In case you just asked, 'what on earth is black rice?' let me take you to class for a minute 😄. Black rice which I recently discovered whilst actually looking for Ramen ingredients, has been documented as coming originally from ancient China. It was then called 'The Forbidden Rice' or 'Emperor's Rice' as it was reserved only for the Chinese royals. Woe unto you if you were caught with a single grain.  Thankfully, we all can enjoy Black rice which has been touted to be extremely rich in the antioxidant anthocyanin, a color pigment which gives the grain its purplish to black colour. This same pigmentation is what gives blue & black berries their darkened colours. The nutritional value of Black Rice ranges from being high in amino acids, iron, vitamin E, fiber, essential amino acids etc ( Source: Wikipedia) Black rice is also much healthier than brown rice. 

Class is over. I must say I was pretty curious when I saw this variety of rice especially when I had just bought local brown rice just the other day which by the way is sensational! White fragrant rice is seeing the last of my kitchen. So I bought half a kilo to 'try' it out. I am all for fiber rich foods for the benefit of my digestive tract 😅. 

After doing a bit of reading about my find, I decided to make a pudding out of it; what we call Rice Water. I washed it out and soaked it overnight to reduce the cooking time the next day and thanks to some food blogs I read, not doing so will lead to about an hour's cooking time. Ain't nobody got time for that 😂. 

The next morning, I discovered that the water had taken on a purplish hue. Mind you, this water can stain your clothing like how the red Brofo Nkatie ( local almond nut in Ghana) can stain your blouse and have you crying for days. Yep. So be careful when dealing with the liquid. 

I boiled one cup of black rice to 3 cups of water to get the grains well cooked through. I added half a teaspoon of salt for flavour.  There's a lot of stirring that goes on when making Black Rice Pudding. My aim was to get that soft cloudy texture of Rice Water. My husband came by the kitchen and peered into the saucepan, "It looks like burnt rice. I am going to tweet that you have burnt the rice and claim you are cooking black rice." 🙄😂

 It took about 15-20minutes and it was done! I taste a teaspoonful and my mind was just blown! It was almost sweetish with a slight nutty flavour behind it. I wasted no time at all in serving it up. Hubby abstained for some reason. Fearo. I chopped up some banana, splashed on a bit of honey and milk. This was the exact moment when I wished I had coconut milk instead 😭. 

I did finish my meal with gusto, hubby got a bit of taste and he realised it wasn't that bad either. Too late, I finished it all! At GHC16 for half-kilo it's not cheap rice. But healthy foods are rarely inexpensive and to eat healthy you got to invest in your own health, right? 

You can top the pudding with any fruit of your choice. Mango will be great to give it that sweetish sourish taste of heaven. There's so many different ingredients in foreign supermarkets to create a fusion recipes just to make the dinner table a bit more interesting from the norm.

I recently met a young married woman who said something funny but had some truth around it. She said, 'as wives we need to find interesting and new ways of cooking or else our husbands will leave us.' I agree with trying to recipes to make home cooking more fun and creative but would it really lead to our husbands abandoning us for cooking the same old yam and palava sauce? I will leave that for you to comment on. 

Have you tried black rice before? What's your take?

A true story of Diana who wants to remain anonymous but is willing to share her journey of overcoming the pain of miscarriage and the road towards hope and recovery. 

What do you do for a living?

I am an Administrative Officer and I have been in this role for almost 4 years.

What was your best achievement in your workplace? 

Planning and organization of our just ended General Assembly and launching of our new building. These were 2 major activities that attracted high levels dignitaries all over West Africa.  

What do you do for fun?

Hanging out with friends and listening to music.

What makes you happy most?

I love reaching out to people who are in need and helping out when I can. 

Are you married? For how long?

Yes I am. We have been married for almost 12 years. 

Were you planning to start a family before the miscarriage?

Yes and the miscarriage was my second conception, a long awaited pregnancy, which only came six years after my first child.

What's the period between when you got married and when you first conceived?

One (1) month

Read More: A KNUST Graduate Who Became A Cleaner

How did you know you had miscarried?

