both of my parents were born and raised in uganda... this photo is from kampala, right? the most beautiful country...and thanks to lovely 'dada' aka idi amin, and the 1972 coup...that the chick pea was born and raised in the states... otherwise, would've been the swahili speaking, mogo eating gal of the 7 hills :)...

did you take the pic yourself?

My Mom was born in Kampala as well. I have always wanted to visit there. She taught me a few Swahili phrases I have been dying to try out. :)

Ennis, was this statue just put up? Wow!

abhi: jambo, mazuri sana ;)

have you been? it's an amazing country.. spent 6 weeks on safari in east africa... uganda is amazing.. will send you some pics if you want... the continent of africa... wow.... sometimes i wonder.. if it would have not been better to be brought up there (sans corruption, govt problems, etc..)

The photo is from Jinja, at the headwaters of the Nile. The statue is not actually at the Nile, but at one of the local mandirs. Before Amin, many desis lived in Jinja, now only a handful do. I don't know when the statue was actually put up - good question. It looks newer than 1948, but beyond that, I don't know.

Oh yes, as far as I know, Gandhi was never in Uganda until his ashes were brought there. I think his ashes were scattered at a number of sites around the world, this being just one of them.

jinja.. you know, i think i saw this statue when i went back in 99 when i went with my folks to visit their birthplace....

I find the South Asia - East Africa connection fascinating: maybe 'cos my mother was born there as well (Mtwara, Tanzania). I've no other connection to the place except that my grandparents in Kerala used to speak to each other in Swahili when they didn't want us kids to understand what they were saying.

A tangential question: is it true that some south asian food has become a staple in that part of the world (chapati's for eg.) ?

Yup - Chapatti are routinely served in Kenyan restaurants. I have a photo of them being made by the side of the road in Kenya.

Yup - Chapatti are routinely served in Kenyan restaurants. I have a photo of them being made by the side of the road in Kenya.

Cool. My roommate used to room with a ugandan who used to make them from scratch so was wondering.

well the african food has also crossed over... who eats matoki and mogo :), raise your hands? thanks to the east africans...

well the african food has also crossed over... who eats matoki and mogo :), raise your hands? thanks to the east africans...

You do? Really? Do you desify it? I can see matoke, but mogo?

i love mogo, it's awesome...yeah, we've desi=fied it... totally..you go to any indian restaurant (esp in england, leicester, where a bunch of east african indians are...) and you'll find both mogo and matoki on the menu.. all my diwali parties have mogo in it.. it's the bestest!

A tangential question: is it true that some south asian food has become a staple in that part of the world (chapati's for eg.) ?

in malaysia and singapore also.

Mogo can be found in the states as 'Jicama'. Mexicans eat it too and I have seen numerous californian supermarkets sell it. I have yet to find it in the metro dc area. Damn...I miss Kenya now. I lived there for 19 years and the charm has never worn off..

And yes, chapatis are a staple with east africans. Some even eat an african version of Samosas.

you should be able to find it in dc....go to the latino markets.. my aunt could find it.. near hm..college park and all... good luck.. mogo is damn tasty... boiled or fried..better than a french fry!

yeah, the mexicans eat it to..as well as the peruvians.. when my family and i were in the amazon earlier this year, that is what they fed us everyday due to us being vegetarian..fresh mogo... :)

Some even eat an african version of Samosas

mogo=yuka...and you can get it at most supermarkets, we desify it with lemon and chilliepowder (when it is roasted, fried, or made into crisps (aka chips)and make shaak (sabzi) out of it too...ohhh when we discovered yukka was the same thing it MADE our month :D

the Samos Kenyan's eat are generally lamb or beef. Maandazi is sweet and doesn't have a filling, although in the coast it's eated with baazi which is a yummy coconut and lima bean dish....mmmmmmm

Kenyans call chapati "chapo"

Doesn't mogo=cassava?

Chick pea, Abhi, Aswin, do you find that your parents have substituted Indianified Kiswahili words into whatever indian language they speak?

