Last days

Today was our official last day in the WHO office here in Nairobi. It's been a busy week, given that it's our last week here. Diane and I both had all sorts of reports to prepare and write, some for our respective funding agencies (i.e., CPHA for her and CDC for me), and others we both had to write for WHO. But we were both determined to try to finish everything with a few days to spare so that we could sit back and relax before we fly to our respective homes.....definitely a good plan considering that I have to go straight back to my job for the state of Hawaii, and Diane will have to prepare for a short 2-week stint in Ethiopia for UNICEF a week after she returns to Canada.

Well, with all the reports completed and the official debriefing meetings with the WHO Representative to Kenya and with the Ministry of Health staff successfully completed, we decided to celebrate today by going to Carnivore, a restaurant that is what its name implies. We'd been told by various friends and others that it was an experience that everyone should try at least once (unless you're a vegetarian - in which case, they actually have options for those who may still venture there - guess maybe if you're part of a tour group, you may not have a choice). Apparently, they did have more exotic meats previously (like zebra, impala, buffalo, and even giraffe - I could never eat that last), but the government put a temporary ban on those meats. Still, they did have ostrich and crocodile. Funny thing is that they categorized turkey as an exotic meat; our waiter pointed out that for Kenyans, turkey meat is very unusual. They also had plenty of other meats like beef, chicken, lamb, and pork. All of it was pretty good, and it was a fun experience. They cook all the meat on these spits that look like long straight swords. The whole set up is pretty impressive as you can see.

They have a set menu that starts with a soup (today, onion) and then they bring a double decked circular tray that they place on your table. On the top deck, is a flag in the center, surrounded by various sauces for the meats being served. The bottom deck has a bowl of rice, a dish of salad, a bowl of corn salsa,..... Then, they bring you a very hot plate, followed by a yummy hot roasted potato. Finally, various carvers start bringing the meat to your table and cut slabs of meat directly onto your plate (in the picture, this guy had the turkey and is slicing Diane a nice tender piece). Remember that flag on the top of the tray? Well, when you need a break, you put the flag on its side. Otherwise, they just keep coming to your table with all the various meat. When you're really done, you take the flag out of its stand and put it down.

All the meat was pretty good. Amazingly tender and well cooked. The only thing, however, that Diane and I really didn't care for was the crocodile. It tasted kind of like a fishy fish, but the consistency was like maybe pork. Kind of weird. We both agreed that we were glad that they prepared it with a fried batter; made it taste better. The ostrich meatball was actually kind of tasty - like a gamey meatball. Both of us enjoyed the lamb but especially enjoyed the pork spare ribs. Mmmmm.......Och. That was definitely more meat than I usually eat in even a day, let alone two days!

Of course, I had to try their specialty drink, too, called the "Dawa," which means medicine in Kiswahili. Actually, it has honey, lime, a touch or two of vodka, ice, and...OK, I forget...but it kind of tasted like a mojito, but no mint... Well, the important thing was that it tasted good, and, of course, is good medicine for the tummy - especially mine since I seem to have been unlucky enough to suffer four bouts of gastrointestinal upset (is that euphemistic enough for everyone?) during this trip, the last one just as I finished this last field assignment. Ah well, down the hatch!

Just a couple more days, and I'll be on my way home. Yea!