Growing up people used to talk about how cabbages were often served and associated with funerals. The standard Shona word for funeral is interesting. The word nhamo can be translated in many ways including funeral but it could also mean deep poverty.

As most Zimbabwe now live in deep poverty well below the poverty datum line which continues to chase after inflation, a lot of families are now serving up cabbage on a regular basis as they mourn the economy. While prices go up, cabbages have remained very affordable.

A lot of families we know and from our observations in shops it seems more people are buying cabbages and shops seem to be carrying more of them. Even at Mbare Musika cabbages are now brisk business according to vendors. Do not imagine for a second that all those people are now suddenly into salads. At nearly $50 mayonnaise and Salad cream (around $40) are very much beyond the reach of many.

Prices of fruits and vegetables in supermarkets as of 20 October 2019

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