Baleumfwa nsala?

That's Bemba for "Are you hungry?" One of my main TA duties in this trip is daily language lessons... Zambia's official language is English, but there are over 70 ethnic/language groups in the country, and most people speak a tribal language as their first language. Bemba is one of the most common, especially in the parts of the country we're spending most of our time in.

We just got back from the Chimfunshi chimpanzee orphanage and sanctuary, where we spent a couple of days talking to the researchers and keepers there, learning about chimp behaviors and conservation efforts. I took hundreds of pictures, but they're all on my DSLR in raw format, which is really hard to work with on the computers I have access to... so, for the moment, here are some snapshots from my little camera that I also brought. After looking through them, there is a very clear "food" theme... so, baleumfwa nsala?

As in many developing countries, there are a lot of roadside food vendors eager to sell you produce.. particularly to a bus-full of mazunga (whites).

The bananas were delicious (more flavorful than the bred-for-transport varieties sold in the US), and pretty dang cheap (a couple dollars for the whole bunch, I think?)

On the way back from Chimfunshi, our driver bought us a watermelon to share, which had pretty much the same effect as if he had tossed it to a troupe of chimps (I didn't get a shot of Rocky wearing the hollowed-out watermelon rind as a helmet...).

The staple food in Zambia is nshima (cornmeal cooked into the consistency of mashed potatoes) with relish (pretty much any available vegetable). Pretty good, but there are some other excellent nshima toppings...

Caterpillars, for example. A great source of protein in a limited-resource environment....

...and actually pretty delicious. Very meaty-tasting. (Notice the Bemba language lessons in the background...)

Also, after a week of cornmeal & veggies for dinner, with crackers and PB for lunch, I couldn't resist some Hungry Lion (essentially Zamian KFC). Greasy, fried chicken never tasted so good.

At a grocery stop, despite my sugar cravings (no Dr Pepper here!), I did manage to resist the "mini fizzers" candies... rich in glucose!

Tomorrow morning, we're headed down to Livingstone to visit a lion breeding program, as well as Victoria Falls. Should be awesome! What won't be so awesome is getting up at 4 AM to break down our tent, so we can make the 6 AM bus to Livingstone....