Hmmm…Riiight. Like I can even attempt to answer that question with any sort of authority. Although a friend recently called me the East African Carrie Bradshaw during a late night Facebook chat (you can imagine the kind of stories we were swapping 
), I’ll have to decline the title because it’s simply not true. Nonetheless, I have recently realized that I have been on at least one date with men from each of the five East African countries (and had relationships with men from three of these), so neither am I entirely clueless on the subject. Continue reading
Category Archives: Nairobi
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7 Things to Do in & Around Mwanza
If you are anything like I used to be, you might think that Mwanza is a small, sleepy, upcountry town--in the guise of a city--with few interesting things to do in and around it. After spending a few days in Tanzania’s second largest city, I’ve changed my mind: I now ...
African Barrick Gold Tour, Day 2: Community Development Projects in Buzwagi & Bulyanhulu
After spending the first day of the tour visiting African Barrick Gold's open-pit Buzwagi mine, and a few community development projects in the nearby area, the second day of the tour was...
Bacardi – White, Black, Gold?
When I say ‘Bacardi Rum', what image comes to mind? If you are like me, until very recently, I pictured a bottle of clear liquid with the words Bacardi written across it. Is that what you visualized? Well, you wouldn't be very wrong if you also envisioned...
Body N' Soul Gym, Kilimani, Nairobi
I am thoroughly in love with the gym I go to! I have been a member for over four years and, truly, I can't imagine what would ever make me go elsewhere! I love Body N' Soul, that's its name by the way, because it is extremely clean, has a lot ...
Durex Play 2-in-1 Massage Gel
Hmmm...today's post is going to be just a little raunchy because I would like to tell you about a great sexual find that I made recently. If you are uncomfortable with discussing sex or things related to it, then I suggest you read no further...
Olepolos Country Club
Before I made it out to Olepolos Country Club, I used to often find myself in conversations like the following: Speaker 1: Yesterday, I had a great day hanging out with friends at Olepolos. Biche: Olepolos? Where's that?...
Road Trip: Mugumu (Mara) to Arusha—Tanzania
I am chuckling at the title of this post. If you knew where in Tanzania Mugumu and Arusha were--and what lies between these two towns--you'd understand why: the title of this post is a huge understatement for the experience I'm going to share with you...
TEDxDar 2011--Who Killed Zinjanthropus?
It occurred to me recently, during a phone conversation with my cousin Vive, that though I had talked a lot about TEDxDar on Facebook and Twitter before it happened, I never came back to you, my blog readers, to tell you how it went...
The Eat to Live Diet: Lose 20 Pounds or More in Six Weeks – Safely by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
We are now done with the first two months of 2009. How are you doing with keeping your New Year's resolutions? What were your New Year's resolutions this year? Were they the usual: quit drinking or...
Touring Northern Tanzania (Mwanza, Mara, Butiama, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Arusha)--Twitter Roundup
As those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter might know, I spent the end of last week visiting Northern Tanzania--Mwanza, Mara (including Butiama), the Serengeti National Park...
Who Exactly is Mr. Price?
I can still remember the day when I first became aware of Mr Price’s existence. The year was 2007; I was driving along Ngong Road in Nairobi near Prestige Plaza. I looked up to see a huge banner announcing the opening of a home furnishing store called Mr. Price Home at the Westgate Centre in Westlands. I found the idea of a home furnishing store interesting and made a mental note to check out the store the next time I was in its vicinity. Continue reading
Thirsty for Dawa
I’m feeling thirsty. No, not that kind of thirst – water can do nothing for me right now. I mean THIR-STY thirsty. Catch my drift? (It’s Friday, don’t think too hard! ) So…this evening, I’m going to take inspiration from all the honey and lemon that I have been handling for my hair and make a Dawa. What? You don’t know what a Dawa is? Continue reading
Ramblings about Bridal Showers
Hi…so did you miss me these past three weeks? Please excuse the silence – it’s just that I got caught up in a flurry of activity related to a cousin’s wedding. You know how weddings can be. But how so exciting! This wedding was particularly exciting for me because it was the first truly Tanzanian wedding I was attending in 18 years. On top of being a great opportunity to catch up with the Tanzanian side of my family, I was looking forward to this wedding because I knew it would offer me a chance to attend some typically Tanzanian wedding functions for the first time. Of particular interest to me was attending a kitchen party.