I think I was 12 and visiting India for the first time when it was revealed to me by a rather irate "auntie" that I did not really speak Gujrati. she kept asking me for a cakuh/chapu, and I had no idea she wanted a knife because we call it kisu.

we also say:
bakudi for bowl
sufurya for metal cooking pot
fagia for sweep
fangusa for wipe
pasi for iron

Msichana, where'd you live in Kenya?

yukka = cassava = mogo

The events of the early 70's in Uganda brought my first awareness of an Indian diaspora in Africa. Seeing the effects not only on the ethnic Indians involved but also on Uganda itself was an early, sobering and politicizing lesson.

do any of you eat green mung beans? (i think they're green when unhulled..not sure)

do any of you eat green mung beans? (i think they're green when unhulled..not sure)

it takes a monkey's lifetime to cook that bean tho.

not with a pressure cooker :)

Haya basi, for more Kenya nostalgia, check out http://backinthedaynbi.blogspot.com/2005/04/z-of-only-in-nairobi-e.html

Rajesh, OMG I love you!!!!! That site is HI-larrious, nilicheka mpaka nilianguka! Ngai!
I haven't heard words like tune (to hit on) in ages...I heng with a few Kenyans here, but no one speaks sheng too much.

do any of you eat green mung beans? (i think they're green when unhulled..not sure)

i think we eat them...i thought i saw that label in the pantry at home.

we grow all this crap...i think when you're referring to mogo, cassava et al you're talking about champeh, cheneh, catchil and everything else i can't spell. i loathe it all. potato or nothing.

kenyandesi:

i swear i was going to comment on that.. but you beat me to it.. went to my patel friends house one day growing up, asking for a 'kisu'..she looked at me like i was crazy.. thought that that was the guju word...

what about oga for bath and tumbo for stomach?

gotta love the tri-cultrue we live in: african, american, indian...whoah... yeah baby!

anna:
it's not a potato, more starchy, and stringy, but the fresh stuff from the ground is fabulous...trust me... they cooked it well in peru..

green mung beans? my mom let's it sit out and sprout, puts it into salads, or i eat it plain..tons of protein...gotta get the proteins for the vegetarians out there.. hehe.. add a little lemon juice, salt, chile pepper, and you're golden..

Abhi: Your Mom was born in Kampala, but her parents lived in Jinja. She went to elementary school in Jinja, and her parents came back to Ahmedabad - for good when she was nine or ten years old. She always bragged about how beautiful Uganda and Nairobi (Kenya) were. I never made it to check out her claims. Me, a typical Guju born and raised in good old Ahmedabad, coudn't care less for "Sani", "Bakudi", "Fagia". She still craves for and make "Mogo" and "Matoki", once in a while. May be one of these days we can go "Safari" (Chick Pea is welcome too) and check out the validity of all the claims....Yo Dad
p.s. She always said "Mimi Taka ......" I still don't know what it means?

anna: it's not a potato, more starchy, and stringy

oh, i KNOW it's no potato...hence why i loathe it. the stringy aspect is exactly what i dislike. there are dishes that my mom uses it in, which she knows i won't eat due to my negativity towards her choice of "starch", so she subs potato to make me happy. ;)

Kenyandesi..I lived in Nairobi and was there in august. Mimi taka means, I want. The funniest times are when you have indian women trying to speak swahili..it's hilarious.

By the way, i hear that there are places in DC where you can get ugali and sukuma as well.

And talking about using swahili words for everything, I still say ngazi for stairs and ndizi for bananas.

Ex kenyan indians in dc should meet up, just for a trip down nostaligic lane. :-)

msichana, I'm so jealous you were in Nai in Aug. I'll be going next year and I can't wait :) but in the mean time let's meet up!!!

I can find the place that sells ugali and sukuma and githeri and Tusker and nyama choma...mmmmm mmmm....although, I did always prefer my mom's ugali with jeera and green chillies. Can Indians eat ANYTHING without adultrating/indianifying it?

