McKin

I can feel the final weeks of vacation passing too quickly. While it always seems to take awhile to get into the groove of having too much time on my hands, once I find it the time seems to fly. The days become filled with errands and small projects that inevitably turn into all day or even week long affairs.

One of the things I occasionally miss during those hectic trips downtown is the NY gas station. I know, it seems an odd thing to miss. It's about the hot beverages. Since moving to Congo, I have become a die-hard tea drinker but I remember the days of stopping to get a cup of hot, creamy coffee at numerous gas stations spotted around the Hudson Valley. And a bagel with cream cheese. While there are gas stations all around Kin, they are missing the steaming pots of java and bakery items to go with. I've turned to the travel mug, and, most often, taking time to enjoy my breakfast at home before leaving. But there are those moment when a pick-me up cup of joe would be the perfect thing.

While Kinshasa doesn't have fast food drive-thru, (though grilled goat and chicken are available on a kind of walk-thru service) there are plenty of fast food type restaurants. Hungry Lion serves a bit of chicken and a few bakeries offer some breakfast items. There's even a fairly new one that offers something respectably close to the NY bagel. But it's not really on the go, much more of sit down place, especially after fighting traffic and searching for a parking place. Of course, Pain Victoire has a branch in nearly every neighborhood but oh, the lines. It's much too popular for me.

These were the thoughts running through my mind one early morning as I dropped a friend off at work. That's when I had the chance to observe this woman a bit more closely.

A quick streetside breakfast  on the way to work

She appears to be selling bread by the roadside. Upon closer inspection, however, I see she has a little cookstove behind her and a fry pan. Fresh omelets, made to order, ready to go. This man bought an omelet which was placed inside a "mini" loaf of bread. I say mini because it wasn't a full size loaf of bread, but it was huge. I figured a meal like that could last me through breakfast and lunch.  It costs about 1500 FC which is equivalent to a $1.75 or so. An amazing deal. No lines, hearty portions and made before your eyes. Sadly, I didn't see any coffee or tea on offer.