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Chinese restaurants are flourishing countrywide in Uganda
When 26-year-old university dropout Eric Waibi goes to look for a casual job at Yellow Chilies Chinese Restaurant two years ago, little does he know what a great opportunity would open up for him
By Godfrey Olukya VOL. 13 FEBRUARY 2021 ·2021-01-27
Staff meeting at Ling Ling restaurant, Jinja city, Uganda (COURTESY)

When 26-year-old university dropout Eric Waibi went to look for a casual job at Yellow Chilies Chinese Restaurant two years ago, little did he know what a great opportunity would open up for him.

Yellow Chilies Chinese Restaurant is located 80 km from Uganda's capital Kampala in Jinja City, near the source of the Nile.

Instead of being employed as a cleaner or security guard as he expected, Waibi was given the job of kitchen attendant. He soon rose through the ranks to head chef, after being trained to cook Chinese cuisine.

"I came here looking for a job after dropping out of university because of a lack of funds to pay the tuition fees. Although I thought I would get a hard labor job, I was instead told to work as a kitchen hand, and trained by a Chinese chef called Ajie. He trained me and another colleague to cook a variety of different Chinese dishes for six months. After the training, I was employed as a chef," he said.

He said the dishes he cooks include Kung Pao Chicken, Five-Treasure Vegetables, Chilly-Garlic Fish, Chicken Fried Rice and Mixed-Chilly Garlic Noodles. With his salary, Waibi has managed to pay the dowry for his wife and build his own house.

Diverse clientele

The restaurant's Front of House Manager Barbra Nandutu said, "We are doing good business. If it were not for the COVID-19 pandemic, we would have been fully booked every day."

She said each day they get new customers, especially Ugandans, who are brought there by their Chinese colleagues. After coming for the first time and enjoying their food, they end up becoming regular customers. Nandutu said the restaurant is also popular with people who have lived in China as either students or expats.

Ugandans enjoy Chinese food for its taste or because of its health benefits, said Nandutu.

"One of the reasons why Chinese food has become so popular with Ugandans is its good taste. Unlike Indian food which is bitter due to being over-spiced, the Chinese food is mostly sweetish and also affordable. The prices of our dishes range from 21,000 to 50,000 Uganda shillings ($6 to $14). They also appreciate our [communal] style of serving food."

She said they are also popular with Ugandans who are married to Chinese, and city elites who feel that seafood prepared by Chinese is good for health.

A regular customer at the restaurant Alfonse Waiswa said, "I come to this restaurant at least three times a week. I like their food because it reminds me of my university days in China." He advised Ugandans to try Chinese food not only for a change, but also to get to know different tastes and flavors.

About 500 meters from Yellow Chilies, a small distance from the Nairobi-Kampala Highway, is another Chinese restaurant called Ling Ling. Its owner Zhong Zubao said Ling Ling was the first Chinese restaurant established in Jinja City in 1996.

Back then, only Chinese and some missionaries visited the restaurant.

"By 2000, just 10 percent of those who came to my restaurant were Ugandans while the rest were Chinese and Indians," said Zhong, adding that the figure rose to 20 percent by 2015 and 50 percent just before the pandemic outbreak.

Zhong, who employs 25 Ugandans and five Chinese, said he thinks Chinese food has become more popular because as incomes increase, people like to try new things. "Another reason is that people are becoming more exposed [to other cultures] and have come to learn about the [health] advantages of eating Chinese food, especially the seafood."

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Zhong's business because most people now eat at home. He also noted that with more Chinese coming to Uganda and opening up restaurants and hotels, competition is stiff in the hospitality industry.

Ling Ling restaurant in Jinja city, Uganda (COURTESY)

Trickle down benefits

Unofficial figures put the number of Chinese restaurants in Uganda in the hundreds, in urban cities and smaller towns. In Kampala, there are about 30 Chinese restaurants. Among the most popular are Fang Fang, Shanghai, China Garden, Huo Guo and Great China Wall. Most frequently ordered dishes include sizzling pork, hot pot, marinated chicken wings, dumplings and spring rolls.

"Slowly but surely, Ugandans have started enjoying Chinese food. It has become a hit that has led to the establishment of hundreds of restaurants serving Chinese food all over the country," said Alex Kasozi, a trade official with the Uganda Investment Authority, a semi-autonomous government agency.

"Although most of the restaurants and hotels serving Chinese food are managed by Chinese, some Ugandans have also learnt to prepare the food and some have started [their own small restaurants] preparing and selling it in rural trading centers," said Kasozi.

According to Kasozi, with obesity on the rise among middle-class Ugandans, many are turning to Chinese food as a healthy eating option after listening to health programs, doing research online and watching TV programs on health and eating habits.

As the number of Chinese restaurants mushrooms, so too does the number of Ugandans employed directly and indirectly in these establishments. Apart from those working in the restaurants, there are also an army of traders and farmers who supply the raw food used in Chinese restaurants. The farmers benefit from the many restaurants because their produce is bought by middlemen and sold on, while other farmers sell their produce directly.

"I sell most of the spinach, lettuce and cabbages I grow to Chinese restaurants in Kampala," said Edward Kamya, a farmer in Wakiso District 15 km from Kampala.

Chinese food can also be ordered online via a smartphone food app and delivered to the client's door. A company that offers online services is Jumia Food. "Anyone in Kampala City can order from those restaurants [that we collaborate with] and have the best experience online because Jumia Food will ensure to deliver hot, steamy and delicious Chinese food in no time," says the company's promotion material.

"[The] existence of Chinese restaurants and other businesses brought by Chinese is good for our country. They not only help in employing Ugandans, but also pay taxes [which helps the economy]," said Uganda's Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde. 

Reporting from Uganda

(Print Edition Title: Crossing The Taste Barrier)

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