A RECIPE FOR A KACHERE LUNCH:
By Diane Allen & Widit McLean.

Today, our 1st work day, some of us helped prepare the noon meal at Kachere, (a CBO Community Based Organization with it's main purpose to identify and treat HIV/AIDS cases) down a very bumpy dirt road not far from Zomba. Kachere is also the location of a new CBCC -Community baced Child Care Centre, where we are helping with construction & brick-laying.
First, I thought we’d go to the IGA that we saw mentioned in our notes from Dignitas---OOPS---IGA stands for Income-Generating Activities!
Next option: pick some pumpkin leaves (& flowers) & scoop up some dried maize.
Get a 30 litre pot (doesn’t everyone have one?), fill from the one “town water” tap in the courtyard, & put it on to boil on one of the 3 fire spots.
While waiting for this oven to heat, prepare greens by stripping all the little fuzzy things off the stems & leaves of the pumpkin greens, then cut into fine pieces, while trying to avoid your fingers.
Add chopped onions, tomatoes, pieces of beef, chicken& lots of salt (!) & place in separate pans to cook over moderate fires which have been pre-lit by the kind ladies of Kachere.
Of course, the piece de resistance is the sima (corn meal mush), made from the ground corn, mixed with copious amounts of boiling water, & stirred vigourously. When it seems thickened enough, add even more ground corn, to make it almost impossible to stir. (I know! I did it. And because the ladies of Kachere always entertained us with song, I did it while singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, much to the delight of the locals. I’ve been practicing my dragon boat stroke in the sima pot!)
Even after all that, it really was delicious. There’s no truth to the old adage that too many cooks spoil the broth.