Open-faced Avocado and Chicken Sandwich

Avocados. They are everywhere in Swaziland. People eat them with everything. I came into the kitchen at work last week to find several of my colleagues sitting there eating salted mashed avocados out of bowls. Another time, I walked into a room and found one of them using her fingers to hook pieces of the soft flesh and place them directly into her mouth. They eat avocados as an accompaniment to corn porridge. They slather it between thick slices of bread and have avocado sandwiches - with nothing but the avocado and bread - as snacks. Almost without fail, when I open the communal refrigerator at work, there is half of an avocado sitting there, waiting for its time to be devoured. They grow everywhere, and whenever you visit someone's house, chances are they'll offer you an avocado for the road. Which is how I ended up with two giant ones after visiting the homestead of my adopted Swazi mother, Ncamsile. I came home and later that weekend, made a very simple lunch using one of Swaziland's favorite ingredients: an open-faced avocado chicken sandwich. It's so simple; if you have a toaster available to you, toast your favorite gluten-free bread, then spread the creamy avocado on each slice, add salt and pepper to your own taste, and then top with your favorite lunch meat. It's simple and quite delicious. Add a big slice of tomato if you want, or a few slices of red onions. Or just do it the Swazi way, omit all the frills, and stick to the basics - just the avocado and, if necessary, the bread.