My miscarriage was not a surprise as the doctor had prepared my mind.  It all started when I was 8 weeks into the pregnancy. I had malaria and decided to see my doctor. He examined me and told me the signs were not good for my pregnancy as there was no big progress since my last visit. He treated the malaria but just after that, I observed spots of blood discharges which later became profuse. The doctor decided that I visit him every week for him to monitor the progress of the pregnancy. The news he was giving me were not promising so he was preparing my mind for the worse. 

I remembered that Saturday I was so bored and restless. My husband was out but luckily for me, a cousin and a friend visited me. Since I was so bored, I decided to have some walk and see my cousin off. My friend and I finally ended up in my cousin’s house. I spent some time there and just when I decided to leave for home, I felt some strong contractions. I visited their washroom to assess what was going on. I felt a strong push and all I could see was a splash of blood, followed by the fetus. I knew I had lost the pregnancy….

How old was the pregnancy?

12 weeks

What was going through your mind after it happened? 

I can say I was relieved that night because the reports I was getting from my doctor were rather traumatizing me. I was anxious before the miscarriage; I slept very well that night. I was not traumatized by the loss but rather by the pain and clinical interventions. The doctor had to clean my womb and I was put on general anesthesia.  Waking up from that sleep, I asked myself so many questions about life and our human existence; For me, that was the most painful part of a miscarriage: - the pain it comes with and the effect of the Anastasia on your emotion. 

What questions did you ask the doctor after the miscarriage?

I asked him whether my womb was ok. He told me not to worry that everything was perfect. I was not too worried about future conceptions. No! I was positive. I thanked God for what happened as only Him knew the future. I already had a “special need child” (my first child) and that itself had a toll on me so I didn’t want to have any child that was going to give me more stress. This was my prayer.  

What support did you get from husband / family / friends? 

Yes, my husband was very supportive from the day I was told I may lose the pregnancy till the time I lost it. My mum was always counseling me, sharing her experiences with me and she offered to keep our first child with her until I recovered fully. 

Did you get professional counselling? 

I didn’t need that so I didn’t look for any. 

How did you deal with the occurrence from your own personal end?

I will say the doctor prepared my mind and that helped me a lot. The miscarriage didn’t come as a surprise to me. Personally, I always tell myself that as a Christian, I am not the controller of my life. I believe in God and trust him to always give me what is good for me. I don’t know but I was convinced I was going to have another child. Though the next pregnancy delayed, I was able to conceive and have another child. 

What encouragement will you give to any woman out there going through a similar situation? 

Never despair. Note that your life is more important than that of the unborn child so miscarriage is not the end of the world. As it is said in an African Proverb, “It doesn’t matter how old a jar is. Once it is not broken, one can always put water in”, You may have struggled before conceiving but everything is possible for those who trust God. He holds the future.

 

I have never been a parent before so I wouldn't know what it feels like to watch your children leave the nest. After all the financial, emotional, physical, social and mental investment in them, watching them walk off with the man/woman who has stolen their heart must probably be heart wrenching. I believe mothers more than fathers find it harder to let go since they nurture the children more and spend more time with them. There’s a deep feeling of loss of control. 

 I think many parents don't get what it means to allow your children to leave the nest cleave to their new family line. Perhaps they have dreaded it for some time as you completed University, got your first job and started dating but are still unprepared for the feeling of ‘she’s gone’ ‘he left me’. 

I was listening to Joyfm’s Home Affairs sometime last year a little after I had gotten married. A woman was recounting how she doesn’t think her daughter-in-law knows how to take care of her son so she therefore needs to teach her. Daughter-in-law was taught how her husband likes certain meals and other household skills he was used to. Mother-in-law wasn’t in the bit perturbed that her actions had crossed a certain line. After all he was her son! Remember the Vodafone advert? Is this what has been accepted as a norm? 

There’s a lot which is taught to a young couple during church counselling about leaving and cleaving but interestingly. It’s about time parents were included during the leaving and cleaving discussions. If perhaps not through counselling then via the pulpit. They shouldn’t be left out. This will not only present an opportunity for them to ask questions but also air their views on the matter for the counsellor or Pastor to address them. 

