Brass and Blue

I had some leftover lapis lazuli beads from the necklace I made.

I seem to always make necklaces and time seems short these days, so I made a bracelet.

Either I'm excited to have something new, or I am obsessed with these beads because I wear this bracelet all the time now.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

A few days ago I finished a book called A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.  I definitely wouldn't describe it as an exciting read, but I am so glad that I read it.  It's one of those books that seems to take on the crazy, ambiguous subject of "life" and somehow manages to nail it.  The characters also strike me as real people more than fictional ones from another era.  

It can be a slow read, but A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of those simply written, but incredibly thought provoking books that you won't forget once you've finished.  

Mozzarella

I found cheese.  It turns out there is a "farmer's market" here, which is basically code for a market where vendors sell food white people like.  

All the markets here on the roadside selling piles of onions, pineapples, and carrots are technically farmer's markets, but we simply refer to them as The Market.  A farmer's market seems to take on the meaning of what we see in the U.S.  There is mozzarella, ricotta, fresh baguettes, and basil.  They even import fruits like orange oranges (Ugandan oranges are green), apples, and pears.  These are fruits that are simply not grown in Uganda.  

Ugandans know their audience though.  The money is where the foreigners are, so you should sell what foreigners like.  Even if that means importing fruits from South Africa to sell at the "local" farmer's market.  

Look, I love mozzarella.  No, it's not as good as what I can get in the U.S., but I wasn't going to turn it down.  I bought mozzarella made from a Ugandan cow's milk, and it was pretty good.  

Something I could turn down was the tortilla chips and salsa.  First of all, the label said "torttilo chips", and the salsa looked watery and just made me unhappy to look at.  Just as I hesitated to trust the east coast to make delicious Mexican food, I also mistrust Ugandans.  

This meal reminded me of summer in California.  I was pretty pleased with myself that I was able to eat this food in February, which would generally never happen in the U.S. at this time.  

Performers

I've seen a couple different types of performances in the past few days.  

These guys showed up at a farmer's market that's held at someone's home.  They did some pretty amazing and awkward looking poses with their bodies.

This guy was super tall, but he jumped through a hula hoop!

I also saw some Ugandan musicians playing acoustic.  One performer (not these guys) got up and did an awful rendition of Ben Harper's "The Drugs Don't Work".  He then proceeded to do awful renditions of other songs as well.  

There were also some really fantastic artists with beautiful voices.  The guy pictured here was extremely talented.  

Asian in Uganda

Uganda has a surprisingly yummy array of Asian restaurants.  

Arirang, the Korean restaurant, is one of my favorites.  I love that I can count on these places to get some flavorful and spicy veggie dishes.  

Whenever we go to this restaurant it's full of people, mostly Koreans, singing their hearts out to karaoke.  Best background music ever.  

Even though I've seen these restaurants jam packed with Asians, I have no idea where they go during the day.  

Last night was the first night I've had sushi since I left the U.S.  It definitely satisfied my craving.  

Paneer

Cheese in Kampala sucks.  Not only is the cheese overpriced, but it lacks all of the richness that makes cheese so tasty.  

There is one cheese.  One cheese to rule them all, one cheese to find them, one cheese to bring them all and in happiness bind them.

That cheese is paneer.  An Indian cheese with the consistency of tofu, paneer is salty, smooth, and mixes well with veggies in a stir-fry of Indian spices.  It's also the cheapest cheese in Kampala because it's sold in the Indian markets.

Of course I miss my mozzarella and ricotta, but paneer has a lot to offer.

Something German

A bbq we went to had this game that called for beer and quick feet.  I didn't play, but I enjoyed watching.  Especially since they were playing right in front of an awesome view of Kampala.  

As the game was explained by a German guy, there seemed to be a confused consensus that the game originates from Germany. 

I really like the movement in this shot.  The purpose was for one team to pick up the bottle you see sitting in the grass after it had been hit by a ball.  They have to be speedy.