httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISid7GuxlyI
Ghanaian Class Reunion Parade
Mt. Paradise Photos
Things I Will Miss
- Alvaro – First introduced to Africa in 2007 by the Coca Cola Company, this malt based non-alcoholic soft drink is outstanding. It’s available in three flavors: pear, pineapple, and passionfruit – with my favorite being the latter. It’s light and refreshing; at $1 per bottle it is my favorite Ghanaian soft drink (although coconuts still win overall).
- Local Brown Rice – By far, this is my favorite thing to eat in Ghana. It takes hours to remove all the stones and cook it well, but it is well worth the time spent. The rice is perfectly plump, tender, and has a unique earthy taste. I definitely need to figure out how to ship some rice home to America…
- Free Time – This is a novelty for me. My last two years of high school I was so pressed on maintaining straight A’s that I hardly had any time for myself. Now, I have so much spare time that I almost don’t know what to do with myself. This is a blessing and a curse – I’ve had plenty of time to go out, and write on my blog/journal, but it’s become boring due to a lack of host siblings. Luckily, next week I’ll begin catering school (more on that later). I will also be taking intensive Mandarin language lessons.And did I mention my novel now has 11 chapters completed?
- Public Transport – Getting around town without owning a car in the U.S. can be difficult (especially in Naples). Ghana has a great setup with its Metro Mass buses and trotros. The buses cost anywhere from $4 to $12 to go between cities, and are fast and efficient. Our 5 hour bus ride from Takoradi to Accra cost us only $4 each. Each bus seats over 50, and usually takes under half an hour to fill up. Trotros can be used to travel both short and long distance, but tend to be expensive for long distances. Short distances – they’re great. It usually takes under five minutes to get a trotro from the roadside, and trotro stations hold hundreds of cars going nearly to every destination (you just wait for the car to fill up). With trotros, I can get anywhere in Accra for under $2.
- Conversations with Strangers – While some people in the U.S. chat with strangers in the supermarket or while waiting on lines (HI MOM!), it’s nowhere near the extent of how much I talk with strangers in Ghana. When I go out, I say, “Good morning/afternoon/evening (maakye/maaha, maadwo) to everyone I see along the road. People will always respond by asking how I am, and I usually wind up having lengthy conversations. These conversations often repeat, and I have many good acquaintances that I talk to whenever I go out (Mr. Kebab Man, Wood Shop Guys, Mrs. Yam Seller, and Ms. Cute Old Toothless Woman).
- The Clothing – Ghana has some of the best fashion in the world. Even though young Ghanaians often look towards the Western world for the latest fashion trends, in my mind the traditional prints are far superior. Just take a look at the following photos for proof:
- ‘Obruni’ Calls– No matter where I go, I receive endless calls of ‘Obruni’. It’s endearing to hear from children, although it gets old quickly. I attract attention wherever I go; it’s strange to think that when I return home, it’s back to being ‘one in 300,000,000.I have mixed feelings about being called ‘obruni’ -I realize that I may be the only white person for miles around, but does it really need to be expressed out loud? Ghanaians love it when I call them ‘Obibinis’; but is it morally correct to take part in referring to people by the color of their skin? I realize it’s tradition, but it still feels awkward and clumsy. Am I being an oversensitive American? Is this whole discussion a non-issue? Regardless of my personal answer (which is a subject of a future blog post), it’s acceptable here. But I know if I did it in the United States, I’d be jumped.
EDIT (6:20 P.M.) : A final note – this and the previous blog post are non-exhaustive. There are many things I miss that I don’t intend on sharing publicly on the internet, and I’m sure there’s plenty I will miss that I haven’t thought of yet. These lists are only a beginning.
Things I Miss
- Family and Friends – This is a bit of a given, but I have to say it to avoid angry mobs upon my return home. I especially appreciate those who have taken the time to communicate me while I’m in Ghana.
- Thai Food – I would beg for a cup of Tom Kah Gai, cheat for a bowl of massaman curry, and even murder for a plate of pad kee mao.