During church counselling, a couple is taught that you shouldn’t expect certain things which your parents did for you to be repeated by your husband or wife. For example, your wife’s cooking will not taste like your mothers’. Delight in your wife’s cooking. But does your mother know that you love your wife’s cooking perhaps even more than hers? Or will she bring you your favourite Jollof ( prepared just the way you like it) every Saturday? If she understands that you have left and have cleft to a new life, she wouldn’t be coming by every weekend to make your wife insecure. If you were the one your Father trusted to run some tasks, should he call you at 6am just when you are warming up to your wife’s body? Can he get someone else to run the errand? 

Someone would also argue that it also depends on the couple and what they allow into the marriage. If you give your parents the chance they will invite themselves into your marriage and run it without you even realising it. How about those who still fear speaking out against their parent’s actions for fear of some form of repercussion?  If you do allow it and don’t take a stand against parental invasion in your marriage, the consequences wont be pretty. I know of one woman who went to the market and brought the ingredients to her son’s marital home, prepared a meal whilst his wife was in the house! Why did this happen? Because the husband didn’t stand up to his mother to stop her actions. So naturally she continued until the wife couldn’t take it any longer. 

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Another woman told her daughter to always come home when her husband was giving her troubles. So what do you think happened when issues cropped up? Did her mother understand what it meant to let your children go? 

Parents need to understand that leaving and cleaving doesn’t mean total abandonment and this goes also for the couple as well. Dear Parents, your child leaving doesn't mean they will never visit or end up ignoring you totally. Parents need to give their wards some breathing space to start their life together as one. The church needs to start creating the conversation around this topic and keep parents of the couple in mind as a target audience. 

Parents must instead pray for their adult children who are leaving to make a new home that the love of Christ will keep them together. It’s God’s purpose for adult children to leave their parents because He’s already made provision for them for a new life. Parents should trust God to do His job. 

Do you agree that there has to be some discussions from the pulpit for parents around letting their adult children go in peace into their new marital life? Got any similar story of parents who couldn’t let their children go? Do share in the comments below.

Food festivals in Ghana are fast becoming the go-to social events for Ghanaians during weekends and public holidays. That's where the best of local food and drinks can be found, where business connections are made and new relationships are formed. Like, you can meet the love of your life at one of these events if you look sharp! 

Chow Ghana is the Food Festival which  is going to be one of the very different from other festivals which have come and gone. How many food festivals have you been to that there's Alikoto and Hopscotch games on the side? Where you can chew chicken wings whilst enjoying AfroJazz? Zero right? Exactly. 

Just Fresh Ghana is the organiser of this highly anticipated food event which is blending fashion, music and nostalgic games. Sounds almost like Coachella 😉, get your flower crowns ready 🌺🌺🌺 The day promises to host live dining experiences with suave private chefs to take you on a palatable journey of Ghana's finest foods and possibly some exciting food fusions. 

There's vendor space available for interested food and fashion vendors. 

Tell a friend to tell a friend, #ChowGhana is happening on the 10th-11th of June. Don't forget to keep a few business cards with you as you never know who you will meet during the festival. Come on an empty stomach as well 😉.

Follow ChowGhana on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Very few beauty brands in Ghana have taken to creating their own line of beauty products like Evita Joseph Asare has. Actually, I can't recollect any 🤔 but I do stand to be corrected 😘. 

Evita Joseph is a growing Ghanaian owned beauty brand in which I have invested money to get the best of makeup for my personal use. And on Saturday, I attended the Influencer Preview of their latest beauty product on the market; Expert Brow Liner. I almost felt out of place in a sea of professional MUA's who were flawless in the best of their makeup artistry. Makeup so flawless that no touchup is needed for Photoshop processing. 

As a busy woman, I hardly ever find time to sit for long periods to do a complete makeup touchup on my face but when I do, I always choose what's quality, quick to apply and easy to use. That's why I was really excited when I tried the Expert Brow Liner from EJ. The Brow liner gives extreme definition to eyebrows for professional makeup artists and the everyday woman. 

Evita Joseph Asare, the CEO of Evita Joseph gave a short presentation on the journey of her brand and products released so far on the Ghanaian and Nigerian market. I was actually caught off-guard when she invited me to share my opinion of the brow liner which I was honest about with regards to its ease of use, non-creamy texture and a natural final brow look. 

Present at the event were the finest of Ghana's makeup artists like Annette Akye and Lamisi. 

