Simroots 24-1
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VOLUME 24 NUMBER 1 2007 These photos are taken from a film strip Rift Valley Academy Food promoting KA, but we can imagine that the kitchen and workers looked much the same. By Steve Van Nattan (RVA) [email protected] proliferate by the and I would stop and greet them fre- thousands all over quently. How patient they were, and I went to school at RVA from 5th grade East Africa and the only realized that many years later. I through high school. It is a boarding British Empire. would buy them razor blades at our school for missionaries’ kids and a few This hot box was school store, and they paid me with IKenya kids today. In my day it was just for more like a sauna the choice end cuts on roasts. Other MKs, and we were an ornery bunch mind than a building. kids thought I was silly, but I told you. But, we will speak of that later— In this sweat shop no one how our little arrangement maybe. This article will discuss the food worked Nahashon, worked. we ate. I intend to tell the horror stories and Mwangi, and several Now, the food these men the sweet memories as well. I have no other brave souls. cooked up was sometimes terri- intention of hurting any feelings, but I They were paid well, ble. I assure you, it was seldom think you want to hear what life was like in and they seemed very their fault. It was a problem of a missionary boarding school in the 1950s. happy in their jobs. what they were provided to At RVA, the food originated mostly from Nahashon had been the work with, both in food and in the kitchen behind the main building, chief chef at the Bell Inn implements. I marvel that which we called Kiambogo. The main on Lake Nakuru, and I they did as well as they did building was a two-story affair, very long, heard once that he was a considering. and built with a kind of local sandstone very good chef at that. He Shall we talk about food? which could be hand carved. The corner quit at the Inn to take the At breakfast we had a stone of Kiambogo was laid by Teddy job of cooking for mission- species of toast which was Roosevelt in 1909. The kitchen was a cor- ary kids since it was nearer weird. It was made in the rugated building and rather substantial, and home and it would be work kitchen by laying bread it was not famous for being well ventilated. among Christians. slices on several charcoal This design followed the insane building Many of the kids at RVA braziers with a flunky notions of the colonial era established had no interest in the cooks worker turning the toast around 1900. The iron corrugated building except to complain about their by hand when it started was one such convention which would cooking. I liked these men a lot, smoking. The result IN THIS ISSUE Books ............................6 News Open Dialogue Remember When Return to Home Bulletin Board ..............7 Congratulations........21 Hodges ....................11 Eggs..........................13 Liberia........................5 Contact Us ....................2 Family Album ..........26 Smith..........................8 ELWA Food..............14 Reunions Craig Tribute................19 News Updates ..........21 Trigg ........................10 Forbidden Fruit ........16 BA............................12 From the Editor ..........20 Sympathies ..............30 Reconnecting KA Food ..................15 ELWA ......................12 Hausa Poem ................11 Abbotsford ..............12 RVA Food ..................1 KA/HC ....................12 Sebring ....................12 Smell of Africa ........13 SA ............................12 Wagner HC ..............16 was a patchwork of burnt middle and ribs. The semolina was untoasted ends. The toast was then put the best, in my opinion. I into a huge “sufaria” or deep pan. This put butter and sugar in “sufaria” would then be covered with a mine, and it was my cloth, and the result was that the toast favorite breakfast. would become soggy and almost wet. By The staff running the time we got it, spreading butter was things for us were mis- more an art for a professional plasterer. sionaries. Their budget We ate it since there was no other choice. was sparse, so they The oatmeal, which came on schedule I bought the bargains. think on Tuesday and Friday mornings, Plum and strawberry jam was not so bad in taste, but it was soupy were the cheapest jams in and watery. It also had chaff pieces in it. Kenya, so that is what we They were the exact size and shape of toe- got. Yes, one