Avocado Pear

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Avocado pear (Kikuyu : Mûkorobîa)

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Cool dry season
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

While the avocado pear is available in Kenya all year round, its main fruiting season is in July, when it is both plentiful and cheap. Avocados are sold in all parts of Nairobi, posh or slum, by basket carrying hawkers, on street stalls, in city markets, off the backs of pick-ups, and in piles on pavements. Everyone can afford an avocado, and many pick one up and have it cut into quarters, for immediate consumption as they walk on. Nairobi street food is good!


Photo Patrick Wafula

Avocado trees need a certain altitude in Kenya, and they are at their best in Murang’a, Embu and Meru, at the foot of Mount Kenya. There are many different varieties -- some are green when ripe, others black, some are smooth-skinned, others rougher. The flesh may be pale green to darker -- the black ones even have a tinge of purple. They come in various sizes too -- the small ones fitting comfortably into the palm of one’s hand, the giants weighing over a kilogramme. Some have large stones filling about half the centre, some have smaller ones, and some of the stones even roll about within the fruit, making a thudding noise. Everyone will have their own favourite variety, but all are delicious anyway.

Dogs love to lie under trees with ripening avocados -- ready to pounce on any fallen fruit and eating it with relish. Chickens too enjoy the soft flesh.

Avocados are eaten in many ways, and always in generous quantities -- from hand to mouth in the street, as an office mid-day snack, laid out on a sandwich, cut on top of traditional dishes such as githeri (maize and beans) or sukuma wiki (shredded kale), or as a key component in a fruit salad. They are delicious blended with milk and sugar as a fresh drink. The only forms in which I have never seen Kenyans eat them, are the avocado and shrimp cocktail, the hollow avocado with vinaigrette, or as a guacamole dip -- such popular starters in Europe!

Single avocado trees can be found in many gardens, where they look attractive, as evergreen trees, with clusters of flowers followed by a long growing season for the fruit. As the trees grow bigger, they are often cut back or entirely removed, since they easily outgrow small housing estate gardens. For a newcomer to Kenya, the avocado tree may resemble the mango and the macadamia nut trees, all of which have evergreen, longish, glossy leaves with clusters of flowers -- and delicious fruit!



Text and photo © Isabelle Prondzynski

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Avocado (Persea americana)
Exotic, native to the tropical Americas

A densely leafy, evergreen tree that grows to 10m or higher, widely planted at altitudes up to 2,200 m above sea level.

Bark : grey to dark brown, rough and fissured with age.

Leaves : Large; alternate; up to 20 cm long; midrib and veins prominent; glossy dark-green above; young leaves pinkish, turning bright green.

Flowers : In large terminal heads; small; abundant; pale yellow; only one in 5,000 flowers produces fruit.

Fruit : Large; round to pear-shaped; central seed surrounded by a thick layer of yellow-green flesh.

Uses : The fruit is edible, rich in fat, protein and vitamins. Its oil is used in cosmetics; dry leaves serve as fodder. The green leaves, bark and stones from the fruit are all toxic to browsing stock.

Najma Dharani, Field Guide to Common Trees and Shrubs of East Africa,
Cape Town 2002.

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Varieties of avocado

Some popular varieties of avocado are described here :

http://www.avocado.org/about/varieties.php


http://www.kenyaweb.com/horticulture/fuerte.gif

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Avocado Receives "R" Rating

If a motion picture were produced on the history of the avocado, the film might have the dubious distinction of receiving an "R" rating for "mature audiences." The opening scene might feature a group of actors dressed like Aztecs with one pointing to a tree and exclaiming, "ahuacuatl!" Ahuacuatl is the Aztec word for testicle tree.

No doubt, the name arose because of the way the fruit of the tree hung in pairs reminding those ancient people of human male anatomy. The film might also have a scene showing the young Aztec maidens confined indoors while this erotic fruit with aphrodisiac qualities was being harvested.

Over many centuries the avocado has maintained its reputation as an aphrodisiac. During the 1920s a promotional advertising campaign was launched in the United States to deny that the avocado had aphrodisiac powers. The intent of the advertising agency was to convince people of the aphrodisiac quality by denying it. The campaign succeeded. Fortunately, in today's world the avocado has overcome its controversial past and receives a "G" rating for all ages to enjoy.