Yesterday, I went to Osu (a touristy part of Accra), searching for Ghana’s only Thai restaurant. I ended up walking for over 45 minutes down a cross-street before arriving at locked doors with a “Closed until February” sign posted on them. - Decently Priced Produce– I’m a broccoli man. Back home, I would eat multiple heads of it at a time. I miss it dearly. Here in Ghana, slightly-slimy European imported broccoli costs the equivalent of $9 per pound. Despite my love affair with broccoli, it’s hard to rationalize spending the normal cost of 10-12 normal meals on one vegetable. My other favorite vegetables (brussels sprouts, artichoke, and asparagus) are notably absent from even the fanciest supermarkets.Needless to say, I’m beginning to have
semi-eroticdreams featuring broccoli. - Set Prices – While the ‘game of bartering’ is sometimes fun to play, the truth of the matter is that I almost never know how much to pay for anything. This makes bartering very difficult – especially with me being white. Despite my ‘poker face’ and desperate pleas of me being ‘just a schoolboy’, I always feel as though I am getting ripped off even when I am actually getting a good deal.
- Internet – My Airtel modem peaks at 300 kilobytes per second, and is steady at around 50 kilobytes per second when it is working well. When working poorly, it drops to under 10 kilobytes per second. For those of you who aren’t ‘tech savy’, this means that often each page or search takes 1-2 minutes to fully load.And this terrible speed comes at a high cost – $15 per gigabyte of data. That’s far more expensive than American internet – simply due to the low demand.
- Timeliness – I have to admit that I am becoming Ghanaian in this regard. Whenever I plan meet-ups with my fellow exchange students, I tend to be either 30 minutes or an hour late. Part of this can’t be helped; traffic in Accra is terrible. In fact, on the way to Twi lessons yesterday Drew spent 4 hours stuck in traffic.
- American Television– This may seem like a shocker, but I honestly miss standard cable. American Idol, Top Chef, Desperate Housewives; you name it. I would prefer almost anything to Ghanaian television. I’ll write a standalone blog post about this in the future, but Ghanaian television is nearly impossible for me to enjoy. Consisting primarily of dubbed Spanish soap operas, Nigerian movies, and sermons – I can’t stand any of it.That is- besides Who Wants to Be Rich. That show is a classic.
Frank’s Spot
Last week, I posted about the uniquely named caterers in the small town of Busua. As it turns out, Busua is full of characters. Today I’ll be introducing my favorite – Frank.
Frank owns a ‘spot’ (another name for a restaurant or bar) in Busua. It featured a variety of items – everything from pancakes and porridge to spaghetti and banana shakes. Everything on the menu (besides the $6 lobster) is available for under three U.S. dollars.
Our group of seven went to Frank's Spot for breakfast and ordered the following items:
- Eggs with Bread x2
- Oats with Bread
- Local Porridge (Koko) with Bread
- Banana Pancakes
- Pineapple Pancakes
- Supper Spaghetti
To drink, we ordered the following items:
- Banana Shakes x3
- Milo (Hot Chocolate)
- Tea
- Orange Juice
Frank’s Spot kitchen (note the two-burner stove)
Seconds after taking our orders, Frank sprinted out of the door without notice.
Several minutes later, he came back with full a bag of groceries. “Okay,” we thought. He was missing a few ingredients to make what we ordered.
He served the banana shakes first – which turned out to be surprisingly delicious. Despite not being served cold (and being made using only a fork to mash the banana), the creaminess of the milk and sweetness of the banana paired wonderfully together. After everyone tasted how delicious the shake was, we called Frank over to the table and requested two more banana shakes in addition to one more glass of Milo.
“Okay,” he said scratching his head. After making sure that was our only change, he sprinted out of the restaurant. We peered out of the window and watched him run down the street and go into a nearby store. He came back carrying two bananas to make shakes and a package of Milo.
As Frank prepared our meals, he alternated between frantically cooking on his two-burner stove and sprinting out of his store to buy last-minute items. For instance, after making the drinks he ran out and bought oats. After preparing the oats, he ran out to buy eggs. After making the omelets, he bought the spaghetti – and so on. It turns out that Frank didn’t own a single ingredient – he bought everything as he realized he needed it.
