African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 108: Chapter 103 Diet

October 3, 1867.

Mbeya, Yinay Village.

Ayiguli Yafu is preparing breakfast for her husband and herself.

Ayiguli Yafu is an Armenian, bought by Arab slave traders from Ottoman nobles and sold to the East African colonies.

She was awarded as a ”prize” to Zhao Yizhan, recognized as a model soldier by the colonial government.

Zhao Yizhan is a Chinese immigrant, among the first to arrive in Mbeya, part of the initial group of Chinese immigrant soldiers organized by the colony.

Initially, there were a hundred in Zhao Yizhan’s group, but only ninety-seven survived the harsh journey to Mbeya; three of his comrades fell along the way.

Later, Mbeya became the capital of the upper Lake Malawi region, and the East African colonial government established villages within the colonial borders to develop the land.

Yinay Village was established near Mbeya, and Zhao Yizhan, as an old team member, was assigned there and became part of the village’s security team.

Zhao Yizhan was originally from Shandong, not short, standing at 1.78 meters (in the early 20th century, the average height in many Western countries was less than 1.7 meters), but appeared skinny like a large straw due to lack of food in the Far East.

Although Zhao Yizhan was undernourished when he first arrived in the East African colonies, once he had enough to eat and drink, he worked with much vigor.

His mental state was excellent, and he was selected in First Town as one of the first Chinese soldiers, eventually embarking on the journey to conquer Mbeya.

During his year as a soldier in Mbeya, Zhao Yizhan’s obedience and resilience were recognized by his superiors, who appointed him as a key member of the newly-established Yinay Village (since the village security team had only a few members, with only a German village chief and a leading Heixinggen student above, he held significant power in the village.)

Later, during the ”purge” movement, Mbeya was located on a key trade route for indigenous peoples toward the southwest (Zimbabwe and Zambia directions).

The local government in Mbeya had to maintain the smooth flow of traffic, ensure indigenous tribes would not linger, and was also responsible for expelling local indigenous tribes, thus taking on significant responsibilities and workload.

This meant Mbeya could secure many achievements, and subsequently, when applying for female quotas, it had certain advantages. Zhao Yizhan also organized militia (temporarily expanded) favorably during the purge, standing out among many colleagues.

He became one of the first to be allocated a wife; Ayiguli Yafu married Zhao Yizhan during this time.

The East African colonial government in Mbeya personally issued their marriage certificate.

As an Armenian woman, Ayiguli Yafu did not know much about handling East African ingredients.

Armenians live in the West Asian Caucasus region, historically influenced by Greek and Persian cultures, so their culinary style is a mix of Greek, Persian, Turkish, and Arabic cuisines.

Living in mountainous valleys and highlands, Armenians faced harsh environments and inconvenient transportation.

Compared to West Asia, East Africa seemed like a ”land of fish and rice.”

East Africa was richly endowed, with various tropical fruits and vegetables suitable for growth, fertile and vast land yielding plentiful grain, and many rivers and lakes teeming with wildlife and aquatic resources.

Many were unfamiliar to Ayiguli Yafu, but fortunately, Mbeya primarily cultivated wheat, and Ayiguli Yafu, as an Armenian woman, could make an Armenian version of baked bread as a staple.

East Africa was promoting the use of fish as a supplement to wild game, and Armenians handled fish quite well.

However, Ayiguli Yafu still lacked experience with many East African ingredients.

This is where Zhao Yizhan’s advantage came in; as someone from the Far East, Zhao Yizhan certainly knew how to cook, although he couldn’t make it taste good.

Even so, he taught Ayiguli Yafu how to stir-fry, quick-fry, and make pancakes and noodles in Eastern culinary styles.

Though simple, these methods were sufficient to handle most foods.

Although the food at Zhao Yizhan’s home was modest, it embodied a blend of East and West. During those times, when merely having enough to eat was considered fortunate, no one cared too much about the taste of the food.

As an agricultural zone, East Africa’s grain production capacity was considerable, with an individual able to allocate about one pound of grain per day.

As a model soldier and a security team member, Zhao Yizhan could receive one and a half pounds of grain daily. As a woman, Ayiguli Yafu could get nearly seven ounces of grain. Together, they exceeded two pounds and two ounces of grain daily.

Along with occasional meat supplies, their own grown vegetables, and wild herbs and fruits from the fields,

during this era, the living conditions of Zhao Yizhan’s family far exceeded the world average; except for aspects like clothing, housing, and transportation, East Africa differed slightly from Europe.

Today, breakfast at Zhao Yizhan’s home consisted of two pieces of baked bread, a fish soup, and a serving of stir-fried vegetables.

Ayiguli Yafu was responsible for preparing the ingredients, while Zhao Yizhan was in charge of the fire.

Besides an Oriental stove, their home also had a brick oven in the West Asian style.

Previously, the pots and pans in the East African colonies were mostly imported in batches from the Far East and Europe.

After acquiring the mainland territory of the Zanzibar Sultanate, the brick kiln factories and workshops on it were also taken over and expanded by the East African colonies, providing bricks, earthenware jars, and iron pots for stoves throughout East Africa.

Of course, apart from families like Zhao Yizhan’s, who cooked at home, East Africa also had numerous canteens since there were many single men without families (once married, one could not eat at the canteen), and their dietary needs were met with communal meals.

However, with more and more people resolving marital issues and the increase in family migration, the proportion of people eating at canteens has begun to gradually decline.

Soon, the village canteen might close, influenced by higher-up directives that future family immigrants will be prioritized for village distribution.

Male single immigrants would first be assigned to cities. The East African colonies are currently establishing a series of traditional handicraft workshops to provide simple living supplies for development.

Moreover, cities allow for easier management. Immigrants with families are naturally easier to govern than single immigrants, so family immigrants are currently prioritized for farm allocation.

Single immigrants would be first assigned to more strictly managed cities. East African cities are not typical European cities where citizens enjoy full freedom.

In fact, East African cities are just somewhat larger towns or rather, giant farms, called cities only for administrative convenience and naming purposes.

Their primary industry remains agriculture, but these cities have favorable conditions and transportation, even if the East African colonial government interferes with their development. Owing to their inherent conditions, they will eventually become regional centers.