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while African governments strive to work on policies attractive to Chinese investors and tourists， the Chinese impact in East Africa has also started making footprints in the social sphere. Nowhere is this more apparent than in matters to do with food.
Charles Gitonga， the director of studies at the Utalii College in Kenya， a leading training institution in East and Central Africa， said a number of Kenyans have shown an interest in a Chinese cuisine and recipe course - either on a short- or long-term basis.
“Our institution is receiving lots of enquiries from the youth asking about anything Chinese， [especially] Chinese language and cookery，” said Gitonga.
Many students， according to Gitonga， opt to study Chinese cooking with the hope of landing a job in the plethora of Chinese restaurants popping up all over Africa.
Utalii College is a government institution under the Ministry of Tourism and draws its student membership from across the eastern， central and southern parts of Africa. It offers both short- and long-term courses in disciplines that lead to the acquisition of certificates， diplomas or degrees.
Private colleges are also benefiting from enquiries. Stella Muriuki， who owns a private culinary college， said she is amazed by the rise in the number of young girls interested in learning Chinese cuisine.
“The types of girls I get are those who aspire to serve in the homes of increasing [number of] Chinese expatriates in Nairobi. They come to learn Chinese recipes with the hope that this will give them a competitive advantage，” she said.
Not to be left behind are the well-established hotel chains in most of the East African cities， who have also taken to creating special restaurants targeted at Chinese clientele.
For example， the Impala Hotel in Arusha， Tanzania， which is a popular stop-over for tourists visiting such attractions as Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti， had to hire Chinese chefs to cook and manage the menu when they set up a Chinese restaurant. But the management also ensured that the Chinese chefs trained the local staff as a long-term strategy.
This is the same strategy that the China Plate employs - an upmarket restaurant in Nairobi， Kenya.
Shamir Shamji， owner of the China Plate restaurant， said he initially hired expert Chinese chefs from China when setting up the restaurant， in turn earning him a good reputation among local people who like Chinese food. “When they [Chinese chefs] came， they trained local chefs to cook and serve Chinese food. They have all gone back now and the locals manage the culinary [process]，” he said.
To keep customers coming through the door， both local and international， it has meant that Yu Bin， General Manager at Fang Fang Group of Hotels in Kampala， Uganda， hires the best Chinese chefs.
“Our quality of service often draws locals asking us whether we have a training component through which they could learn Chinese recipes，” said Yu.
Kizito Hilary， a staff member at a Chinese restaurant in Kampala， said at any given time of the day the number of local Ugandans patronizing their Chinese menu is often higher than Chinese tourists.
“Hearing our patrons chat， one gets the impression that these are people who regularly frequent Chinese cities or do business with China，” he said.
Fellow Ugandan， Mulogo Benson， a Kampala resident， mentioned that a change of menu from the popular local matoke （cooked banana meal） means paying a visit to the nearby Shanghai Hotel on Sezibwa Road.
“When I get bored with matoke and roast beef， this is where I come. The food quality is superb and I often feel connected to my favorite Chinese city of Shanghai，” said Benson， adding that the price was quite affordable.
Back in Kenya， Nairobi-based businessman Daniel Maina， who travels frequently to China， is one of the Africans who has fallen in love with not only Chinese food， but even their communal boisterous eating style.
Maina and Benson both enjoy the sizzling Chinese meat dishes， noodles， Kung Pao Chicken （a mixture of chicken， vegetables and cashew nuts） and Shanghai fried rice.
Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs， Commerce and Tourism， Phyllis Kandie， said in May that Kenya plans to launch an aggressive marketing campaign to get 1 million Chinese tourists to the country by 2017. In 2013， 37，000 Chinese visited Kenya.
Charles Gitonga， the director of studies at the Utalii College in Kenya， a leading training institution in East and Central Africa， said a number of Kenyans have shown an interest in a Chinese cuisine and recipe course - either on a short- or long-term basis.
“Our institution is receiving lots of enquiries from the youth asking about anything Chinese， [especially] Chinese language and cookery，” said Gitonga.
Many students， according to Gitonga， opt to study Chinese cooking with the hope of landing a job in the plethora of Chinese restaurants popping up all over Africa.
Utalii College is a government institution under the Ministry of Tourism and draws its student membership from across the eastern， central and southern parts of Africa. It offers both short- and long-term courses in disciplines that lead to the acquisition of certificates， diplomas or degrees.
Private colleges are also benefiting from enquiries. Stella Muriuki， who owns a private culinary college， said she is amazed by the rise in the number of young girls interested in learning Chinese cuisine.
“The types of girls I get are those who aspire to serve in the homes of increasing [number of] Chinese expatriates in Nairobi. They come to learn Chinese recipes with the hope that this will give them a competitive advantage，” she said.
Not to be left behind are the well-established hotel chains in most of the East African cities， who have also taken to creating special restaurants targeted at Chinese clientele.
For example， the Impala Hotel in Arusha， Tanzania， which is a popular stop-over for tourists visiting such attractions as Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti， had to hire Chinese chefs to cook and manage the menu when they set up a Chinese restaurant. But the management also ensured that the Chinese chefs trained the local staff as a long-term strategy.
This is the same strategy that the China Plate employs - an upmarket restaurant in Nairobi， Kenya.
Shamir Shamji， owner of the China Plate restaurant， said he initially hired expert Chinese chefs from China when setting up the restaurant， in turn earning him a good reputation among local people who like Chinese food. “When they [Chinese chefs] came， they trained local chefs to cook and serve Chinese food. They have all gone back now and the locals manage the culinary [process]，” he said.
To keep customers coming through the door， both local and international， it has meant that Yu Bin， General Manager at Fang Fang Group of Hotels in Kampala， Uganda， hires the best Chinese chefs.
“Our quality of service often draws locals asking us whether we have a training component through which they could learn Chinese recipes，” said Yu.
Kizito Hilary， a staff member at a Chinese restaurant in Kampala， said at any given time of the day the number of local Ugandans patronizing their Chinese menu is often higher than Chinese tourists.
“Hearing our patrons chat， one gets the impression that these are people who regularly frequent Chinese cities or do business with China，” he said.
Fellow Ugandan， Mulogo Benson， a Kampala resident， mentioned that a change of menu from the popular local matoke （cooked banana meal） means paying a visit to the nearby Shanghai Hotel on Sezibwa Road.
“When I get bored with matoke and roast beef， this is where I come. The food quality is superb and I often feel connected to my favorite Chinese city of Shanghai，” said Benson， adding that the price was quite affordable.
Back in Kenya， Nairobi-based businessman Daniel Maina， who travels frequently to China， is one of the Africans who has fallen in love with not only Chinese food， but even their communal boisterous eating style.
Maina and Benson both enjoy the sizzling Chinese meat dishes， noodles， Kung Pao Chicken （a mixture of chicken， vegetables and cashew nuts） and Shanghai fried rice.
Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs， Commerce and Tourism， Phyllis Kandie， said in May that Kenya plans to launch an aggressive marketing campaign to get 1 million Chinese tourists to the country by 2017. In 2013， 37，000 Chinese visited Kenya.