Food aka "Chakula"

For those of you that were worried that I would not get enough to eat here in Tanzania, I can ease your worries because there is some great food here in Arusha. There are many great restaurants, both local and some owned by other foreigners that have excellent food. We have eaten everything from curry chicken or vegetables with rice or chapati to rice and beans to pizza and burgers. Eating out everyday though can get pretty expensive (well not really when you compare it to U.S. dollars- you can get a good meal for anywhere between 1500-4000 shillings which is between $1.25 and $3.50) but we are trying to make our money stretch as far as we can. So we decided that since we now have a kitchen, we should buy some stuff and cook. That hasn't turned out to be very beneficial for us as of yet, considering that none of us really know how to cook. There in lies the problem. I though I was the only one that was not domestic in the kitchen but apparently my roommates only specialize in 2 dishes themselves. We are unfortunately a part of the microwave generation :) Our first meal at home ended up being rice and chick peas (fortunately I missed out on that one b/c I was sick). Our spaghetti did not turn out well due to the power outtage and last night we were just not in the mood to cook so dinner consisted of a lot of snacking. Tonight, however, we have 2 gentlemen (one older British guy and a younger American) that are having pity on us and have agreed to come a teach us how to cook a meal. They are buying things from the local markets and stores and promised that we will be able to get some ideas for future meals that will help sustain us. We better take good notes!