Visit Every City

August 25th, 2023

Chapati is an Indian flatbread also know by other names like roti. I’ve tried variations from Sri Lanka and Guyana, and of course have eaten all kinds of tortillas which are traditionally made from corn flour. Many Malawians are familiar with chapati but it isn’t part of the regular diet. The finely ground maize flour used to make nsima always reminds me of the flour used to make tortillas. In the past Lena had successfully used leftover nsima to make what we called nsima cakes, leftover nsima mixed with eggs and a few spices fried in oil. I thought it would be fun to try and make tortillas/chapatis from maize flour, perhaps even buying taco ingredients. We forgot to buy taco fixings but Patrick did help us make some chapatis. We tried different variations like adding vegetable oil, milk, and a sugar-coffee mixture. The best combination was the milk-based chapatis fried in oil with some jam on top. I’m not sure it was the best thing Patrick had ever tasted but it was definitely up there.

While the chapati with jam was really tasty, I do have to slightly question Patrick’s taste. I base this comment on the gum we had purchased a few days before. As gum sometimes is, it was an impulse buy. Nick spotted musk flavored chewing gum and we decided it might be worth a try. I described the experience like eating perfume. Not great and definitely not worth a second try. Steve had the same reaction Nick and I did, but Patrick thought the gum was pretty good.

Besides writing Sabbath letters, blogs, and sermon notes, we were also invited to the home of Gracious and Loney Mpilangwe. Loney baked a delicious marbled cake to go with some afternoon coffee. We had the chance to relax and talk with the family (including Gracious Jr. and Loney’s mother, Mrs. Chonde) about world news, their family history, and the challenges of the Church of God in our modern times in Malawi and the rest of the world. It was a very pleasant evening.

We arrived home after dinner and the Ringos weren’t far behind. We helped them unload the car and tried not to get in the way as they got settled. They had driven all the way from Lilongwe with a few stops along the way. That was all after Dan’s graduation ceremony and spending time with family. In the midst of everything, Nick held Dekha and she didn’t cry. I think they’re friends now.

– Lewis VanAusdle