This is the national food of Zambia and people are crazy about it - almost religiously so. The eat it every day for lunch and supper and sometimes for breakfast and praise it throughout the meal. Think mashed potatoes, but a little more dense, maybe like cookie dough. It's made out of white corn meal called "mealie meal". You take a chunk of the large half moon shaped piece you are given and begin rolling it in your hand to make it even more dense. Then you use that to pick up something else (like chicken or beef stew or trotter) and stuff the whole thing in your mouth. Like eating lentils with injira for those that have been to Ethiopian places. Quite the experience and I am no longer a nsima virgin! Once you are done eating, you sit there wondering how to get all the food off your hands.
Work started to today - Care's office is located in a big old rambling concrete house on the outskirts of Lusaka, sort of in the middle of nowhere. It has many rooms, hallways and nooks and crannies and stays cool in the heat (well, cool-ish...it's 35 out today and maybe only 27 in the office). The place does have A/C units, but they all seem to be turned off...
Anyway, my project launched today, so I will get busy quickly with a trip to Kalomo likely in the very near future...
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