Hospitality of Mary

This is a close-up photo of Mary Queen, her daughter (on the right) and her niece whom she is raising as her sister died. Mary is one of the stall owners in our local village.

This past week when Judy went to make her purchase of vegetables, and to deliever a copy of this photo to Mary, Mary had just finished preparing her lunch of sukuma (kale and spinach) and ugali (maize flour porridge stirred into boiling water and then placed in a bowl to finish firming until it resembles a thick mound of white paste) over a little charcoal burner on the ground. Mary asked Judy to share lunch with her. We went into her tiny stall and Mary offered her one stool for Judy to sit on. We then ate the food from one bowl with our fingers. The sukuma was the best that Judy has eaten and so Judy asked how Mary had prepared it. She said she stir-fried it in oil with onion and chopped tomato. BUT, she said the secret was not to wash the greens. Judy, who has been so careful to wash all vegetables in the dish liquid/bleach mixture, was shocked (and probably showed it). However, Judy did not get sick so it appeared the stir-frying killed the germs.

Mary's willingness to share her lunch was a memoriable gesture of hospitality that Judy will long remember!