The avocado or avocado pear, Persea Americana, is native to Mexico, Central America, and South America. The earliest record of its existence was an archaeological dig in Peru that uncovered avocado seeds buried with a mummy and dated back to the 8th Century BCE. One theory was that these early people wanted the seeds buried with them because their aphrodisiac qualities might be useful in the afterlife.

Our currently popular avocado recipe, guacamole, may have originated in the pre-Columbian era. The Aztec ahuaca-mulli, avocado sauce, was prepared by mashing avocados and sometimes adding tomatoes and onions and, perhaps, coriander.
http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch38.html


http://www.avocado.org/images/recipes/inset.jpg

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Avocado recipes

Including the famous guacamole !


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Avocado blossoms
kigo for short rains


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Worldwide use

India

juice at the lip-
the kid chases the fly
coming again and again

A.Thiagarajan, India, 2006


rotten or hard
avocado in summer
seldom buttery

Aju Mukhopadhyay, India, 2006

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North America

slices of avacado
spread a smile on her lips --
the local sushi roll

"chibi" (pen-name for Dennis M. Holmes)


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Things found on the way

The avocado tree (Persea americana), when grown by a hobby gardener is normally grown from seeds removed from ripened fruit. There are two acceptable methods of doing this, either by sprouting the seed in water or by actually planting the seed in soil.

Many people start avocado trees as novelty house plants by piercing the seed with its pointed end up, partially through with toothpicks on three or four sides to hold it on the top of a jar or vase partly with water and few pieces of charcoal (to keep the water sweet) just covering the base. In 2 to 6 weeks, when roots and leaves are well formed the plant is set in potting soil. Unless they're moved into soil within a few weeks or months after germination, they'll begin to deteriorate.

They are also easily sprouted in a well-drained 4- or 5-inch pot of porous, fertile soil. The top of the seed should just barely peek above the surface of the soil. If the soil is kept fairly moist and the temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees, the seed will begin to sprout and a pretty, leafy plant will develop.

Read more here :
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/avocado.html


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HAIKU

avocado tree --
the dog and I stare in vain
at its ripe fruit



Haiku and photo © Isabelle Prondzynski


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happy looking child
eats fleshy avocado --
no hunger at last

Cyprian Awino (Bamboochas)
Prize winner at the Bahati Ginkoo, Nairobi, 27 May 2006

幸せな 子　アボガド食べる 飢えは無し
shiawase na ko abogado taberu ue wa nashi
(Tr. Nakamura Sakuo)

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Photo Patrick Wafula

avocados are back --
trucks overloaded with them
fruit sellers scramble

Catherine Njeri (Bamboochas)

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August heat --
another avocado
on the ground

SUE 

http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/shiki.archive/0009/0085.html

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avocado
sprinkled with lime -
a sip of white wine ...

bob richardson
http://tinywords.com/haiku/2004/07/09/?comments=all

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a pale shoot sprouts
from an avacado seed-
broken flower pot

Andrew Otinga, Kenya
Ocotber 2010


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Some Avocado Haiku from the Nairobi Haiku Clubs

no ghee for bread--
green fleshy avocado
is sweet every morning

happy fatty girl
peels fleshy avocado
ready to bite it

my avocado
is oval shaped green fleshy--
I salivate
Cyprian Awino


Photo Patrick Wafula



a happy fatty man
selling avocados --
booming business
Philip Kaseko



Photo Patrick Wafula


happy looking child
eats fleshy avocado --
no hunger at last

~ Cyprian Awino (Bamboochas)


avocados are back--
trucks overloaded with them
fruit sellers scramble

~ Catherine Njeri Maina (Bamboocha)


a customer gently
touches an avocado --
how much is it?

