KISAMBO xxxx I asked Mudi, at the hotel desk, where I could get a Zanzibari dish with cassava leaves cooked in milk called "kisambo". He instantly said, "At my home!" Lunch plans were made.

We hopped on the back of a matato (mini bus) to go to Mudi's mother's house. She and her girlfriends prepared a feast, which we ate in traditional Zanzibari style, sitting around communal dishes and grabbing our food with bread called chipatas. The food was great. The women cooked up a variety. I wanted kisambo and it was great with cinnamon and cardamom. They also prepared two kinds of curry dishes, roasted fish, and squid. I copied two recipes I really liked. The cooks were flattered. Then, I took lots of pictures of the family so everyone was pleased.

Mudi took me to his father's place and then to his own home. I got a pretty good idea how Zanzibaries lived. Life centered around an open central area inside the house. The individual bedrooms branching away from the central area were screened in and enclosed.

As a way from thanking Mudi for my afternoon feast, I took him to the night market for supper. There you could eat to your heart's content on fresh sea food. We feasted on marlin, tuna, calamari, and fries for two at just $3.00! Incredible!