Many people keep chickens and sell the eggs; chickens that forage for themselves tend to lay eggs with very pale yolks so you have to seek out eggs that are labelled "yellow yolk" if you are particular about the sunniness of your breakfast. Chickens are also sold live at the markets, I presume for eating. They are carried upside-down by the feet and after some indignant flapping they soon quieten down and just hang there, resting. I once saw about 20 live chickens tied by their feet to a sack on the back of a motorcycle taxi or boda boda, swaying gently like an extra-wide feathered rear mudflap as the bike weaved through the traffic.
I have not ventured to buy and deal with a live chicken - rather, I buy mine already killed, plucked, drawn and jointed from the Uchumi supermarket. Chicken thighs and wings are much scrawnier here than in the US - no antibiotic growth promoters - but the flavor is really good.
Some people keep more exotic domestic fowl; on my Saturday shopping expedition this morning I saw these turkeys and guinea fowl, which I suspect are destined for the table some day.
How difficult would it be to be a vegetarian in Kampala (and still get a reasonable amount of protein from pasteurized dairy products or legumes)?
ReplyDeleteVery easy - Ugandan food includes vegetarian options - choices include fish or meat sauce but also groundnut sauce or bean sauce on your carbs. I'm told that traditionally Bagandan women did not eat meat or eggs, which were reserved for the men. Alternatively there's a sizeable Indian community here and many Indian stores, so you could easily live on an Indian-style vegetarian diet.
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