Now, I had previously assumed that Hangover Hotel was some type of bar, but I learned that the restaurant started out as a place people went for soup after a night of drinking (the Kenyan equivalent of Denny's, I guess), and the food was so good that they expanded to serve food at all hours.
One of the cool things about the Hangover Hotel is that the kitchen is open to the dining area. You can see the sides of beef and goat ready for the grill! Yummy!!!
The restaurant was packed when we arrived at 1:00 PM. Most Kenyans eat lunch much later than Americans, because they usually take tea at 10:00 AM. Check out the tree growing through the middle of the room.
Five of my six managers: Ted (Home Dept), Winfred (Supply & Program Mgt), Johnstone (Head Teacher), Njeri (Office, Kitchen & Accounting), and Lebaus (Government & Graduate Relations). John Mwalo (Reintegration) was sitting next to me and didn't make the picture.
Lunch was delicious! The main course was nyama choma (beef barbecue), ugali (ground corn meal), kachumbari (tomatoes, onions, & cilantro). When ordering the beef, John told me to make sure to ask for "anti-theft." Otherwise, the kitchen will keep some of your beef to sell at the local butchery.
Last, but not least, the soup-looking dish in the upper left-hand corner was a new one called "ojuri." My managers told me to try it, but that they wanted to wait for two more days before they divulged its contents. They encouraged me to try it, saying that it was very good for my digestion! So, I was a good sport, and ate some ojuri. It had a very sharp taste and tasted somewhat fermented. I encouraged my managers to share ojuri's contents after I had eaten my portion: onions and tomatoes cooked in . . . . COW'S BILE!!!
After thinking about it some more, I realized that ojuri tastes just like . . . bile mixed with tomatoes and onions. Not sure, but I don't think I'll order ojuri next time!
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