Do you remember the Tava parties people (desis) would have at their houses? Well I have one die-hard Kenyan uncle who lives here, who HAND carried a steel tava (this thing is a solid steel cooking utensil that weighs probably 50lbs) and jiko
(a charcoal cooker) with him so he could have good ol Tava parties right here. And man if you've never had biriani that's been slow cooked for several hours by a Bohra mom, you aint tried nothings!!!!!

man I miss it all, I miss the fact that Eid and Diwali passed with not so much as a wink and nod here, I remember we'd go over to my Ismaili neighbour's house when they broke fast and ate all their yummy food. And they'd come to ours for fireworks and mithai on diwali. The Eid and diwali mela's, the garbas going from Premier club to Bhram Sabha to Maje and then the best was at KICC :)

so seriously lets meet up? Anyone else down?

I am totally down...
By the way, I learnt how to do my own 'koroga' at home when I went to kenya this summer. It's an awesome feeling to make your own chapos and jeera chicken.
How funny...my folks live next to Lohana Mahajan. I literally grew up in Gymkhana across the street!
Talking about diwali...I miss the fun we'd have when Simba Union etc out up melas. Yeah, we have 4th of July fireworks etc here but seeing the stuff in Ruaraka etc still gives me goosebumps!
Tusker in DC? Maaan...you got me reeling now.

baada ya kaazi burudika in wakati wa....
Tusker :)

I grew up in the gymkhana pool with the infamous "we don't swim in your toilet, please do not pee in our pool" sign :) Then we'd come out and have grilled cheese and tomato sanwiches and chips with lots of peptang tomato sauce and chillie sause and lemon on the fries...mmmmmmmm or we'd go to exotica for their stuffed chappos....damn, i'm so hungry now....

ok so lets do it next weekend?

Kenyandesi...you read my mind. Of course, exotica is still going big guns. Their masala chips are divine!

Hit me up at lenikaps@gmail.com

And yes...that gymkhana sign was crrrazy! It has changed a lot though. A lot of expansions thanks to the cricket world cups etc.

By the way, if you tell me that you know someone who went to vogss or oshwal high, I am going to crack up! Almost every indian went through the shah system, it seems like.

Well then you'll really get a kick outta this one--I was in conso for primary (I loved that school, man I even remember some of the hyms and stuff :), then went to VOGSS aka the ninth dimension of hell, for TWO terms. That's all I lasted, couldn't take the damn place after that...could tell you stories to make your toes curl...but yeah I knew kids who went to VOGSS, and OH, and some who had been in the Oshwal system since pre-K... my two best friends went to Nairobi acad, aka bombay academy...one did his A's at OH, but I still accredit his sawa-ness to not having been raised in the oshwal system :)

I eventually ended up at rosslyn for 10-12 grade, those are other hellish (of a different kind though) storo's I could tell you... what schools did you go to?

i'm game for a safari...

meet up, where? i'm in atl..

ah, msichana, next to the lohana mahajan? i'm lohana... :).. cool beans.. my mom grew up on martini road, across from the old hindu mandir.. my dads folks had a record shop downtown...

oh gosh.. i've been to kampala once..buti'm hooked.. my dad gets all these thigns off ebay realting to uganda and stuff.. he has an amazing historical collection of stuff... no joke...

All this nostalgia - my mouth is watering. I'll need to make some mandaazi this weekend. I bake mine rather than fry them. Yum yum! That subtle hint of coconut, dip it is some cream and take a bite, followed by a good cup of chai (recipe here if you want to give it a try).

I am glad that statue has finally gone up in Uganda after that dark period in desi diaspora history. The sad thing is, many of the desis from East Africa who moved out really missed Africa and the loss to the East African economy was huge. Every one lost in that deal. My Dad is still reminisces about the gymkhana (swimming club) in and yacht club in Tanga.

Yo Dad, (or should that be Abhi's dad),
If you ever want to go on safari let me know, I'll let you know where to really go, places like Lake Bagoria and 14 Falls that the tourists never get to see....Kenya is stunning, as is Uganda, parts of the country really do look like the scenes from Missisippi Masala...but add to that gorgeous beaches, and uber-friendly people, mountains, the rift valley, there's soooo much to see...

Most Gujrati's from India don't care for our Swahili-fied guju, but it just goes to show that we really are Kenyan/Ugandan/Tanzanian more than Indian, but that's a discussion for a whole 'nother day...

abhi/kenyandesi/and the other folks from east africa or parental roots there...

i really feel that we are more african than indian... or that the indians from africa are distincly different than indians from india..whether it be thought, word, deed...

don'tcha agree? wanted to continue your thought kenyandesi

the bean
garbanzobean@gmail.com

Hahahaha! Okay...I did forms 1-6 at VOGSS and turned out semi sawa. I have friends who came from conso and went to VOGSS with me as well. I did primary in Arya Vedic in good ol Ngara. That's another place that muindis have killed....they call it 'nagara'.

So, chick pea, you are in atlanta eh? That's a tad too far out for me right now...I am in DC.

Ek Aurat, you are right. The economy really suffers when indian do a massive exodus. It was first to england and the states and then to Canada. Right now, there is hardly a household in nairobi that doesn't have atleast one person in Australia. Perth is literally full of east african muindis.

Okay...so, who is up for meeting up in DC soon and talking about kenyan indian things? I know that I and kenyan desi are..

By the way, we had a guju neigbour who totally killed me when she spoke swa. This is what I herad her telling her driver one day..'John, enda kwa agasi, toa nguo, ngoja mimi'. The poor chap didn't get that she wanted him to take the clothes off the line and fold them. He quit in a few days...

And if anyone needs a good tour operator for a safari in Africa...I reccommend Dipesh Gelani at African Bush. The man rocks and his prices and services are superb!

Lenika

lenikaps@gmail.com

Ek Aurat, thanks for the recipe!! I think brimful and I will have to get our cook on

chick pea,
do you know that every thanksgiving they have a HUGE Kenyan reunion in atl? I'm talking about thousands of Kenyans converging on "hotlanta" for a weekend of debauchery

i'm in Bmore, and I think msichana is in DC...so you'd have to come up this way for a east african asian meetup :(

ek aurat, thanks for the recepie, i'm def going to be trying that soon

Kenyan Desi: Thanks for the offer to help when I go for "Safari". You are right. Although I don't particularly care for "Swahilified-Guju" language, it sure sounds pleasant. It's fun to listen to her "Bana" language when she talks to her two sisters who were born in Kampala too. My wife (Abhi's mom) left for India few days ago. We will have to wait till she gets back to plan a trip to the "Cradle of Homo Sapiens"!! I am in DC (Suburban Maryland to be precise) but I will take a raincheck on get-together and a bit chow of Mogo!

So..when is the meet up here? Anyone want to exchange contact info?

i really feel that we are more african than indian... or that the indians from africa are distincly different than indians from india..whether it be thought, word, deed...

Chickpea I totally agree with you, I've had so many people tell me that I think I'm better or whatever, but it's more that I feel different.

My third day at college, this random girl walks up to me and this conversation ensues:

her: Are you [kenyandesi]?
me: yes?
her: I'm an RA and we got a list of incoming frosh over the summer and I noticed you were from Kenya and your name was gujrati and I'm so glad you're here because you speak the same Gujrati as I do!

It was an INSTANT conection, even though she was born and raised here, her parents were Nairobians and that was more than enough. without knowing much about me, but knowing I was homesick she invited me to her brother's wedding reception and I instantly got along with her parents and the rest of her family who had flown over from the UK etc. we established at least 10 connections and we were good ...hehe I still sometimes just call to chat not with her, but her parents.

it's also this idea that we are not "indian" enough, and this one really cracks me up. Most EAA will never even claim to be Indian (or Pakistani for that matter) because that's a national identity we don't quite get. I won't speak for anyone else, but most of my friends feels this way: we're Kenyan. India is not a place that even really features in our cognitive history in the sense that our forefathers left before it was even created. My family's been there for over 120 years. We are wananchi (citizens). We are the nth tribe. A rather nomadic one at that.