The reasoning behind this is likely because Frank’s Spot doesn’t get very much business. By purchasing ingredients ‘on-demand’, Frank saves money by avoiding waste. It’s a smart idea, particularly if you don’t have money to spare.
Since Frank’s Spot was a one-man operation, breakfast for seven took more than two hours to eat. This was primarily due to the fact that every items came individually as it was made. But it was worth the wait – Frank prepared the best breakfast I’ve had in Ghana, and some of the best pancakes I’ve had in my life.
The pancakes were thinner than American ones, with crispy edges. Sugar crystals could occasionally be tasted inside the pancakes, giving them enough sweetness to make them exciting and not even need any sauce or syrup (although I used the local honey anyways). The local pineapple served with the pancakes was perfectly ripe and absolutely divine.
Each dish tasted as fabulous as my pineapple pancakes. Balthazar went as far as saying that his ‘supper spaghetti’ should rather be called ‘super spaghetti’.
Frank’s Place not only had outstanding food at great prices, but also provided lots of laughs due to Frank’s frequent trips to buy more ingredients. One thing’s for certain – if I ever come back, I’m going to give him a token of appreciation for his hard work – a notepad to make shopping lists.
A Man for Every Job
During our trip to Takoradi and surrounding areas, one place I looked forward to visiting was the small town of Busua. This town was on my list for two reasons – surfing and pancakes. I mean, what else could one possibly need in life?
Following is an excerpt from my Bradt Ghana guidebook in the ‘Where to Eat and Drink’ section of Busua:
Daniel the Pancake Man – The pioneer among Busua’s improbable cast of specialist name caterers, Daniel’s friendly restaurant is close to Sabina’s Guesthouse. In addition to preparing his ‘world-famous’ pancakes, Daniel serves great fruit juice and a vast menu of main dishes at very reasonable prices.
‘World-famous’ pancakes and 'great' fruit juice – what's not to be excited about?
After arriving in Busua, Daniel’s sign board immediately greeted us:
My taste buds watered at the thought of fresh pancakes made with local ingredients, but they would have to wait since we still needed to find a place to spend the night. As we walked down the road, a muscular shirtless man with a stoic impression on his face greeted us.
“How are you? I’m the Juice Man.”
I raised my eyebrows, telling him that we weren't looking for drinks and just needed to find an inexpensive place to spend the night. Without any hesitation, he grabbed our arms and walked us over to Peter’s Place – where the seven of us spent a night for 40 cedis (roughly $26).
The rooms were only adequate, but the highlight of this lodge was that we were less than 40 feet from the ocean.
After dropping off our bags, we followed the Juice Man to buy some drinks as a means of thanking him for taking us to the lodge. He walked us to his operating center – which turned out to be the Pancake Man’s restaurant. It was a cozy spot, with plenty of cute goats in the vicinity.
Not being able to resist the temptation of pancakes for breakfast after eating ‘Mascot’ (Wonderbread) with tea for the past four months, I ordered chocolate banana pancakes for 4.5 cedis ($3) along with 1.5 liters of mango-pineapple juice. After an hour of goat watching, the pancakes arrived.
Feelings of mediocrity flooded me . I had expected pancakes with bananas and crushed chocolate mixed in the batter, so that the bananas were caramelized and the chocolate was melted and gooey. What I ended up getting was a crepe topped with a sliced unripe banana and a plastic tube of artificial chocolate spread. The juice was overly thick since it had been made without the aid of a blender or juicer, and was extremely overpriced for what it was.
I sighed in realization that I had fallen into the ‘tourist trap’ of Busua. Drew and I took photos with the Juice and Pancake Man, and the group left feeling unsatisfied.
Later that night, our group ordered dinner at a international-themed restaurant on the beach. Balthazar, our Frenchman, wanted to know the price of a lobster dinner. The owner of the restaurant followed up on his question by calling ‘The Lobsterman’ on her cell phone.
