on all hallow’s eve (much belated)
In lieu of pumpkins, since there are none to be found in Somaliland, we carved the most handsome of jack o’ lanterns from watermelons.
All posts tagged: East Africa
on BBC radio Hargeisa
For a recent work project, our staff recorded radio advertisements targeting BBC Hargeisa listeners. Here are some images from our day in the studio, when we discovered some of the silky-smoothest radio voices among us.
what’s to eat: camel remix
A round of camel for the first second time, because once just wasn’t enough. There’s meat, there’s hump fat, there’s a dry rub and fresh lime, there’s dates and soda. Camel meat is fatty and flavorful, filling you up completely, and the acidity and spice of the accompaniments balance it well.
what’s to eat #33
Working lunch date with myself at Café Royal, on the outskirts of Hargeisa. I started with crumbly orange cake and Somali tea over an Excel spreadsheet… …and finished with vegetable soup, pasta with goat meat, and a very spicy chili salsa.
on eid-al-fitr
It was Eid al-Fitr, following the month of Ramadan, and we had a goal: to win over the neighbors on our hilltop. our strategy: cookies, as many kinds as we could manage to churn out of our small stove. We mixed and rolled and patted… …and raided the grocery store and our kitchens for the most cookie-esque ingredients we could muster. We did well, with an assortment of shortbreads: cocoa, coffee and chocolate, lime, date and nutmeg, cardamom, and peanut butter with blueberry (green!) jam. We packed and wrapped in flashy, Eid-appropriate paper, tied with a string. …and headed out into the neighborhood, intent on making smiles, and crumbs, and friends.
on nap time
Sometimes, it’s simply necessary. Trying to figure out what restfulness means, including during waking hours. Hargeisa, Somaliland
outerNotes 