In the mood to have your weight read? Kampala is a mobile shopping mall. Everywhere you go in this city, you encounter someone selling a newspaper, airtime for your mobile, cellphone chargers or sugar cane to gnaw on as you patiently wait for another jam to clear. Many young men slink through unmoving traffic showcasing their goods. Others, usually women, will sit on the side of the road with their goods laid out on a sheet for display. Their mats are packed with shoes, loose candies, magazines, key chains, toys, jewellery and cigarettes.
Every once and a while, you see something for sale that catches your eye. Grasshoppers, for instance. For the first couple of days in the city I couldn’t figure out what men on the streets were peddling in large Tupperware containers. Then a friend told me.
“Oh, grasshoppers,” I responded, pretending to know why someone would want to buy a handful of grasshoppers on the side of the road. Apparently, they make for a delicious snack when fried.
If you’ve eaten too many grasshoppers and you’re worried about getting fat, you can always stop to have your weight read. On the streets of downtown Kampala, you'll find a young boy who sits patiently with his portable scale, beckoning passers-by to step on. He sits unnoticed, baking in the sun as the crowds speed past him.
You want ‘em? I got ‘em! Other items for sale on the streets of Kampala:
- Inflatable Teletubbies dolls
- Manicure on the go (sit on the side of the road and have your toes done for $5!)
- Kenyan pears
- Plastic rattle for infant
- Single pair of pink suede shoes
- Dry-erase placemat
- Meat on a stick. Any meat will do
- Grilled corn on the cob
- Sliced pineapple
No comments:
Post a Comment