at the next window from the hand that flung it at me to the time I reach the next stop light could have eaten half of the bag’s contents. Eating food was simply a task to be done. Honestly, for me who considers eating to be a social event, I was quite lonely eating my to-go meals. Reflecting on the months before I came here, eating like that several times a week was unhealthier for my soul than my body.

Eating in Tanzania is never lonely. Where I am searching for a seat in the cafeteria or venturing out to most restaurants there are always lots of people. Sometimes I try to go ear alone. It’s something I enjoyed occasionally at home. It gave me a chance to breathe. People generally didn’t bother the lady who went to a busy restaurant at dinner and ordered a table for one. There are times here that I try to eat alone. The only way so far that I have found to somewhat succeed is to by bread and soup mix or cheese at Shoprite and eat in my room. That usually doesn’t last long because someone comes and knocks on my door wondering why I didn’t come to dinner.