Mackin' in Kenya: When you give 2 Americans a Jiko...

The packing list provided by SIM made mention to pack specific American treats unavailable in Africa. An asterisked note on the page informed me “there are no American marshmallows in Africa”.

Weirdly specific, I thought with a chuckle.

However, if you put 2 Americans in one locale and exclusively use fire to prepare meals, it is only a matter of time before S’mores WILL BE fabricated. Danielle and myself spent weeks discussing the specifics:
How to acquire the necessities?

Should we make the elements from scratch?

We opened her Easter package we’d been hoarding for weeks to find Peeps, Easter M&Ms and Graham Crackers. We looked at each other with one mind-------- S’mores

We didn’t even wait to finish our lunches! Rushing toward the warm coals, I scoured for sticks as she fanned the remaining fire. Soon, Peeps were expanding to obese yellow ducklings at the end of our sticks. Once on the cracker, we smashed the pastel M&Ms into the sugar coated marshmallow.

I rushed to my confused Kenyan family in the other room with S’mores shmutz still on my face.

Trying to explain they must try our fantastically, American sandwich, it occurred to me that Kenyans don’t eat sandwiches. I encouraged them to try, pantomiming the motion of holding, eating and licking the edges of the frighteningly, brightly-colored thing in their hands. They nibbled the edges trying to make sense of this oddity. Finally, my Kenyan brother, Shedrack, broke the graham with a bold bite. His eyes grew bigger than our chubby Peepes!