To drink with our meals, we wanted to buy Alvaro (a delicious, non-alcoholic malt based drink). We were directed to the nearby 'Mineral (Soda) Man'.
As I walked around town early in the morning, I noticed a nice-looking apron being sold in a shop beside the street. After inquiring about its price, the shopkeeper whipped out his cell phone to call the 'Cloth Man'.
A few minutes later, I met the 'Pineapple Man' walking around the streets with a basket of pineapples on his head, waiting to make a sale.
As you have probably noticed, there was a clear pattern in the naming scheme of the town. It was reminiscent of a Dr. Suess story book; everyone who specialized in selling an item took the item’s name as his own. My guess is that this method of naming began with the Pancake Man, and quickly caught on as sellers realized that Obrunis were amused by it.
Or maybe this whole ‘naming scheme’ had another origin. For instance, maybe the names were passed through generations, with each spouse’s name playing an integral role in their future child’s profession. For instance, if the 'Pineapple Man' and the 'Blender Woman' had kids, maybe a 'Juice Baby' would be born.
Sadly, our time in Busua ended before I had a chance to ask any of the 'name caterers' about the source of their names. But if I ever return, I vow to discover their true origins.
Takoradi Photos
Playing with ‘Kids’ Goat Vlog
Ghana Azonto Dancing
Azonto is a dance that originated in Ghana during the early 2000's. Rather than having me butcher a description of it, click below to watch a video of it.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTUIlOudlHI
Note: The masks are not part of the dance – just a feature of that particular performance group.
This hugely popular dance was originally called "Apaa" – meaning 'work' in Ga. This was because many of its movements mimic daily activities including washing, scrubbing, driving, and boxing. The current name, "Azonto", means 'life.'
Azonto became hugely popular with the success of Asamoah Gyan, a Ghanaian soccer star, with his club (Sunderland F.C.) and Ghana's national team – the Black Stars. His 'trademark' victory dance after scoring was none other than 'Azonto'.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwvMk-M_I0g
Almost everyone in my secondary school class knew how to Azonto and wanted to teach me. A simple idea, for Wikipedia clearly states:
Azonto, when taught effectively can be learned within five minutes, according to experienced Azonto teachers.
Not the way I've been learning. My teachers have all performed Azonto for 2-3 minutes, letting me watch and 'absorb' the dance. I usually forget that I'm supposed to be paying attention to and learning their specific body movements, and just enjoy myself.
Following the dance I was told, "Okay – now you try it!"
If you have 'rhythm in your blood', as most Ghanaians do, this teaching style will work for you. But sadly for Obrunis who are used to practicing coreography for over two months before performing, this style merely leads to blank stares and a strong urge to hide under a table.
That being said, the mighty Azonto shall not defeat me. I hereby pledge that by the time I arrive home, I will catch all 150 Pokémon, defeat the Elite 4, and become an Azonto master!
But first I'll have to master Pikachu's favorite dance… the 'electric' slide.
Kélé Wélé Recipe
Today my host mom prepared kélé wélé for the first time. While I've enjoyed fried plantains many times in Ghana, kélé wélé's aromatic seasoning blend of cloves, ginger, and pepper puts it in an entirely different league of its own.
Kélé Wélé Recipe
Serves 6 people with normal appetites or 3 Ghanaians.
Ingredients:
- 6 extremely ripe, yellow or black plantains
- One piece of ginger, roughly 1 square inch
- One clove of garlic
- One small handful of cloves
- One small handful of black peppercorns
- Salt
- Coconut or vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
1. Peel the ripe plantains and cut them into small strips.
2. Place garlic, ginger, cloves, salt, and pepper in a mortar and pestle or a mini food-processor with a small amount of water. Grind until it reaches a paste-like consistency.
3. Marinate the plantains in the paste for 30 minutes.
4. Heat coconut or vegetable oil. Once hot, add the marinated plantains and fry until golden brown.
5. Serve with roasted groundnuts (peanuts) and/or plain rice with stew. Enjoy!
