Theme: Shopping and bargaining

Meat King (a Western style deli), serves up meat and cheese that we know are safe-to-eat. They are backed up by generators when the power goes out.

(This is not actually Meat King, but resembles it very much so)
(Unlike local meat which just … hangs.)

Dolly’s Patisserie is – yup! A bread, cake, starch galore. Challah, sweet buns, chocolate croissants. They make whole wheat, multi-grain, or white. Fresh.

(I admit I did not take the above 3 photographs!)
Local Grown Veggies. This is the best part, in my opinion. This is where you get real. I shop for my veggies in Usa Town. Mainly women are lined up, sitting on blankets or the sort, with their produce lined up in small piles.

4 small tomatoes – 300 shillings. 3 large carrots – 500 shillings. 1 pineapple – 1,500 shillings. A bucket of potatoes – 2,500 shillings. 1,500 shillings = $1. Imagine the possibilities!!

(Also see https://mitioverseas.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/tanzanian-money/ to see what you can buy with shillings)
Staples – such as canned corn, chickpeas, rice, flour, sugar, tea, granola, cereal, milk, and so forth – all can be bought a modern-ish “supermarkets.” Pick-N-Pay, Njiro Supermarket, Shoprite, Kijenge Supermarket, and so forth.

Some are too small to be considered “super” and not 100% modern. They might not have the latest brand foods, or highest quality ingredients. However they do import certain items (Snickers, Twix, Vegemite, etc), and do well for what they have. Because you can cook up these staple ingredients into a delicious meal with fresh and local fruits and veg – you can only smile after you cook up your plate.
On other days, it’s common for women to go into Kanga shops.

Kangas are a fabric that can be sown into anything: shirts, dresses, skirts, popular African garb. You name it. You buy the material that you like, then you ask a fundi to sow into whatever you wish. Having the style in mind makes it all the more helpful.
Sometimes you can find material pre-sown into skirts, shorts, bags and whatnot – to make shopping simple for the tourists. 

The most important part about shopping?! BARGAINING!!

Places such as Meat King and supermarkets have set prices. But as you see above, here I am bargaining with some gentleman who wanted 23,000 shillings for a shirt (roughly $15) that I brought down to 10,000! ($6).