29. Food

*authors note- this post has taken me so long to construct, but it is one I have had drafted and have been working on almost the entire time I have been here. I have been learning so much and enjoying the Ghanaian culture through food! I will most likely post a sequel*

Firstly- In the arts village there is a weekly schedule of meals that the cook makes for the volunteers. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided in our weekly fee. I am anything but hungry. We are so well fed and there is always opportunity for street food adventures and market day specials. In fact- I think I have gained a couple pounds because our meals and snacks are very carb-heavy compared to the veggie-heavy diet I am used to. You may be wondering what I miss most- real hearty greens and veggies like kale and beets, and cheese!

Almost everything here is cooked with palm oil. The Ashanti region is a large contributor to the production and distribution of palm oil. It doesn't really change the taste of things, but will sometimes tint the foods red. Some people need to get used to the quantity we consume and it will cause upset stomach (amongst other things that will cause stomach issues). All volunteers are pretty prepared to handle stomach problems and the cook will make plain versions of the dishes with sauces. I wanted to have plain spaghetti noodles one night instead of with sauce and vegetables- boy do I miss butter!!

Fruits from the palm tree that will make palm oil. They are also used in soups.

A rule of thumb has been to stay away from anything that is uncooked with a thin or no skin, such as raw tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and apples. Things like avocados, bananas, pineapple, mangoes are all fair game. It's a delicate balance of toughening up my stomach, while staying healthy enough to work each day. I dont usually eat tomatoes or cucumber (after seeing how popular they are with the flies at the market) but I have had them sparring lay as well as some bits of raw lettuces that have been OK.

It's pretty inevitable... You will get an upset stomach at some point- but it's important to stay positive and strong... If you give in to the issue it will mess with your head. I believe that it's worth figuring out what works for you rather than taking other people's word as gospel. Most volunteers here eat everything and anything they can find and are in perfect health!! Ok- down to the menu!! Breakfast is 95% of the time sliced bread with peanut butter, chocolate spread, jams, porridge, pineapple and mango, coffee, and tea.

Once in a while we may have fresh cooked pancakes or French toast usually on a Sunday. Monday lunch -yams and bean stew with onions and tomatoes Monday dinner - white rice with palava (spinach) sauce and sometimes egg. This is so good!!! Only time I eat something green Tuesday lunch - spaghetti and tomato sauce with hard boiled egg (spaghetti noodles are popular and it is served along side some main traditional dishes)

Tuesday dinner - fufu (mashed to smithereens plantains and cassava until it becomes a doughy ball) and vegetable soup. I eat this with my hands like a local!

Wednesday lunch - yams or plantains and bean stew Wednesday dinner - vegetable fried rice with salad and chicken (egg for vegetarians) Thursday lunch - yellow rice and fried eggs with avocado Thursday dinner - yams and beans... This is a frequent meal and one of the least favorites around here. I like the beans a lot actually so I don't complain, but it's the best when the yams are cooked really well rather than slightly boiled. Friday lunch - waakye (rice and beans with tomato sauce) with salad Friday dinner - fried Asian noodles and veggies

Saturday lunch - yams and other vegetables in a savory sauce. Saturday dinner - rice balls and peanut soup Saturday is my favorite food day!!

Sunday lunch - Spaghetti and tomato sauce Sunday dinner - Jallof (red and spiced) rice with avocado and salad

Most of the cooking in Ghana is done on metal coal or wood burners. The pots or pans are set on top and a fire is made beneath it. You have to fan the fire to keep it going and can really only cool one pan/pot per stove. Our kitchen here in the arts village has 3 stove burners. It's really awesome to watch the locals cook.

Because of the volume of volunteers, the ladies in the kitchen, Akosua, Ama, and Abena have made a stove in the plaza to cook bigger portions at once.

Some of the snacks we have found around here are the best!! In the market I have found some cool new things.

- a sweet apple. The outside is thin and you just peel it away to get to the flesh. There are some pits you spit out and the flesh is stringy similar to a really soft, ripe mango. The taste is like a weird combination of apple and pear and grapes and melons.

There are tons of varieties of fried dough snacks. This one is called a cosi and is dough coated in millet grains and fried. It's usually for breakfast and pairs nicely with a spicy, cinnamony porridge.

Most food on the go is served in plastic bags and most of the time you will see people eating with their hands right out of the bag or even just squeezing whatever is in the bag right into their mouths. It's a simple kind of approach. I have noticed that eating is not as ceremonial and planned as at home. You eat when you eat and sitting down together is rare.

Kenke is a fermented corn ball that is cooked in a plantain leaf. You eat it with sauce or peanuts and with your hands of course.