My love for the fresh fruit here is known. Every day there is fruit for breakfast and then again for dessert at supper time. I have never really liked pineapple before, but lately I can’t get enough of it.
I think my favorite of all is the chungwa, it is something like an orange, but it is more like a cross between an orange and a lemon. Its rind is yellowish green, so it also has a similar look to a lime.
Last week we were in Moshi for the day. We had eaten lunch and then were driving around on some errands. I saw all kinds of street vendors selling their produce, so I asked Pastor Mmanga if he would be willing to stop so I could buy a single chungwa to eat. He said he would.
When we stopped he purchased 5 chungwas for me, it was less than 75 cents for this purchase. I was handed a black plastic bag with the precious fruit in it.
But I don’t think Pastor Mmanga understood me, I wanted to eat just one of these right now. When I explained this, he looked at me like I was crazy. Eat in the car? Without washing my hands? Without a plate or a cup of tea?
Yes, I just wanted to eat it “on the run” (try explaining that phrase) as a snack. This is something I’ve realized the Tanzanian’s don’t do. Eating is another formal affair. You eat when you eat and you do other things when you are not eating. You do not eat in a dusty dirty vehicle.
I convinced him that I really wanted the chungwa right then and there. Eventually the woman selling them pulled out a knife, peeled and halved it for me.
Formalities ignored for the moment, I sunk my teeth into the chungwa I had procured and thoroughly enjoyed every single bite.
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