I pass by my favourite butchery on my way home. I have a plan to make some soup – the kind that my sister, the new yorker, and I used to laugh and describe as “so country”. It’s country because it is full of every conceivable vegetable that can be added in; it is wholesome and hearty. Potatoes? Yes. Carrots? Yes. Tomatoes? Yes. Some random green herb? Yes. Onion? Whole? Yes. Garlic? Entire chunks? Yes. So country. It’s almost like trying to fill the pot with as many varied vegetables as possible to accompany the meat . And the meat? Now that just has to be perfect.
I always go to the same butchery. I love that I can walk in and tell them I only want to spend 100 shillings on fish. We laugh, they weigh some fillet for me – 150? I make a fuss and pay. Today, I walk in and say that I am looking for meat to boil. They point out some nice meat with nice bone in between – rather perfectly cut. I take it after begging them to just reduce the pieces since we are only two and what they are measuring is too much. He removes a piece as we are joined by another guy, now both going on about how I should just be able to eat all that meat on my own. This is the usual “game”; that every time I go to buy meat, we get into some back and forth about how many kilos I ought to be buying or not!
Today, one of the men describes it perfectly when he says, “she only buys one thing”. This is in response to his boss who is also trying to see if I could be enticed to buy chicken. I laugh when the man explains I only buy one thing. It’s true. Why would I buy more to go store when I can come and get it fresh the next time I want meat? (Quote that verse in the Bible about manna…) I love this coming to buy fresh meat at this butchery.
With my 3 perfect looking chunks, I head home. I can’t wait to unleash these cuts; place them in the sufuria and get them a boiling.
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I am cutting up carrots to throw in; potatoes to add in; I have sliced the biggest chunks of onion you will ever see! I love it all! The entire process. I pull out two tomatoes from the fridge and dare to throw them in almost whole to get to boiling. My fingers are floating over the spices and herbs rack… itching for the right herb or spice to add in. I pick rosemary which I love… I love how the green boils steadily with the red tomato. Remembering that I will also be feeding a child, I ease up on the spice. Natural is so good.