Eggs fresh from the farm "Mama's" & served in a handcarved Tanzanian wooden Elephant egg cup Buying eggs in town and transporting them back to the farm always results in breakages, no matter how careful I am ! So I was pleased to discover that many of the local “Mama’s” (women) who live on the borders of our farm, along with some of our farm labourer’s wives, are happy to sell me any excess eggs which they may have – as almost all of them have their own chickens.
I’d much rather support the local community, anyway - and I try only to buy from women because I know that they use the money wisely, to buy food for their children for example, whereas the men usually spend the money on useless things like tobacco and beer. The same goes for market produce, I only ever buy from women if I can, for the very same reason.
Anyway, back to the eggs. Sometimes sellers will come to our gate with the eggs, but I usually get Justin to put the word out a day or two before I need any, and he “rotates” by buying from different Mama’s each week, so that everyone gets a chance to sell some. Sometimes I’ll “order” 12 eggs for example, and only 10 will be provided. I’ll then joke and say “What is wrong with the chicken’s today ? Why haven’t they laid 12 eggs ?” and this will be met with laughter and I will then be offered “credit” to leave the balance of money for the 2 eggs with the seller, who will bring them to our gate the minute the chickens “produce”.
I always test them for freshness by floating them in a bowl of water. Bad eggs always float, and fresh ones always sink. If any float I always say to Justin “Go and ask that Mama if we can return this one for a refund” of course this is then passed on to the Mama who shakes her head and clucks in glee at the joke … “No, sorry ” she will say, “No refunds for bad eggs Mama Lynda - the chicken refuses to take that one back !”
The Tanzanian’s have a great sense of humour and I think that this is what carries them through a lot of hardships in their lives. If you take the time to joke with them a little, they really enjoy it and their laughter is so heartfelt and just like a tonic !
I always buy far more than I need if there is a glut of eggs around, then my stray village dogs get some added to their food at night, too. So, it’s a win-win situation all round. I should also mention that an egg sells for 200/= shillings which is around .16 c (U$). Really, nothing at all yet it makes a difference to the person receiving the money. A kilogram of tomatoes or potatoes costs around .80c (U$) and those are pretty staple foods in most homes here, so a Mama is only to happy to sell a few eggs so that she can buy some tomatoes.
So there you have it – probably the longest “egg” story you’ve ever read !
I’d much rather support the local community, anyway - and I try only to buy from women because I know that they use the money wisely, to buy food for their children for example, whereas the men usually spend the money on useless things like tobacco and beer. The same goes for market produce, I only ever buy from women if I can, for the very same reason.
Anyway, back to the eggs. Sometimes sellers will come to our gate with the eggs, but I usually get Justin to put the word out a day or two before I need any, and he “rotates” by buying from different Mama’s each week, so that everyone gets a chance to sell some. Sometimes I’ll “order” 12 eggs for example, and only 10 will be provided. I’ll then joke and say “What is wrong with the chicken’s today ? Why haven’t they laid 12 eggs ?” and this will be met with laughter and I will then be offered “credit” to leave the balance of money for the 2 eggs with the seller, who will bring them to our gate the minute the chickens “produce”.
I always test them for freshness by floating them in a bowl of water. Bad eggs always float, and fresh ones always sink. If any float I always say to Justin “Go and ask that Mama if we can return this one for a refund” of course this is then passed on to the Mama who shakes her head and clucks in glee at the joke … “No, sorry ” she will say, “No refunds for bad eggs Mama Lynda - the chicken refuses to take that one back !”
The Tanzanian’s have a great sense of humour and I think that this is what carries them through a lot of hardships in their lives. If you take the time to joke with them a little, they really enjoy it and their laughter is so heartfelt and just like a tonic !
I always buy far more than I need if there is a glut of eggs around, then my stray village dogs get some added to their food at night, too. So, it’s a win-win situation all round. I should also mention that an egg sells for 200/= shillings which is around .16 c (U$). Really, nothing at all yet it makes a difference to the person receiving the money. A kilogram of tomatoes or potatoes costs around .80c (U$) and those are pretty staple foods in most homes here, so a Mama is only to happy to sell a few eggs so that she can buy some tomatoes.
So there you have it – probably the longest “egg” story you’ve ever read !
