|
Sizzling Faith
|
|
Written by Allan Brian Ssenyonga
|
|
Wednesday, 17 June 2009 18:06 |
 Her name was Stephanie but it was not the only thing I had to tuck in my memory on a cold Friday evening. I also had to remember what to say the moment the waiter walked to our table to take our orders. A Ugandan friend who had come to Kigali for a short visit had just told me a few days before, that Uganda’s number one street delicacy; Rolex was indeed available in Kigali.
Therefore, when Stephanie asked me where we could meet, I did not think twice before telling her Blues Café. As it turns out, this rather up end coffee shop has Rolex on its menu. I am not talking about the famed chronometer, but a chapatti and fried eggs rolled together, and hence the name Rolex. Just like the dance code named calypso, Rolex is now easily recognised as a Ugandan patent in this East African region (just ask university students from neighbouring countries).
Since joining the East African Community, Rwanda has taken some vital steps to catch up with the rest of the EAC members and the discovery of ‘Uganda’s Rolex’ in Kigali was to be of interest to me for sure. This was my turn to experience the delicacy whose birth is often attributed to one Sula in Wandegeya just outside Makerere University.
Since Kigali’s trademark is order and cleanliness, I did not expect to find the Rolex being sold by the roadside by a Musoga (apparently they make the best chapattis in Uganda) as is always the case in Wandegeya, Ntinda and all other trading centres in and around Kampala. So when my friend told me to find the Rolex at Blues café I had few doubts.
A quick look inside this café reveals a cross section of expatriates and a few well off Rwandans typing away at their brand name laptops as they sip all sorts of coffee brews and eat costly snacks while taking advantage of the wireless internet services offered. It was quite a problem for me to therefore imagine a Rolex in this environment.
After parting with 1500 Rwandan francs (about UShs 5,000), my Rolex was delivered on a dinner plate, plus cutlery! Never before had I thought that I would get to eat a Rolex with a fork and knife. My friend also ordered one for herself since I had now spent enough time pouring praises on this street delicacy.
According to Vincent Maniraho, the manager of Blues Café, in Kigali, the idea of adding Rolex on their menu was borrowed from people who often travel outside Rwanda. He pointed out that for a long time, the café was offering Chapatti and Omelette but then one day a customer rolled the serving and it is then that it turned into the famed Rolex.
“For us it was simply a Chapatti and Omelette but Ugandan customers preferred to call it Rolex and so the name stuck,” says Maniraho. He also observed that the Rolex has slowly become popular because some people see it on the plates of others and order for the same. And according to the café staff, Rolex is commonly ordered in the mornings.
At the end of the treat, I was amazed by the fact that I am now able to get hold of a Rolex in Kigali although it will always cost me an arm and a leg compared to the Kampala price. At that price, it is not likely to become as popular as it is across the border. Having to eat it with a fork and knife also seemed to have robbed it of its originality in a way I cannot explain.
For the record, according to Yunus the creator of a group on facebook appropriately titled, “I have eaten a Rolex and loved it,” the plural of Rolex is Rolii.
Stephanie admitted that the Rolex was indeed tasty and that she is looking forward to eating the ‘real’ Rolex. The one made in Kampala and eaten while hot without cutlery and at a cheap price just by the roadside! Those intending to come over to Kigali, you can catch your famous Rolex at Blues Café just above Union Trade Centre (Nakumatt) in the city centre. Just confidently ask the waiter to bring you a Rolex. Bon apetit!
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The author is a Ugandan freelance writer based in Kigali, Rwanda.
|
|
Last Updated on Thursday, 18 June 2009 08:20 |
|
|
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form