I love this article by Shashi Tharoor

sorry msichana I was about to email you...my contact is unbwogable [at] gmail

ohhh yes i did!

msichana...care for some maru na bhajia?

there's a place here that does them almost like slush *grin*

especially the chutney

lets do it next weekend--sat afternoon?

i really feel that we are more african than indian... or that the indians from africa are distincly different than indians from india..whether it be thought, word, deed...

don'tcha agree?

Totally agree. Maybe its because when we think of Indians, our frame of reference is "rocket" (slang for recently immigrated Indians in Kenya). As all mwaninchi know, rockets look different, speak differently and pretty much do everything differently. You can identify them in 2 seconds.

No way!!! Someone does slush maru na bhajias here?? For that...I am free even this weekend!!

You got that right Rajesh, about the rockets. I thought I'd die before I heard that term in the states!

I think people like us (not to sound elitist) have a good blend of it all. I mean, I grew up in a guj household and went to indian schools but feel a stronger loyalty for Kenya then for India. India is cool but I am more kenyan then indian. India to me is a place where my great grandparents were born and is a place where we used to have relatives. I speak gujrati and swahili fluently and love watching indian movies but I do not consider myself as Indian as someone who was born there.

Like any place, even east africa or even England for that matter has a divide between the rockets and the rest of us. All someone has to do is to drive around Highridge in Nairobi and make a visit to Diamond Plaza.

hahahahahahha...i knew that one would get you going....but it's in bmore...do you have a car?

If not I can see if I can pick some up on the way to dc, but they are best eaten hot!

but alas I am not in town this wknd :(

(if you want to get to them it's the kaboobi stand in fells point.

in our family it's the celebration food, we get fresh homemade maru bhajias on bithdays and anniversaries

I just emailed you Kenyandesi...
Rajesh, do you live in the metro dc area?

Wow...slush like bhajias. You really got me on this one kenyandesi.

By the way, we had a guju neigbour who totally killed me when she spoke swa. This is what I herad her telling her driver one day..'John, enda kwa agasi, toa nguo, ngoja mimi'. The poor chap didn't get that she wanted him to take the clothes off the line and fold them. He quit in a few days...

ohhh I just read that msichana...and I nearly fell out of my seat laughing....for non kenyans this literally translates to:

"John go to the rooftop, remove/take off clothes and wait for me"

AHAHAHAHAHHA!!! can you even IMAGINE an auntiji meaning that!!!!!

RE: Rockets: i think the comparison is to FOBs here, except that the reason we called Indians from the desh rockets is because they mostly used Kenya as a launching pad to the UK/USA/Australia etc. I didn't like them because the whole time they spent in Kenya they dissed it and went around thinking they were better than those of us who were "native born" They incidently called us ABCDs (Aphrican Born...). But I don't think it's only because we compare ourselves to rockets that we feel different. it's more than that, almost an intangible

I think we feel different because we are flexible when it comes to different cultures. We grew indian in an african country and a lot of us are now based in other places totally different from good ol Africa. Most of us, the younger generations anyway, do not think that people from other backgrounds are inferior or superior to us. I think that all of us get along easily with people from all over because we don't dig our heels in and refuse to accept change.

A friend once told me that Indians are like 'makaai'...we grow everywhere!

And as sad as it sounds..yes, the rockets make indians look bad. Being proud of your heritage and dissing everyone else are two distinctly different things.

Regarding inferiority/superiority vis-a-vis rockets, I think wealth is the main ingredient in the mix. Kenya Indians are generally way more prosperous than the rockets. Class distinction inevitably breeds envy or condescension.

I am based in wine country, California, where, sadly, there are few desis of any ilk.

Kenyandesi: unbwogable! That's hillarious ... nice grab too ... (the question is, which version of the song do you like the best?)

From this response, I take it there would be interest in more photos from Africa / stories about desis in Africa?

Lastly, I've now linked the photo in this post to my flickr account where I have a handful of photos public. Because of my anonymity, I tend to make very few snapshots available to all, but there are some that you might like ...

I take it there would be interest in more photos from Africa / stories about desis in Africa?

you put up a picture and we took it from there, so I would say yeah :)

Do you have an East African connection Ennis?