~ Lameck Odhiambo (Bamboocha)


Baba Jimmy
buys an avocado and happily
peels it for his son

~ Fan (Falcon)


overripe avocados
under the big green tree --
rural dogs feast

~ Bonface (Falcon)


avocado seeds --
farmers busy in nurseries
for better plantations

~ Jelida Kerubo (Peacock)


a piece of avocado
on a man's moustache--
after lunch

guavas sitting
side by side with avocados --
the market stalls


~ Patrick Wafula (Patron, Bamboochas)

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Read more Avocado Haiku from the Kenya Haiku Clubs HERE !


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Related words

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Ageing in Kenya

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Ageing

***** Location: Kenya
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


grandfather, grandmother

Ageing in Kenya implies growing in status from age group to successive age group. From childhood to initiation and adulthood... From adulthood to marriage and parenthood... With marriage come certain rights and responsibilities.

With parenthood comes a new name since, traditionally, Kenyans call themselves “father of so-and-so” or “mother of so-and-so” rather than using their own names. A Kenyan parent is eligible to be an elder in the community, the church, and other institutions. As their children grow, Kenyan parents may relax a bit more and allow the children to carry out some of the family chores.

Grandparents are highly respected and cared for by the younger generations. Even today, their story-telling skills are often sought, and they are frequently surrounded by groups of small children enjoying their company.


Grandma Nelly enjoying the afternoon with her neighbours’ children

All this is obviously a gross generalisation, and the many exceptions may totally disprove the “rules”! Everything is not the same for women and men, for urban and rural dwellers, for one ethnic group and another, for married people versus single parents versus single people of the same age group, etc.

Looking at old age in Kenya, the highly respected elderly citizens, who have survived beyond the average life expectancy of about 55 years, do not have it easy. Medical services may be far away, and too expensive for them. Public transport makes few allowances for citizens of reduced mobility -- but the kindness of friends and strangers often makes up for this. The elderly may suffer from missing teeth and poor eyesight and may need special meals cooked for them. If living alone, they will depend on the support of others for their tougher chores, such as fetching water and cultivating the fields. With urbanisation, grandparents living in the rural area often find themselves bringing up their grandchildren, whose parents are busy struggling for a living in the city.

But there are some opportunities that do not stop with old age. Thus, Kimani Ng’ang’a Maruge became famous throughout the world when he took up the new opportunity of free primary education and went back to school at the age of 84, studying together with some of his grandchildren! He was invited to speak before the United Nations General Assembly and has become a role model for elderly people in many countries.

Text and photos © Isabelle Prondzynski


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Worldwide use

Japan

Respect for the Aged Day, Keiroo no Hi

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

The haiku below were written as part of the
Shiki Kukai of March 2008 :
http://www.haikuworld.org/kukai/current.html


They were appreciated and discussed by the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi at their Arboretum Kukai of 29 March 2008.



Discussion of haiku on ageing at the Arboretum Kukai


my grandfather --
using less and less
of his cane

~ Abraham Muuo


my grandmother
looking at me closely --
the frown on her face

~ Anne Wairimu


sunny evening --
my grandmother talking
to herself

~ Solomon Kilelu


breezy evening --
my grandmother
trembles

~ Wandera David



Medical chit for elderly ladies’ visits to the dispensary


my grandmother
brushing a toothless mouth--
ageing

~ Joseph Kilunda


my grandfather
holding onto my hand --
a slow walk

~ Onesmus


my grandfather
chewing soft vegetables --
his toothless mouth

~ John Mwangi


grey beads swing
an old man rides a bike
across a pine road

~ hussein haji


my grandmother
struggling to chew meat --
lunchtime

~ Martin Kamau


my grandfather
searching for his specs --
grey eyes

~ Fatuma Katana



Ever active in community affairs


my grandmother --
cap tightly covering
her bald head

~ Bilha Wanjiku


my mother
looking for dye --
more grey hair

~ Irene Muthengi


my grandmother
searching for tobacco --
a new pipe

~ Lucy Nyambura



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Related words

***** Bukusu Initiation / Circumcision

***** Arboretum Kukai of the Haiku Clubs of Nairobi

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THE KENYA SAIJIKI
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Arusha (Tanzania)

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Arusha City

***** Location: Tanzania
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Earth

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Explanation

Arusha
Arusha is a city of northern Tanzania surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks. Beautifully situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, it has a pleasant climate and is close to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as having its own Arusha National Park on Mount Meru.