If you’ve not heard of Tanzanian kitchen parties before, basically, these events are a sort of bridal shower where the bride-to-be’s close female friends and relatives get together to “provide her with all the necessary qualities and material things she needs to be a proper wife to the man she is marrying”. On top of the gifts she receives, mostly household items (and of course kangas), the women present offer the bride advice on how to have a happy marriage based on their own marital experiences. Sounds harmless enough, no? Yes, except that I’d heard that kitchen parties, despite being an all-female affair, could turn extremely wild and racy. This, I wanted to see for myself! Continue reading
Bags Whose Name I Know Not…
As a child, growing up in Côte d’Ivoire, I found myself at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport quite regularly. Often, it would be to send off or welcome my Dad to or from one of his many work trips, but at other times, it would be because I, some other member of my family, and/or one of our many visiting friends and relatives were headed to or from yet another destination by air. Whatever the case, it was during these frequent visits to this airport that I first became aware of the item that I would like to tell you about today. Continue reading
Will That Double be Gilbey’s or Gordon’s?
Yes, I know. I’ve written my share of posts about alcoholic beverages. First, there was the post on rum, then the one about wine, and more recently ones on gin and cocktails. I write these posts not because alcohol is always on my mind (disputable by some 
), but rather because I am fascinated by all the different alcoholic beverages that exist and the even greater variety of drinks that result when you mix these beverages together or with other non-alcoholic beverages. For instance, think about how different a rum and coke is from a vodka and coke, even though both look the same and vary only by the clear spirit used in making each drink. Then compare the latter to a Bloody Mary (a cocktail made of vodka and tomato juice), the difference this time being the mixer used.
Well, that’s all great and good, but today I would like to talk about a difference that is a little more subtle. Imagine making the same drink, say a gin-and-tonic (G&T), and varying the type of gin used. Do you think this difference would be noticeable to anyone other than the greatest connoisseurs of gin? Continue reading
Let’s Talk About Cocktails
In the comment sections of this and this post, some readers and I shared our views on the quality of cocktails served at some of Nairobi‘s most popular bars and nightclubs. In this discussion, Mercury Lounge and Casablanca were named as establishments that were thought to serve good cocktails, while Hidden Agenda and Soho’s came up as places to avoid when in search of a good cocktail. Continue reading
Ethiopian Coffee
When I was at University, I used to drink cups and cups of coffee. I’d drink coffee during the day to get me through boring lectures (especially when I hadn’t had enough sleep the night before) and at night to keep me awake while studying. It was in those days that I developed my taste for coffee: dark and sweet, preferably with no milk. Continue reading
Kosewe/Ranalo Foods
Kosewe/Ranalo Foods
1st Floor, Balfour Hse.
Kimathi St., Nairobi
Tel: +254-(20)-2249728
www.ranalofoods.com
Picture courtesy of Kip of The Porky Gourmand (http://arapleting.com/porkygourmand)
When I am in Nairobi, I often get requests from friends that are visiting from outside the country to take them to a restaurant where they can taste authentic Kenyan cuisine. Of course, I could take them to a place like Blanco’s, which is upscale and serves Kenyan-inspired cuisine, but for real, everyday Kenyan cooking, the perfect place, in my opinion, is Kosewe (also known as Ranalo Foods), on Kimathi Street in downtown Nairobi. Continue reading
Fisherman’s Friend
When I “pack” my handbag before I go out everyday, I recite a list of items that I want to be sure not to forget. Without going into too many details, my current recitation goes: phone, money, swipe…(insert a few more couple of items here that include a small tin of petroleum jelly )… mints, camera. I am sure you can understand why I carry items such as my phone and money, but an item like mints may baffle you a bit (as it has people who’ve seen me put my bag together in the past). Continue reading