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Food |
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What will I eat?
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How is food priced?
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The cost of food comes
out of the communal kitty or local payment and the tour
leader that looks after this fund will budget depending
on what items are available at a reasonable price in each
country.
For example in Tanzania cheese is more expensive that
meat, and in Namibia where fresh produce is scarce, vegetables
are more expensive than meat. It is for this reason that
vegetarians do not get a discount in the kitty. In Africa
it costs just as much to feed a vegetarian as it does
a meat-eater.
Sometimes on long driving days, breakfast can be as early
as 5am and dinner as late as 9pm with lunch sometime in
between. For these occasions you may want to stock up
on a few snacks for during the day so allow extra spending
money for this.
In some of the towns and cities there is the option of
sampling some fine restaurants and there are some fabulous
spots to try some game meat or local food, especially
in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Swakopmund, Victoria Falls,
and Nairobi.
Also budget in your personal spending money for a few
restaurant meals that are not paid for by the kitty.
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So you’re booked on that
overland truck, you’ve packed the Maglite, the Swiss army
knife, and your mosquito repellent – but what about the
cookbook? Never mind coming face to face with a lion –
the most daunting experience for most overland passengers is
having to cook for the other 20 people. But it’s really
not that difficult, and you’ll soon discover culinary
skills you never knew you had.
You will be put in a team and everyone will take turns cooking
and shopping on a roster system so at least you won’t
be wholly responsible for the group’s diet! What's more,
creating a meal together is a great way to get to know your
fellow travellers. Remember it’s often the golden rule
that the cooks-of-the-day are regularly supplied with cold beers.
Your crew will be on hand to advise – they are more experienced
with prices and know the best places to find food, and while
they know everyone can manage a “spag bol” –
they don’t want it every night! After a couple of attempts,
you’ll be able to control the heat on an open fire as
expertly as the gas oven at home. There’s nothing that
can’t be cooked on a fire – bake it, fry it, BBQ
it, roast it, or stick it on a stick and toast it.
All overland trucks do a ‘bulk buy’ before setting
off - dry goods, tins, spices, sauces, and a couple of meals
that can be whipped up when no fresh produce is available. (Love
that tuna!) Otherwise veggies, fruit and meat are bought along
the way and it will be up to you to venture into the local markets,
haggle with strange currencies, and guesstimate how many carrots
you need for 20 people – all part of the overland experience.
If you still find cooking on your own a daunting task, then
choose an overland tour that has a safari cook. These are usually
experienced Kenyan or Zimbabwean cooks who will not only make
you delicious western food, but also introduce you to the local
cuisine. Everybody takes turns in helping him or her out with
carrying the shopping, chopping up vegetables and washing up.
Whilst you must help out, by joining a tour with a safari cook
you don’t have to worry about poisoning your fellow travellers
and perhaps get an extra half hour in bed in the morning as
the cook is the first one up to light the fire and prepare breakfast.
You’ll be surprised at the quality and quantity of food
and you’ll get three square meals a day conjured up from
the freshest of produce. In fact, most people tend to put weight
on during an overland tour! Each of our tours indicates if there
is a safari cook or not. Please tell your cook or tour guide
at the beginning of the tour if you have any special dietary
requirements, allergies or intolerances. This does not include
‘I don’t like mushrooms’. We need to know
if ‘mushrooms’ (for instance) will make you ill,
or if you cannot eat them for religious reasons.
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