Arusha is the capital of the Arusha Region and has a population of 270,485 (2002 census).

Modern history
Official documents ceding independence to Tanzania were signed by the United Kingdom at Arusha in 1961.

The Arusha Declarations for Self Reliance in Tanzania were signed in 1967 in Arusha.

In 1994 the UN security council decided by its Resolution 955 of 8 November 1994 that Arusha should host the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The establishment of the tribunal with its employees has influenced the local economy of Arusha. The tribunal is expected to end its normal work in 2008 with two more subsequent years for appeals handling.


A towering pillar within the city of Arusha
　Photo © DEMOSH

Culture
Arusha is reputed as being one of the most pleasant cities in the world, due its exquisite weather, location, beautiful countryside and lively music scene, notably Tanzanian hip-hop.

Arusha is home to many of Tanzania's vivid festivals, the yearly fiesta is hosted by a few Tanzanian corporate sponsors, that attract various artists from around the world. Artists like Shaggy, Ja rule are just a few of one of the world's most popular artists to perform in the wonderous city of Arusha.

Arusha also hosts the annual Arusha nane nane Agricultural show. Nane Nane is one of the many vibrant public holidays in Tanzania, held on August 8th (the 8th of the 8th month, nane nane means "eight eight" in Swahili). Nane Nane is marked on August 8th every year where farmers and other stakeholders exchange knowledge and business. it attracts up to a half million people every year.

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Mount Meru

Mount Meru is an active volcano located 70 kilometres (44 miles) west of Mount Kilimanjaro. It reaches 4,566 metres (14,980 feet) in height but has lost much of its bulk due to an eastward volcanic blast about 8,000 years ago. Mount Meru most recently had a minor eruption about a century ago. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity.

Mount Meru is the topographic centerpiece of Arusha National Park. Its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savanna and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, and also monkeys and leopards.

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Arusha with a view of Mount Meru
Photo © Patrick Wafula

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The volcanic Mount Meru is shadowed by his big and famous neighbour Kilimanjaro. For most of the visitors Meru is just noticed as the exercising area to acclimatise before climbing Africa's highest mountain. But this does not come up to its real value. Meru is not only Africa's 5th highest mountain, it delights the walker by its fabulous flora and fauna.

Walkers will meet buffalos, giraffes, warthogs, elephants and antilopes. Ascending to Saddle Hut (3570m) a tropical wood of laurel trees is crossed. The path to the top is varied, offers short stretches of easy scrambling and breathtaking views from the crater edge.

The tour should be planned with 3 overnight stays. There is too much to be seen. The ground of the crater is worth a visit, also the minor top Little Meru (3801m).

Much more here, with great photos of an ascent to the top of Mount Meru :
... //www.uli-sauer.de/


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Worldwide use

India

Mount Meru
(Sanskrit: मेरु)
(confused with Sumeru by some ancient and modern authors) is a sacred mountain in Hindu, Buddhist cosmology, and Jain mythology considered to be the center of all real and mythological universes. It is believed to be the abode of Brahma and other deities. The mountain is said to be 80,000 yojanas or leagues (450,000 km) high and located in Jambudvipa, one of the continents on earth in Hindu mythology. Many Hindu temples, including Angkor Wat, the principal temple of Angkor in Cambodia, have been built as symbolic representations of the mountain.



© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

Patrick Wafula’s haiku journey to Arusha

Arusha town is located at the foot of Mount Meru in Northern Tanzania. Mount Meru is a jutting, bluish-grey giant cone. The town is beautifully shrouded in green trees with plenty of fresh air and space.

tree-shrouded town
at the foot of Mount Meru --
Arusha town

greying-blue giant
towering above us --
Mount Meru

Thursday 27 September 2007 was my second day in Arusha. On this day, I visited Arusha International Conference Centre, which is the headquarters for the East African Community. The most important features here are:

The three Executive Wings housing the Offices of the member countries that form the Union: Kilimanjaro Wing: Kenya; Serengeti Wing: Uganda; Morogoro Wing: Tanzania. A.I.C.C.C is also currently hosting the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which is trying those who were involved in the Rwandan genocide of 1994 in which more than 800,000 people were brutally murdered. The UN forces guard every corner of this building.

