Heeeyy ladieeeeeesss! And gents 😏 because I know you'll see this too. What e do!
This is a post that may seem most appropriate for #foodiesbeehive but, naaa. I actually think it'll fit into the #weekend-experiences community but again, naaa. Mostly cause @galenkp won't let us cross post though, but it's such an interesting coincidence that all the images tell of my weekend experiences. That's the only time I can cook/eat and dare to take shots of the food. 😩
Well well, this is going to be a collection of short stories, in which there'll be narratives of girl thingys here and there. Enjoy!
The Manor
It's the very first time I did shots. 🤫
And I didn't like it one bit. A friend of mine came in from London and was eager to unwind and see the city after a long time of being away so I suggested the new bougie restaurant in town called The Manor. I knew about it because an acquaintance made a post about it on Instagram and even though reservations had to be made first, I didn't care and suggested we check it out. Okay it's not that I didn't care, I remembered too late. Ain't no way we turning the car around because we didn't book a table. If they're fully booked then yeah, no problem but we gotta try. Anyway, so we go in, the waiters are super nice and welcoming, the environment is super cool and different from what's usually obtainable, etc. It was in a residential area though and was quite empty. My friend and I teased them about being spooky and having kidnappers' den vibes.😄 Time to order, everything's expensive as is the norm for big shot restaurants but we weren't worried, we didn't plan on staying too long or ordering a full course meal, and we were not ignorant of their prices so we didn't flinch. My friend suggests shots before our chicken lollipops arrive and while I'm objecting the bartender insists that he has a special. Dude, help me out here! Anyway, that's the special in the image below. Can't remember what fancy name it's called but I liked the 'smoke' hovering over it as seen so I took a picture. It was a super fun weekend, we went to about 3 places, had a full course at the last and washed it all down with palm wine. Google that. 😁
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I only hate shots and alcohol generally because I've got sweet tooth. I'm told I'm missing, yeah right.
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Edibles and Me
I'm a foodie. Yes, I'd love to try many different cuisines from around the world but I still just like to eat what I know and love. I eat even when I just ate, LOL and no please, it's not gluttony. It's this sweet tooth of mine and how eating allows me enjoy and forget my worries. Food is to me what alcohol is to many. I remember my mom used to complain a lot and I'd get scolded as a kid because after having a delicious meal, heavy or not but plenty, I'd still eat biscuits after. I feel empty if there's nothing on the side to look forward to eating, after eating.😄
Anyway, my siblings know this and it's totally on the premise of my love for food that my sister sent me a box of cereals all the way from the United Kingdom.😂 Okay that's a bit of an exaggeration, she sent shoes and a purse as well and through a friend of hers that was visiting Nigeria but she made sure that box of cereal was included and she kept insisting that I'd like it and that nobody tamper with it. Haha thinking about it makes me feel sooo good. If you recognise it, do tell me what it's called 🙃. I liked that there were juicy raisins and dried bananas and tiny coconut strips in it and I liked that it was chocolatey too. Chocolate goes so well with milk and another thing I love is milk. So that's a bowl of it in the image below, I took a picture to show her that I was having some and to mention how right she was in insisting that I'd like it. I did like it.
I loved it and I miss it.
Ọkpa and Pap
Yeah, you had to see this one first so you're not in the dark for more than a sec. In the image above is an African cuisine, peculiar to the South Eastern people of Nigeria. The soft orange lumps [plural because I've cut them up] are called Ọkpa and is made from grounded cowpeas. It's that colour because palm oil is used to prepare it. Everybody loves Ọkpa, even non-indigenes. The other food in a bowl is Pap, it's quite popular even outside Nigeria. It's made from corn and is best had with honey or milk & sugar or any sweetners really. It's kinda like an oatmeal. I know you can already guess what I'd rather have mine with.🙃
The special story here is how difficult it is to cook Pap. You're either good at it or you're not, in which case it comes out too watery, or full of tiny lumps and doesn't cook properly. Pap is mostly a breakfast meal and if one is good at making Pap then they're wife material, imagine that. It can be had with akara, something English speakers termed bean cakes; bread; moi-moi; etc. Like I said, oatmeal "variant". Now this combination of food is a sleeping pill, you wouldn't dare have it on weekdays or if you had an important task to do later, or if you wanted to meet a deadline, haha, if you do, just forget it. It's a sumptuous meal and it's one I'll have and not go looking to snack. 😁
Naa, I'm not perfect at making Pap just yet. I guess when I'm in luck, I get it right. I'm very good at making Ọkpa though.
Female "Troubles"
One of many is knowing how to cook.
In the image below is a meal called abacha. It's very easy to make and is not related to this narrative, but you should know it's best eaten without cutlery. #culture ❤️
Generally, at least over here, a woman is expected to know how to cook just so she'll be fully capable of cooking for her husband.
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
🤦🏾♀️ ...and it's a woman's job to get to his heart, aaand the only route is doing all the cooking. Pff. Mothers begin to train their girls at a very young age to learn the art of cooking, while the boys are allowed to stay out and play. The threats are always, "if you can't cook, you won't get a good husband", or "if your cooking is bad, your husband will leave you for other women". Yikes!
Above is yam porridge, made that one weekend I was home alone and tired of eating junk food. It's such a delicious delicacy and one of my favourite foods to make. The palm oil shouldn't be this much though, my mistake.
Cooking is a survival skill, don't you agree? It's not gender specific, is it? Some women hate cooking as much as some men do and that's fine, isn't it?
Agbalumo/Udara and Palm oil.
Here, I only want to conclude by showing you gallons of palm oil for sale. We use it to make so many foods here, and it's so good. It's gotten from palm kernels of the palm tree, like the name suggests.
The orange fruits above the gallons and in front of the citrus family are fruits, haha. They're called agbalumo in Yoruba and udara in Igbo. These are popular tribes in Nigeria.
I was on a long journey home one weekend and our car had a stop-over. As I alighted and saw them, I remembered a post my friend made about how he missed them and how surprised he was that they weren't available yet since it was their season, and so I immediately took a shot. You know why.
Yep, the gallons of red oil just got lucky, the camera was not for them.
Until next time, xoxo.
Maybe in a few decades people in Africa may change too. Marriage is not about cooking.
The change is already happening, albeit slowly. It's something.
Hey there! Thanks for the support. 😁
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My father was a Sous Chef and a fine cook and since he spent more time at home while my mother worked, he taught me to cook. He can't teach me any sewing skills but he's great at cooking. Thanks for a little insight into Nigerian cuisine @uchelee
Oh how interesting. It's always a delight for me to hear about or meet male chefs, professional or not.
It was my pleasure.
Thanks for the support. Cheers!
I managed to read through without salivating, but I saw udara 🤤
😂 oh you love it, just like my brother. Well go find some, I think it's still available.
Yeah I think so too. I’ll be on the lookout