Here's how the conversation might play out in the States:
Husband: I'm home from the store.
Wife (unpacking): Where's the butter? Did you forget the butter?
Husband: Um... They, uh, they didn't have any.
Wife: Seriously? You forgot the butter!?!? I was going to bake!
Husband: *sigh*
'Course, in Nairobi, it plays out completely different.
Husband: I'm home from the store.
Wife (unpacking): Where's the butter? Did you forget the butter?
Husband: They didn't have any.
Wife: *sigh* I'll find a substitute.
Last year Kenya was out of ketchup. For three months. Not that ketchup is an essential, mind you. But finding empty shelves happens remarkably often. It's like a super-efficient just-in-time supply chain except that it's often not-quite-in-time. The more remarkable thing, I guess, is that we do have access to ketchup or butter most of the time - not all of our co-workers across Africa have such privileges. The consequences will stick with us for years to come - it's hard to resist keeping 5 bottles of ketchup in the larder. Just in case, you know?
-Shauen
Shauen & Krista
Butter is once again available in Kenya! It's "rationed," limited to 2 packages per customer at the grocery store. But it's back. We were only out of butter for 3 weeks. It just happened to be an important 3 weeks.
Shauen & Krista
Just to keep you up to date. The one day that we were able to get two blocks of butter from a friend was the only day butter was at the store. By the time we got to the store it was gone. About two weeks later I saw butter again - imported from England at nearly twice the price of the now non-existant local butter. But if you need butter, no price is too high (according to Krista, the chef and baker)! Fortunately, butter is now available in large quantities, not rationed, and from multiple brand names. Welcome back, my unhealthy but tasty friend!