The response is, "I accept your respect". I like this exchange because it sounds to these western ears exactly like you are not showing your respect, old man. In Swahili greetings are very important. You can just say jambo (hi) but it is appreciated if you can place the appropriate social context in to the greeting.
We were asked to have lunch with babu this weekend. And we were warned, he would eat with his hands and spit seeds and bones in to a bowl. Babu is our host's father. I'm sure he has a lot of stories to tell but the only word we have in common is shikamoo.
We had fish and banana stew and gamely ate with our hands. We were told by our host that we were doing quite well. I'm not sure what poorly would have looked like. At the very start, our host whispered in my ear, "don't eat with your left, it is for your bum." I was prepared for this from Mom's tales of India. Then N told us a trick that the British used, they jam their left hand on their lap to avoid temptation. I shoved my hand under my thigh and plodded on with my less dexterous hand.
Babu passed the message through his daughter that I don't eat enough and she agreed. She said that when he was my age he would have eaten a whole pot of ndizi (banana) stew. I've gained thirty pounds in the last two years and have eaten so much I've often disgusted myself. I haven't heard the you don't eat enough in a long time. I have friends envious of my ability to pack it away. Anyway.
Time for seconds. Josey served our host and then me and then herself. And then our host informed her that was wrong, "a woman serves her husband first, the guests next, and herself last". I loved that but have been paying for it ever since.
Lunch ends with the seeds being separated from the rest of the food waste. The food waste goes in the compost and the seeds are put in the garden. "We use everything here".
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