Fun food fete - Life

Some of the barbecue at the food festival. PHOTO BY EDGAR R. BATTE 

Organising a food festival in Uganda is a daunting task at best. First and foremost, one can never predict the type of weather that will prevail and on the other hand, there is the uncertainty of how many revellers will show up.
Last Sunday, we attended the first ever Shell Gas Tokosa Food Festival that took place at Legends Sports ground in Naguru. It was a success. The main theme behind this event was to create awareness of the utility and practically of cooking with gas versus jiko and charcoal stoves.

No doubt, Ugandans are a lot more savvy and sophisticated nowadays compared to the 80s when cooking with gas was hardly in vogue and less available. To be fair, the option of cooking with electricity, albeit a prohibitively expensive exercise, given the high cost of electricity that obtains in Uganda, has always been around. Today cooking with gas is no longer a novelty and is rapidly gaining attraction among all classes of Ugandans.
As for cooking matooke with gas, despite a number of doubting Thomas’ about the feasibility of cooking matooke with gas, this is a common misnomer and wolokoso; the Kampala Serena Hotel dishes up matooke that compares with the very best of the cooks who swear by charcoal and firewood.

Thanks to the energetic and engaging presence and banter of the MCs Peter Igaga, renowned for being loquacious and witty in the fitting company of the equally voluble and indefatigable and sultry Deedau they managed to engage the eager and expectant crowd a rousing show.
The weather was perfect for the occasion and revellers showed up in droves with children in tow and there were over 20 service providers including Kentucky Fried Chicken (Ugandans simply love chicken), Le Piato, The Little Donkey (they serve Mexican food), Donatos Kitchen, Healthy Bites, Raves and many more.
The highlight of the show was the cooking contest that was purposely simple and practical lasting no more than 20 minutes. Farida Mbabaali and Caroline Aciyo were outstanding in this category and won hands down.

In the bachelors category a one Moses was the winner while Crystal Newman was exemplary with her rendition of minute steak and pasta.
Kudos goes to Tina Byaruhanga of Buzz Events who ably coordinated and organised the whole event with distinction.