Tales of The Carry-On Kid: Tanzania Travel Log Vol. 10 – Beer, Burgers and a Bookstore
Add baseball and there is little more to America than beer, burgers, and bookstores. Yes, the bookstore part mostly applies to bibliophiles and other types of geeks, but they are all important facets of our western lives. I love books and the stores that they’re sold in – from the big box stores all the way down to the local used book store. Book stores bombard me with a delightful sensory overload of sights, smells, touch, and, throwing in a well drafted hot chocolate from the in store coffee shop, taste. I always find myself drawn to bookstores, no matter where I go.
Lucky for me, this love of book stores has rubbed off on my family and while these literary excursions can be expensive, you can never spend too much money on books. I have gotten to explore book stores all over the world and was pleasantly surprised to encounter the store “A Novel Idea” in Tanzania. Novel Idea is located in a shopping/dining area in the hotel next to the one I was staying in. I avoided the shop for about a week, afraid of the large sums of money I might spend there, but like all good bibliophiles, I couldn’t resist its siren song. The first aspect of the shop that grabbed me (other than the catchy name) was the front window festooned with children’s books that focus on different types of African animals.
Key West Florida had similar books that included local sea life. These types of books are a great way for children to learn interesting facts about wildlife they might see on a game ride or in a local zoo. After chuckling at such titles as Hot Hippo (sounds like interesting porn) and Baby Baboon, I headed inside to see what a bookstore in Tanzania looked like. I was impressed not just by the size of the store but the selection. Because I have gotten the chance to visit bookstores all around the world, I normally gravitate to the history section first. I love seeing how different nations view world history and the books available on local history. Then I migrate over to the sci-fi/fantasy section to see the change in the book covers. It’s fun to see which authors are world famous instead of being just famous in the US. or the UK. The walls of A Novel Idea were covered with some amazing posters of things like the fish and mammals of Tanzania. I wish we had posters as cool as these were when I was in school!
I was most pleased to find a copy of the board game Bootleggers in the humor and games section. This pleased me because it allowed me to let my gaming friends know that is a very small way I had found a FLGS in Tanzania. I would have purchased this copy, but just because I was in Africa didn’t mean the game was any cheaper or any easier to transport home. Modern board games and being a Carry-on Kid just don’t mix. After scanning the store for a good half hour, I decided it was time for food.
This is where the burger part of this whole thing comes in. Just outside of the bookstore was an outdoor cafe. I figured I’m here, I’m hungry, I might as well eat. The menu here was geared towards westerners. The menu included fish and chips but having had that more than a few times, I decided to try one of the most American of dishes, the hamburger. I was pleased to see that not only did they served burgers, but I had the option of adding bacon (bacon good!), avocado and had my choice of three different kinds of cheese. I was a happy panda! I went with bacon and the cheddar cheese and was not disappointed! I washed this down with some water, but if I were a beer drinker or even a drinker of any alcoholic beverage for that matter, I would have been in good shape.
In the United States, we are blessed with hundreds of local and micro brews. Because of the sheer size of the country, I think we are getting close to the amount of local brews as a country like Germany did back in the day. I have not found that there are as many localized African beers as there are in the United States, but every country seems to have their own brand and often carry a regional brand or two. I understand that there is even a Heineken brewery in Burundi. Being a non-drinker, I would love to tell you which African beer I prefer, but I just can’t do that. I do know that Tusker, pictured here, is actually a Kenyan beer. Most of my co-workers say that of all of the African beers they have had, they like St. Georges from Ethiopia the best. No matter where in Africa these beers come from, they are native made. I think that brewing was one of the benefits colonization had on Africa.
If your taste is in burgers, beer, or books, you can find all of them in Tanzania. I wish I could recommend a beer, but I can certainly vouch for the books and the burger. Most places I’ve been in Africa like to include a fried egg and sometimes French fries on the burger itself. I was happy to see this wasn’t the case. No matter where your journeys take you, take time to check out the local bookstores. The similarities and differences will remind you of why you love travel and more importantly, why you love books.
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