I Buy a "Brenda" from a Curbside Peddler

It's a public holiday, and my housemate and I thought we'd go to the market to look at fabrics. As we walked around town, I heard a loudspeaker issuing announcements that I could actually understand--possibly because the words were nicely enunciated (unlike the usual rapid-fire of this season's political campaigning), but perhaps also because the subject was daily life kitchen stuff, fruits and vegetables. Did it just say... Yes! Something about making juice! That will get my attention anywhere.

Just across the street was a van with its back door propped open, and under the resulting shade was a peddler showing off his wares on a plastic table. It was just like demonstrations of kitchen gadgets that I've seen in U.S. supermarkets, with one key difference: These tools use no electricity! There was a juicer with a hand crank and a blender that looked for all the world like a lettuce spinner, along with a couple of smaller cutting tools.

(I felt so very brave, taking out my camera in public!)

He had a constant audience, men and women of all ages, as he demonstrated how easily he could chop, squeeze, blend, etc. a whole heap of vegetables and fruits. And the salesmanship! This guy was a pro. He took a carrot and announced, "On Monday, you prepare your carrots like this..." and he rapidly produced some thin slices on a miniature mandolin slicer. "On Tuesday, you do this..." and he grated the carrot on the same device. "On Wednesday..." and there was a pile of long, flat shavings. And on he went, through the days of the week, reducing the carrot into lots of uniquely cut shapes. Rebekah and I were quite entertained!

So what is this "Brenda" I purchased? Let's see if we can translate. First, you have to understand that r and l are completely interchangeable in Swahili, especially in our area of the country. So if you see one of those letters, try the word again with the other. Now, imagine that the -er word ending is impossible to pronounce. Any borrowed English word ending in -er will have to adapt to the open "ah" sound at the end instead. Figure out what I bought?

Yeah, I thought it would make a great Christmas present for a friend here. A time-saver for houses with no electricity, perfect!

Oh, and if you're curious about the original goal of our market trip, here is the outcome.