Three (tin) cups of tea

On one of our many visits to Amos’ roadside showroom, the negotiating and delays seeming to go on forwever, we were asked to have tea.  I was somewhat reluctant, but it felt very rude to decline this polite offer.  So we walked over sit on the benches by the open fire under a shelter of branches, twigs and greasy, smokey tarps.  It was 10 am and the fire was roaring. We had barely sat down when, without asking for specific preferences,  we were each given a steaming, creamy cup of tea.  Apparently, this was special tea. I was surprised by the tea, but I was shocked by the cups.  Three chipped, dented, old tin cups. Oh dear, now what?  I glance over to see a plastic bowl full of water, with dirty dishes in it.  I wondered where the water had come from; the ditch, a creek, or could there actually be a clean water tap somewhere nearby?  It would be completely rude to refuse now.  Gary and I tossed a questioning look back and forth, but it eventually fell silently on the red earth between us.  All I can think of is, at least its steaming hot.  Hopefully, the boiling water will kill anything that had recently travelled or lived on the cup.  So we gingerly sip!  There was a hint of tea amongst the sugar and milk.  The milk, as William has since told me, would have been straight from the cow.  So there, Gary and William and I sat, talking to Amos and his sister in law as I wonder if I had developed a Kenyan gut yet.  It is Amos’ sister in law who runs this ‘shop’.  As we chatted, she made chipattis and put them on an shallow steel bowl over the fire to heat them up.  Unlike the tea, they were delicious. Oh my goodness, fresh, home made and hot off the fire.  We wolfed down the chipatis and raved so much about them I figured I could get away with leaving the tea, claiming it was still too hot for me and besides, we were in a hurry.

As it turns out, Amos’ invitation was a demand generation tactic.  So we paid our shillings and headed off.  I think William was somewhat bewildered and simultaneously disappointed that there wasn’t going to be more chipatis!

PS  I had a great photo of this scene, unfortunately, its gone AWOL. 😦