I visited the Headquarters of Arusha's Regional Commissioner (equivalent to the Provincial Commissioner in Kenya); Regional Police Headquarters and the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Party Headquarters.

I also took an enjoyable tour of the Arusha Declaration Museum. Here I saw quite a bit of Tanzania's political history: Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere's, Abeid Karume (Zanzibar) and even Chief Mkwawa's statues and portraits were all on display here. Tanzanzia became independent in 1961 after undergoing colonization first by the Germans, then by the British. I learnt more about the fierce 1979 resistance by the Tanzania forces against the invasion of western Tanzania by Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, and I visited the Gardens where the troops were welcomed back home after this war. In this museum, there is also the Uhuru Torch which is passed around the country once a year to commemorate independence.

My next stop was at Arusha International Conference Centre Hospital, where my host used to work. Then, we were due for lunch and went downtown to a small but decent hotel for a meal :

ndizi for lunch --
smiling waiters in white
hover around us
(ndizi is Swahili for banana)

delicious scent
of pilau oozing from hotels --
Ramadhan is here too

ndizi for lunch --
a ragged beggar
asks me for a coin



Plenty of bananas at Kilombero Market



I learnt from the implements on display in the Arusha Declaration Museum that the Arusha Maasai circumcise their girls. There was a Female Genital Mutilation implement. As the curator was explaining some facts about these old traditional tools, one of the female tourists in our group demanded to know why only the FGM tools were displayed : "Where are the male circumcision tools?" she asked earnestly. The curator answered that male circumcision tools were not on display because male circumcision was normal as compared to FGM which was outlawed by the authorities :

female tourist asks
where male circumcision tools are --
FGM tool

We later visited Kilombero Market, where green and ripe bananas were the abundant commodities on display :

stack upon stack
of green and ripe bananas --
Kilombero Market

Next was a stop over at Soko Kuu, where all varieties of fruits are on display:

water melons
cucumbers, coconuts and all --
sweet scent of spices


A trader a Soko Kuu, Arusha


Saturday 30th was the most exciting day. I attended a Garden Party at one of the former Ministers' homes on Mount Meru. It was such a lovely evening as we met and interracted with the Who’s Who in Arusha Province starting with the Regional Commissioner, District Commissioner, Divisional Commissioner and all the local leaders in the area.

I witnessed one of the rare Arusha Maasai rites called identifying the heir. The Former Minister was identifying the heir to his throne, his two-year old grandson :

the old stand
and dance zizilozopendwa --
breezy evening

roast goat
served to guests --
smell of beer

little throne
at the centre of the garden --
heir apparent

Text, haiku and photos © Patrick Wafula

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I lived in Arusha working for UN in 1997 and would share the beautful sight of the mountain. More than it I enjoined going to Serengti the protected forest park. I travelled to almost 11 African countries and wrote haiku there.

Africa is the oldest world and most close to the primordial vision.

Prof NK Singh


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Patrick Wafula
August 2010

. My 5th Arusha Trip: End of Winter in Arusha


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SPRING 2010

I have just come back to Nairobi after a wonderful four day stay in Arusha. I have a nice haibun to share with you.

. Spring in Arusha / TEXT 　




Clouded Mt. Meru.


. 2010 Spring trip to Arusha
PHOTO ALBUM 　


. . . . .


shorter queues—
yellow fever vaccination at
Namanga border

. Arusha Diaries: April 2011


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. Arusha Diary February 2011 　


. Arusha Diary June 2011 　
Mt Meru, Mt Longido
Namanga Hills
Isinya


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assorted bird songs
through the open window--
humid morning

sombre initiates--
the rising crescendo
of Moranic chants

Arusha Diary December 2013



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Related words

***** Rift Valley

***** . Brick making in Arusha 　


***** . Mount Kilimanjaro .


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