Day 5: Cinnamon Tea
If I didn't know better, I'd think Kenya was the tea capital of the world, but I'm sure places like China has it beat. However, Kenya could give England a run for it's money. Here in Lamu, people walk around tea-logged on chai, a tea mixed with milk and spices like ginger and cloves. You begin breakfast with chai and mandazi or arrow root (a purple potato that I think tastes like dirt, I seriously don’t understand the dedication people around here have to it). You then have morning tea around 10 am, some more at 11:30 before lunch, again at 2pm after lunch, then afternoon tea at 4 followed by a night cap following dinner, as well as any other odd time during the day when you feel like socializing, you just find the nearest tea stand and you're bound to see at least one person you know who you can chat it up with. A preferred spot to sip and shoot the breeze is in front of the many mosques scattered around the island; you never have to look far to find a complementary chai stand. While Daren and I were in Nairobi, we had to explain on numerous occasions (oftentimes to the same people) that we didn’t drink tea. Chai is such a part of Kenyan culture that it was very awkward after refusing to drink chai at friends' houses because drinking chai is what ones does to welcome guests to a home. After trying to tactfully explain, we'd sit there, our host looking at us with a puzzled expression on their face. I think they were thinking, "what do I do with them now?"
But here in Lamu things are different. They have more tea! That is, they have more options when it comes to tea, including a wonderful cinnamon tea which Daren and I can actually drink. Very cool. I've made friends with a tea vendor named Ali, who, whenever I stop by his little stand, gives me a cup of cinnamon tea and a small brick of simsim (compressed sesame seeds held together with sugar) on the house. He never talks to me much, so I stopped going so often because I didn't want to be taking advantage. But, a couple days ago, I ran into him on the street and he wanted to know where I had been. He said, "umepotea," which means, "you've been lost to me." I felt bad, I didn't realize he enjoyed our silent meetings as much as I did. He made me promise I'd come the next day, and so I did. It was a very good cup of tea.
But here in Lamu things are different. They have more tea! That is, they have more options when it comes to tea, including a wonderful cinnamon tea which Daren and I can actually drink. Very cool. I've made friends with a tea vendor named Ali, who, whenever I stop by his little stand, gives me a cup of cinnamon tea and a small brick of simsim (compressed sesame seeds held together with sugar) on the house. He never talks to me much, so I stopped going so often because I didn't want to be taking advantage. But, a couple days ago, I ran into him on the street and he wanted to know where I had been. He said, "umepotea," which means, "you've been lost to me." I felt bad, I didn't realize he enjoyed our silent meetings as much as I did. He made me promise I'd come the next day, and so I did. It was a very good cup of tea.
Here's Ali getting ready to serve up some tea.
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