can get tired nail clippings, and the kids imagined that of strawberry jam. For a the cooks trimmed their toenails into the break, they would buy fig oatmeal. Some heartless old timers jam. Now, about 80% of delighted in telling this to a new kid just the kids hated fig jam. I out from the States. There was also a local loved it. As a little brat in grain called wimbi. It was nearly black California, I used to get brown in color, and it was rich in flavor. I out back of the house and liked it, but many kids hated it. Those eat figs until I would mornings I got all I could eat. The posho totally liberate myself. KA. Fulani women bringing in milk for sale (corn meal mush) was possibly the best- My mom would have to liked cereal served. It really stuck to our then park me on the privy all the next day. and give us treats. So, Sunday morning we I still love figs, and a fig tree is now had pancakes—never refused by anyone. Published twice a year, Simroots is a non-profit maturing just outside of our front door Sunday noon meal was the grand meal of publication, produced by SIM MKs, for SIM MK high here in Arizona. Well, on fig jam morn- the week. We had roast beef, mashed pota- school graduates (includes AEF, AEM, ICF merged missions) and their caregivers. ings I usually got the whole bowl of jam, toes, and some veggie which was on the and I ate it all mind you. It set me free too. level of luxury, like cauliflower. There was Tax-exempt donations (cash, check, money order, or credit cards accepted) should be made out to I am indeed a fig and prune Libertarian. often a treat like avocado. Most kids hated SIM USA and designated for Simroots. On Saturday, we had bacon or sausage avocados, so I only had to share them with and eggs. This was a treat. Now we called Trum Simmons. I grew up liking almost Donations of $10 or more (U.S.) will be receipted. the sausage “porkies,” and those “porkies” any food, so I often got a whole plate of Payment for ads (to help cover Simroots’ were the British type. England had their some odd delicacy all to myself. expenses but are not tax-exempt) should be designated as such and sent to SIM. sausages banned from the Brussels World The Sunday evening meal was special, Fair long ago because they added so much even though it was the same every time. Please send donations to: cereal to them. Those “porkies” were truly Cold cut beef and ham with cheese, and SIMROOTS SIMROOTS a cereal story—a lot of grease and a lot of potato salad. Some other treats like dill c/o SIM USA c/o SIM Canada semolina. But, it was a treat. Now, you pickles were added. The dessert was ice P.O. Box 7900 10 Huntingdale Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28241 Scarborough, ON never had an egg fried like Nahashon had cream after Mrs. Senoff took over the USA Canada M1W 2S5 to fry them. He had pans, which were pro- job. Ice cream in the 1950s in Kenya was 704-588-4300 416-497-2424 vided, and they were deep and not very a rare treat anyway. Hot chocolate was [email protected] [email protected] broad. So, Nahashon filled the pans with added to this meal. It was a bit muddy, Other SIM offices: see www.sim.org eggs about two inches deep and fried but few kids will turn down chocolate in them. The eggs were then cut up individu- any form. Please log on to http://Simroots.sim.org, Vol 20, #2, ally later. This resulted in a fried egg We had a few breaks which were to view our Distribution of Information Policy. which was easily as tall as it was wide—a notable. One day, Doc Probst had to go Please send correspondence to: sort of egg cube. The bacon was more like up on the hill above the school and shoot EDITOR LAYOUT boiled than fried. Again, Nahashon had a rogue elephant which was tearing up Karen Keegan Grace Swanson 222 Hyle Avenue 1565 Gascony Road only those deep pans to work with, and he African gardens. The missionaries in Murfreesboro, TN 37128 Encinitas, CA 92024 filled them deep with the bacon. We never charge arranged for our whole school to (615) 895-9011 (760) 942-6109 [email protected] [email protected] had fried bacon like Mom made. Actually, go up and see the elephant. It was huge I kind of liked it when I thought of it as with monstrous tusks. Someone got the ASSISTANT EDITOR PROMOTION Dan Elyea Deborah Turner ham. Even now, I think I would like some idea to take a hind quarter back to the [email protected] PO Box 273 of that boiled bacon, maybe. school. That evening we had hamburgers Greenbank, WA 98253 Sunday was a special day.