What not to read your first week in Africa

This is not a good option for when you are full on in culture shock and have just moved from a resource rich culture to a resource poor culture.  After we got to Kabale and a 11 hour trip caravanning across country, we tried our best to get started cooking.  I brought this and other cookbooks with me and I started reading them with vigor.  But this was all about the poor and social justice and it was written in the 80's. I imagined things were many times worse than when this was written. So I started crying and couldn't stop for the whole day.  I didn't know where to put this information in my new context and I was still part of the problem, not the solution. Inadequacy flooded me and I was horrified with the excesses of our culture as I gazed at the struggle for life outside my window. The titles of the sections are "World Shortages, North America, five times as much, Overspending money, Overeating calories, Overeating protein, overeating sugar, etc. I would start with the Pioneer Woman if I were you!

 But... I recovered and I will tell you in a place where we made our own bread, thank God for the Mennonites who have been there and done that! There are sweet and encouraging stories or poems or verses at the end of various recipes.  There are many challenges and encouragements to go simple, keeps you grounded.  There are awesome prayers and proverbs from many countries.  So, in the end, it became one of my favorites.