Primary food is chicken, fish, rice and potatoes. French fries are called “chips” – they are limp and greasy because the oil doesn’t get very hot. They cook over fires, outside. Chicken is fried or roasted. Rice is like ours, but has oil in it. Fish is fried and served cleaned, but with bones, head (eyes and all) and tail. Beans are also served sometimes.

The chicken is small and tough. They also serve beef. Beef may mean liver or ground beef. There is a large Indian population in Mwanza and Shinyanga, so you can often find Indian dishes (curry).

East Africans tend to eat a late breakfast after their day has started, around 10:00AM. It is usually hot tea (milk may be added), cocoa, and instant coffee. They eat fried bread (like a donut, sort of), fruit (bananas, pineapple and watermelon), meat pies (called Samosa’s) and a tortilla like bread called Chapati. The hotels offer juice – passion fruit juice, pineapple juice, but not OJ! They will sometimes eat lunch between 2:00 and 4:00PM. They often don’t eat lunch at all. Dinner is usually around 8 to 9 PM. If you offer food, they will take it, as they consider it rude to refuse it. It is rude to eat in front of them without offering it to them also.

They like sweet drinks – Coca-Cola, Fantail Orange and other flavors. No diet drinks available. Safe bottled water is easy to get. Ice is not served and is not safe. Some hotels have small fridges in the rooms to cool drinks. They generally don't eat dessert or any sweet food.