Expat

When the calendar hit July 1st, I suddenly realized I wasn’t going to be home for the 4th of July. What really surprised me was that I was going to miss it.

Anyway, I worked at my computer all day – from 7am to 5pm – because it was a Saturday and I had no appointments. In the evening Chilwa returned from some family obligations and I was sharing with her my own family’s traditions of the 4th. One of these is barbequing (choma). She showed me a Chinese made fake Weber grill hiding in one corner and we decided to do some outdoor cooking. After a bit of discussion she sent the kids to the market. They returned with three freshly plucked chickens, potatoes, green peppers, bananas, a pineapple, onions and locally made charcoal.

I cut the chickens into pieces. They were still warm with their recent life and the internal organs were mostly still attached. As a westerner accustomed to chilled meat from the supermarket, this was a new experience. We oiled and salted all the vegetables, put everything on the grill in stages and slow cooked it over 2 ½ hours. While we ate I put the pineapples out and grilled them. They are best when they are lightly burnt. I served them drizzled with wild honey. Delicious.

Happy 4th of July!