To know me is to know my fondness of tea ladies and my Ethiopian coffee 'habit'.
This is a relatively 'new' phenomena.With the decline in agriculture{which really deserves its own post} the migration from rural areas to the big cities became a flood of people.Men being the traditional bread winners went first and families followed.With this social upheaval and grinding poverty in the cities outskirts,women found that they needed to work to add to the family income. Some sold kisra{our national dietary staple,a close descendant of the Ethiopian Injera},some sold Aragi{our national tipple,a liquor made from dates},some tea and coffee.Of course Aragi was the most lucrative but brought the most risk.With bread becoming more affordable and eating habits changing in the urban centers,kisra consumption declined.Tea and coffee sales flourished.
On every major street in Khartoum, the ubiquitous tea ladies line the sides of roads,huddling under trees,sheltering beside buildings and building thatch,rucksack or palm fronds leantos {called Rawakib,Rakooba for singular}to sell their wares to hordes of men sitting on tiny stools{or rocks}.
After that lengthy explanation I still feel that more information is needed.
What makes them so special?
Apart from the fact that these hard working ladies support families through their hard{and I mean hard} work,the difference between tea ladies can be astounding.
A great tea lady ,{this can be through brains,effort or just luck,usually all three} has a good location.Under a shady tree or with a well built rakooba,with red sand on the ground{sprayed sporadically with water to keep the dust down}.Her stools will be in good condition,her utensils clean and she will have incense[bakhoor}burning to keep away flies and put customers in a better mood.
As usually tea ladies are found in clusters,competition is high and the prettier ladies are often accused of using their feminine wiles to lure customers{which is occasionally true, though I can honestly say this has never affected my choice ,lol}.
Some provide ice water{as opposed to lukewarm water from big gourds called Zeers} and with the influx of Ethiopians,some added popcorn.
Despite being solely the domain of women vendors{except in Eastern Sudan,where the Handawa believe women do not know how to make coffee and only men sell it}only men sit down for coffee.Partly due to social norms and partly because of the bawdy nature of conversations found.Strangely,the tea ladies are generally exempt from offending comments{and her regulars will staunchly curse or beat anyone who offends their friend }although they are subject to a great deal of lewd stares.This is not to imply that they are meek helpless women in a sea of vicious men.Most are very strong characters who are quick to yell out a "Hoyy! Maallak?"[Hey!What's wrong with you?] to offenders[who slink off in shame amidst a barrage of hoots and laughter].
The smell of roasting coffee{over an open fire in a shallow pan},the swishswishswish of the beans being tossed expertly for an even roasting and the doogdoogdoog of the mortar and pestle as the beans are crushed to a fine grind in the early morning are probably some of the most relaxing minutes in my day.Brewed with cardamom,a touch of ginger and occasionally cinnamon,the dark{STRONG!} coffee is how I start my day.
Part 2 to come soon.
This is a relatively 'new' phenomena.With the decline in agriculture{which really deserves its own post} the migration from rural areas to the big cities became a flood of people.Men being the traditional bread winners went first and families followed.With this social upheaval and grinding poverty in the cities outskirts,women found that they needed to work to add to the family income. Some sold kisra{our national dietary staple,a close descendant of the Ethiopian Injera},some sold Aragi{our national tipple,a liquor made from dates},some tea and coffee.Of course Aragi was the most lucrative but brought the most risk.With bread becoming more affordable and eating habits changing in the urban centers,kisra consumption declined.Tea and coffee sales flourished.
On every major street in Khartoum, the ubiquitous tea ladies line the sides of roads,huddling under trees,sheltering beside buildings and building thatch,rucksack or palm fronds leantos {called Rawakib,Rakooba for singular}to sell their wares to hordes of men sitting on tiny stools{or rocks}.
After that lengthy explanation I still feel that more information is needed.
What makes them so special?
Apart from the fact that these hard working ladies support families through their hard{and I mean hard} work,the difference between tea ladies can be astounding.
A great tea lady ,{this can be through brains,effort or just luck,usually all three} has a good location.Under a shady tree or with a well built rakooba,with red sand on the ground{sprayed sporadically with water to keep the dust down}.Her stools will be in good condition,her utensils clean and she will have incense[bakhoor}burning to keep away flies and put customers in a better mood.
As usually tea ladies are found in clusters,competition is high and the prettier ladies are often accused of using their feminine wiles to lure customers{which is occasionally true, though I can honestly say this has never affected my choice ,lol}.
Some provide ice water{as opposed to lukewarm water from big gourds called Zeers} and with the influx of Ethiopians,some added popcorn.
Despite being solely the domain of women vendors{except in Eastern Sudan,where the Handawa believe women do not know how to make coffee and only men sell it}only men sit down for coffee.Partly due to social norms and partly because of the bawdy nature of conversations found.Strangely,the tea ladies are generally exempt from offending comments{and her regulars will staunchly curse or beat anyone who offends their friend }although they are subject to a great deal of lewd stares.This is not to imply that they are meek helpless women in a sea of vicious men.Most are very strong characters who are quick to yell out a "Hoyy! Maallak?"[Hey!What's wrong with you?] to offenders[who slink off in shame amidst a barrage of hoots and laughter].
The smell of roasting coffee{over an open fire in a shallow pan},the swishswishswish of the beans being tossed expertly for an even roasting and the doogdoogdoog of the mortar and pestle as the beans are crushed to a fine grind in the early morning are probably some of the most relaxing minutes in my day.Brewed with cardamom,a touch of ginger and occasionally cinnamon,the dark{STRONG!} coffee is how I start my day.
Part 2 to come soon.
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