Once upon a time, our fore bearers used to hunt for their food. They would set upon a trail into the forest and hopefully return with delicious Bounty. For grain, they would till the land and rely on the sun and rain. Things have changed now, and we get most of our food in the supermarket or the restaurant. But if you want to get the tastiest bites, like our forefathers, you need to find the path to the right food point.
And so I set out to the Ntinda new market in search of Boo! The G nut paste and Gobbe sauce famous in Northern Uganda. Deep in that forest of shops, market stalls and commerce is a joint called triple R and I had heard rumours of their prowess in the kitchen. I was a Boo virgin and was eager to try. Now one of the reasons we love food (besides the obvious 5hs) is because it has the ability to engage all our senses.
Sight
You should fall in love with the way the sauce looks even if you do not know what it is…I’m not lying, it really does look like a dressing from other lands. It is creamy with green leaves that seem to have been impossibly symmetrically cut. The Boo came with rice, sweet potato, kaalo, greens and the most orange pumpkin. The colours sent a message to my brain, ‘we’re pretty, eat us’.
And when I combined the sauce with the food, I dare say the Boo melted across it like butter, coating the surface of the food. See the photo. It looked even more from another land.
Smell
There was a white steam curling from the sauce but it smelt like nothing. A good thing if you want a break from heavy spices
Taste
A perfect balance. That’s really all I can say. But to add…The sauce merged so well with the food there was nothing overwhelming anything else. It sort of gave that feeling of, all is well with the world. This is one of those self-contained meals. There is no need for more salt or TS or whatever else.
As for the kaalo and the sauce, the image was of two lifelong companions walking down the road. No lie.
Sound
‘Who is going to pay your bill?’ Was the sound from the other table. To clarify, it was the patroness teasing her regular customers
I made do with the ambient restaurant/bar/kafunda chatter.
Touch
I did not eat with my hands-but now that I think of it, I should have. And I commit to trying, going forward. I was however able to feel the food through the metal cutlery. I started with the Boo, naturally. You know how a thick cup of porridge feels? You know how a watery cup of porridge feels? This was neither. As I said, in balance. The kaalo was gooey and stretchy and very satisfying. The other foods were steamed and familiar to me so I did not dwell long. The sweat potato was firm, the rice light and airy, the pumpkin sweet and the greens, a good companion to the ensemble.
To enjoy this meal, go with a heavy appetite or be prepared to pack (they will do it for you) and just about 5k.
And another one for your viewing pleasure
Eat this when you want to feel grounded.