Toothpicks: Rwanda's national post-meal passtime

Rwandans love toothpicks, or kirida. It may sound mundane, but never have I encountered a group of people who so universally love to use a toothpick after a meal. Be it in a restaurant or a middle class home, you will always be offered a toothpick following your meal, usually one of dubious Chinese origins that may or may not break off between your teeth, joining the goat meat or pineapple already stuck there. The simplest box of toothpicks costs only 100 francs, or less than 20 cents. Boxes typically have little holes in the top (the black area, right) so that toothpicks can be shaken out individually in a hygienic manner.

As usual, I get a kick out of some of the imports from China, particularly the "Delightfully fresh and each Vogue" toothpicks and the "Toothy-Fruity" variety with "fruits flowers" flavor tips on one end (click to enlarge):

Even babies love kirida! This is my adopted host sister in Nyanza.

The toothpick craze helps to explain why middle class Rwandans have such great teeth. For poorer Rwandans, toothpicks and other means of dental hygiene are unaffordable. Compounding the problem, raw sugar cane is widely consumed by the poor, meaning that among the other class divides here there is a clear gap in dental health.

Cheap Chinese goods suck

Lately I’ve been frustrated by how cheap everything from China is. The made-in-China busted toilet seat and shower head in my bathroom (don’t get me wrong – I love indoor plumbing. The prongs that snapped off the plugs on my Chinese-made radio (fell on the floor, fixed with an adapter, paperclip, and tape) and my Chinese-made power strip (stuck in the outlet). The clothespins that fall apart when they’re released too quickly. The handles that fall off pots and pans and lids. The Chinese-made dish towels that leave plenty of water and streaks of lint on my dishes, so much my attempt to be civilized by buying dish towels.

I will give them this: my Chinese-made pillow is incomparably better than my Rwanda foam pillow.

"Rolling circle on waist"

I bought a hula hoop for under $4 at Simba, the lesser of the two supermarkets in Kigali. The guys who work at the supermarket clearly had no idea what it was for, but were very helpful as I sorted through the pile to find one that wasn't bent. It came from China, and the receipt and packaging were pretty  hilarious: