What's cooking?

A friend of mine who reads my blog made a very good point the other day. Although I have made reference to other cultural aspects of Malawi, I have not really spoken about the food that is eaten here.

Although it's a very good question, the answer is not half as exciting as you wish it was. In my head, the reason for that is fairly simple: 'Malawian food' is theoretically what the locals would typically eat. Unfortunately the locals don't have the finances to make delightful dishes like 'Portuguese Bacalhau', 'Spanish Paella' or 'English Fish and Chips' (did I really just describe fish n' chips as something delightful??) Therefore, all they eat is nsima.

Nsima is a pretty flavourless blob made out of corn flour. It looks like mashed potatoes but is less nutritional, cheaper, and very easy to make, and because of it's "neutral" flavour, it can be eaten with everything and anything. The other day I tried it with a bit of beef and it wasn't too bad, but then again I'm a good eater and enjoy everything that is fed to me (still haven't found the courage to eat the fried mice they sell in the streets though). Nevertheless, I wouldn't be able to eat it like a local- for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner, as a snack.. i.e. ONLY eat nsima for the rest of my life.