Dinner at Carnivore (Vegetarians: be ye warned!)

While we saw many powerful and moving things during our time in Africa, we didn't completely eschew the tourist scene either.

One of the most unashamedly touristy things we did while in Kenya was eat out at a restaurant simply called Carnivore. It's basically like a Brazilian barbecue; everyone has a flag on top of their table-mountain of condiments and dipping sauces, and as long as that flag is standing, there will be an endless parade of meat to the table.

We had 13 different kinds of meat offered to us.*

Pork spare ribs.

Beef sausages.

Roasted chicken.

African sausages- matura.

Beef.

Ostrich.

Pork leg with cracklin's.

Chicken liver.

Turkey.

Ox balls.

Crocodile. Lamb.

Ostrich meatballs.

Each selection was carried to our table with great pomp and circumstance on a giant spit and carved directly onto our plates. Oh! Such decadent cuts of mouthwatering mammals and fowls! There was some other food, too. There was some cucumber soup, a baked potato, and I vaguely remember there being salad on the table, but it was largely ignored. When our flag finally went down, we were served some delectable desserts, but even those memories have faded in the light of the extraordinary carnage we beheld.

When we had finished our meal, we were approached by a server bearing a tray that hearkened back to cigarette peddlers of the 1920s. He was serving cocktails of Smirnoff, honey, and lime from a tray labeled "Dawa" in bold white letters. Fr. Kamanzi informed us that "Dawa" means "medicine" in kiswahili. Dave and I dutifully partook.

Of course, all of this decadence was tainted by the memories of what we had seen in Ongata Rongai and other places during the week. As I swallowed a succulent and savory bite of sausage, I couldn't help but remember the children at the center in Quarry who only get some porridge and a bit of lunch each day, or Margaret at St. Paul's, who never knows where the money will come from the feed the 58 children who live there. The system is complicated and complex, but ultimately unbalanced and unjust.

*Yes, I said "offered", for we did not partake in everything that came our way. I drew the line at chicken livers and decline the turkey, since I already knew I didn't like it. Other than that, I strictly adhered to the "always try a little bit of everything" philosophy of eating. Including the Ox balls.