Ohh and I like this version of the lyrics:

What the hell is you looking for
Can a young Chuti* make money any more
Shake your feet baby girl enango
Majimaji nyakwar ondijo am a Chut but who are you?
What are you? Who the hell do you think you are?
Do you know me? Do I know you?
Get the hell out of ma face because hey
I am unbwogable I am unbeatable I am unsueable
So if you like ma song sing it for me I say
Who can Bwogo me? Who can Bwogo me I say who can Bwogo me?

I AM UNBWOGABLE!

hehe

*chuti is the term indigenous Kenyans use (sometimes disparagingly) to refer to EAA.

[Chorus]
Who can bwogo me,who can bwogo me,who can bwogo me
I am unbwogable
Who can bwogo me,who can bwogo me,who can bwogo me
I am unbwogable

Speaking of photos, here's the mother lode of Kenya photos. Enjoy.

You gujju-swahili people are cracking me up..Just because you are of Indian origin and have basked in the sun on the shores of Lake Victoria and know a few muzungu type words- that does not make you a true Muhindi from East Africa- the only way you can become part of the circle is if can complete this little gem " Oh Uganda........together we will always stand" [chickpea- ask your dad for help ]...while chomping down some fried "senane" [crickets] .here are some pics for all you wanainchi ...http://www.pbase.com/tiggy67/uganda_2005

the only way you can become part of the circle is if can complete this little gem " Oh Uganda........together we will always stand"

I think that might be the test for Ugandans, but for Kenyans the test is whentha on not you rike nyama choma and can paty rike no atha...

Do you have an East African connection Ennis?

Since it's the cradle of humanity, all humans (and therefore all desis) have East African roots ;)

ahhh that's my comeback when people say I'm betraying my "motherland" :)

better question: do you have recent (1-2 generations) connection with EA?

better question: do you have recent (1-2 generations) connection with EA?

p.s. Do you know if Giddi Giddi Maji Maji have performed in the west?

they were here (DC) recently but I wasn't able to go to the concert...

where the heck is the turkey weekend kenyan blowoout? will they accept a stray ugandan gal? hehe...

yeah, will have to ask my dad for help on that one...

will come to dc again soon, and look you guys up...

yup, i bond better with the indians who's famililies are from east africa...than the ones in india..it's just a different mind set completely... hehe...

chick pea, i'll send you the info for the reunion, and I'm pretty sure they will not turn you away :)

The story of the reunion is quite amazing, it started out with a few people meeting every year in someone's basement, and then more an dmore people kept coming (very kenyan to show up without invitations), so now thousands show up to heng and patay it up Kenyan style

Garbanzo- better break out those Swahili tapes, stat! There's not much time between now and turkey day ;) You know Kenyans, they think everybody speaks Swahili ...

will break out the tapes stat, heck or order them on ebay ;)

and we speak more sheng than Swa...it's those Tanzanians purists you have to watch for...

chick pea, say these few things:
when saying hello say: sasa? (it means wazzup?)

if you are on the receiving end of a sasa say: fiti! (like figi with a "t") it's swahilified fit! or great!

so it's:

sasa?
Fiti!

and you'll fit right in.

sweetness... thanks KD ;)
now looking forward to turkey wkend..
just email me the info when you get the chance to...this is too funny...cheers!

garbanzobean@gmail.com

Mambo?

Poa.

It occured to me that I should clarify something or Mr Small (my very very tall Kiswahili teacher) will haunt my dreams again....

the difference between swahili and kisawhili is the difference beetween hindu and hindi, the first references a group of people, the second a language...

that being said, the term swahili is often used to reference the language, especially in it's contracted form "swa"

Man this brings back memories! I spent some awesome school years in Uganda and it was truly great fun. nothing can compare to East Afirca's weather, lush greenery and delicious food. I miss it a lot - anyone going back there any time soon?

sasa? Fiti!

Kiddaan? Thheek-thhaak!

Aterere? Nikuwega mno...

Pardon my bad kikuyu spelling..

