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CHARITY KEITA
It’s quite a rush,
especially if someone
pushes the bed out
while you lie on your
stomach and pretend
you are flying”
I
hate to disappoint you but last
year, my New Year’s eve was
anything but foodie. Truth be
told, I hardly remember eating
any food at all, although a fair
amount of alcohol did pass through
my lips. This was because I attended
one very fun bash by the sea in Kilifi
and so my priorities were elsewhere.
This year, I intend to make up for it
by hosting a small but well-stocked
party at a house we are planning to
rent by the sea in Watamu.
Have you ever been to Kitengela
Glass Watamu before? If you have
not, now may be the time to do so.
At the risk of giving this amazing
house some well-deserved but
unpaid publicity (not sure what the
procedure is here, if I let them know
I wrote this do you think they’ll
give me a discount?) I will cast out
a little nugget on the house and
then get back to my narrative. At
24.
MY LIFE
AS A
FOODIE
Where food lover Charity Keita
shares some precious tidbits on
what to pack when headed to the
coast and why it pays to support
your local fisherman
Kitengela House Watamu, they have
a thing called a star bed. The star
bed is situated on the third floor of a
surreal-looking tower and is fitted on
two metal tracks that extend over the
trees. In the evening, you can push
the bed out and hang, suspended
in midair, while you stargaze. It’s
quite a rush, especially if someone
pushes the bed out, while you lie
on your stomach and pretend you
are flying. I’m sure many a child has
been conceived on that very spot
and that their parents proudly inform
them of this on every visit - although
from the perspective of the child,
this might be a bit of a turn-off but
whatever, you catch my drift.
So yes, we have the perfect spot
and the ideal company. Now, how
to make the dinner that little bit
more special? What are the essential
ingredients you should always pack
when headed down for a getaway at
the coast? In my mind this is really
a no-brainer. I make sure I pack
my Bloody Mary mix (that would
be worcestershire, habanero and
horseradish sauce), Angostura bitters
for rum punches (get a madafu
coconut, open it up, stick rum and
bitters directly inside and voilà!) and
then soy sauce, my own chilli-infused
olive oil and my favourite Marigold
Swiss vegetable stock (which you can
buy at great expense at Healthy U).
To be fair, most of these ingredients
can be picked up at either Nakumatt
Nyali or Ukunda (if that’s where your
final destination lies). However if, like
me, you are headed North, remember
that the supermarkets there are not
well-stocked and it pays to come
prepared.
Fundamentally it’s very difficult to
eat badly when you have fishermen
knocking on your door first thing in
the morning, laden with the catch
of the day. The important thing,
however, is to remember not to
overcook the fish. Whether said
fish is being barbecued, roasted or
cooked in a pan to make pasta sauce,
it is incredibly easy to overcook it.
When you overcook fish, it loses
all of its delicious moisture and
becomes dry and flaky. You’d be
surprised how many times this
happens, even when the person
cooking actually lives by the sea.
So make sure you watch over your
chef like a hawk or, better still, do it
yourself!
Whether you eat fish with pasta,
rice, potatoes or turn it into sushi,
you can always eat it guilt-free by
the sea. Remember, you are helping
the local economy and doing your
body a favour by giving it a rest from
all that nyama you devour during the
year.