As I was driving along Main street this morning, I realized that among the things that I miss most about K'la are the street names and signs...some of the names were amazing like Prince of Charles Drive and Accacia Avenue or Salisbury Road and the funny part of all this is that the names somehow made sense , they were suitable names to the street itself unlike the ones here in North America that seem to be pulled from a random street-name generator...oh well if I was back there I would have come across this quite often "HAKUNA KAZI"...

they were suitable names to the street itself unlike the ones here in North America that seem to be pulled from a random street-name generator

In planned development subdivisions, they almost are. They're designed so as to be completely inoffensive, and therefore are completely unmemorable combinations of trees and geographical features: Oak Hill, Cherry River, etc.

In Seattle suburbs, you can get near-total namespace coverage with the following words alone: timber, lawn, silver, lake, forest, wood.

"Prince of Charles Drive and Accacia Avenue or Salisbury "

Totally agree with you "Wandegya Boy" - those names bring back so many memories!

And to think I held back on Africa stories before because I didn't think there was an audience for them ...

Does anybody have any news about the riots?

ennis:
thanks for bringing the africa stories up... as you can see you have a CAPITIVATED loyal audience among the SM crew... and now i even have awesome plans for turkey weekend...see you've done a lot for me and my buddies ;)

cheers!
the bean

Strange

I just made a funny
image about Idi Amin today
on my website

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4279/1754/1600/Ronald%20McDonald%20final%201.jpg

Its unfortunate that Idi Amin did not pay for his crimes and died unpunished

My understanding is Yuka=casava=mogo It is not jicama, which is not starchy. Jicama is used raw in salads. it has a bit of a apple taste.

I just bought a tuber called (name)with a ~ over the n, at Stop and Shop in Rhode Island. It looks like a starchy root vegetable...

Any ideas?

hi all, dont know how i found this site but its great. after reading it, it bought back alot of the memories. thanks for taking me home.........

We're having a VOGSS 1986-1989 get together close to London (4th June). Anyone interested?!!

Hi All this talk about mogo really makes me hungry i yearn for some deep fried mogo chips....and bhajia made from chora daal

AHHHH GAwad ! all u people id love ya meet all of you ! Iam an east african asian , dad born in kampala mum in mombasa but she was raised in nairobi , i personally was born in england but raised in uganda , iam a muhindi btw haha ! i love everything about back home and i will never feel indian or pakistani , iam african , and i hate idiots who say "you cant be african , you're not black " ignornant dipshits , anyways really cool forum and about the kisu thing , that is soooo true , i hate using anyother words

Nakupenda Wa Kenya sana
Kwaheri sayote ! :)

please check this site http://jinja-online.com/

Randomly found this site as I am doing research for a paper I am writing about my identity- Kenyan-born Indian living in America. I go to school in New York, but am from Maryland- in between B'more and DC. We eat mogo and makai and dream about lighthouse in Mombasa all the time. My mom makes killer bhajias, slush-style every winter. I miss Kenya so much, and this site brought back amazing memories... btw I went to VOGSS and VOPS while I was there- best years of my life! If those of you that live in the DC Metro area read this, e-mail me- jrk261 -at- nyu -dot- edu, my parents would love to meet yours, they feel very lonely here and cannot mix with the Indian-from-India crowd... :(

damn yo, i got into Harvard u-grad cause I told 'em I was African-American. this kid is just another subpar desi with some Ugandan 'rents. HOLLA.

Karibu Kenya . . . The HOME of koroga!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2003/01/12/AR2005041501103.html

I accidentally ended up on this site and boy the memories it brought up. I was born in Embu, moved to Nairobi for HS (parklands). Lived in Ngara (nagara as we called it). tarelo or sekelo Mogo and makai with mithu and marchu, to die for. Over the years I have brought Kenya with me. I have 3 different types of tava's, sagdi and even a tandoor. We do the mogo and makai and yes the Maru/Slush bhajias at home. Jeera chicken on the Tava (my mouth is already watering).
Anyway if any of your fellow wanainchis are anywhere near S. Carolina, let me know and we can do some serious Koroga.