Evita Joseph worked very closely with Annette to ensure the Expert Brow Liner was the perfect product for the African market. 

It was quite a brief event yet straight to the point. Here are some more photos from the event. 

Lamisi, Annette and Friend. 

* PS- I am in there somewhere. Got to get my photo from Evita's photographer 😫😫

You can follow Evita Joseph on Instagram  and her online store here. 

A post shared by E V I T A J O S E P H (@evita_joseph) on May 28, 2017 at 7:59am PDT

Evita Joseph Asare, takes her influencers seriously and she's one of the few Ghanaian brands using social media and her influencers to grow her market size. Congratulations Evita! You Rock!

As the world reels under the effect of climate change, it's become more imperative for innovative solutions towards reducing waste generated from the production of goods and services. The reduction of waste and pollutants generated also happens to be Goal 12 under the SDG's. It's therefore no surprise to learn of the partnership between Emirates and Buzz,  the world’s leading inflight product specialists in producing the EcoTHREAD. 

The Emirates ecoTHREAD™ blanket is made from 28 recycled plastic bottles. With the latest innovation, the bottles are recycled into plastic chips before being turned into yarn, creating a polar fleece material. The fine thread is then woven into soft blankets. This video reveals more. 

The environmentally-friendly blankets are part of Emirates’ continued commitment to product innovation and sustainability. Emirates already runs a green programme on board recycling aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles, and clean paper products such as newspapers, magazines and cardboard cartons where possible.

By the end of 2019, Emirates ecoTHREAD™ blankets would have rescued 88 million plastic bottles from landfills– equivalent to the weight of 44 A380 aircraft. This initiative makes it the largest sustainable blanket programme on board in the airline industry. In addition, the manufacturing process of using recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) reduces energy emissions by 70%.

The balanket is unbelievably soft to the touch with a deep rich texture to keep passengers warm during air travel.

The Emirates ecoTHREAD™ blanket for Economy Class completes the recent comforter overhaul across all three classes. The airline introduced a plush, faux sheep-skin blanket in First Class and soft duvets in Business Class.

Two rainy days ✌🏽️⛈️ and after yesterday's high-pressured event nothing makes me more relaxed than getting all warm and tucked in with a good book 📖 and a warm and oh-so soft blanket 🛋️like this #Ecothread blanket by @emirates which I am thankful for 🙏🏽. . A blanket made specially from recycled plastic bottles and each blanket = 28 recycled plastic bottles. Let me count that...1,2,3,4,5,6...28! 😵That's a lot of bottles which would have caused severe environmental damage had it not been this innovation of melting the plastic bottles into plastic chips before being spun into yarn and then creating a polar fleece material. The fine thread is then woven into soft blankets. Thanks to the fantastic partnership 🤝between @emirates and @buzzproducts, this is what this Earth 🌍needs to save the planet! . . On your next flight on @emirates to Dubai maybe 😃 take a moment to appreciate the extremely soft☁️☁️ feel of your blanket in the economy class. . . If you are joining the First Class getting comfy in the faux sheepskin blanket should be a heavenly experience and the soft duvet for Business Class 💺is ever ready to make your business trip worth the while. . . P.S - Please remember to leave your blanket behind on reaching your destination 😁😘. .

A post shared by Naa Oyoo (@oyooquartey) on May 26, 2017 at 10:55am PDT

In the last year, Emirates has added several new products for customers travelling in Economy including the world’s first interactive amenity kits. The amenity kits - filled with necessities such as an eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, and socks – uses augmented reality technology to unlock entertainment on customers’ mobile devices using the Blippar app.

Traveling isn't as glam as you think 😐. It's actually stressful being in the air with turbulence and all 😩. But if you are actually on a great airline which ensures you have excellent comfort even in Economy 💺 class then it's absolutely a great experience every time ⭐️⭐️. I traveled on @emirates for the first time in their business class and I was awed 😵⭐️. . . Then my next trip was economy and TRUST me it was stillll awesome! ( With other airlines I dread economy class😩😩) The comfort and service quality was great and the passenger amenity kit which has skin lotion & eau de toilette from @thewhitecompany makes it even more exciting 💃🏿💃🏿. There's nothing better than being able to rejuvenate your sleepy 😴😃 face just before landing 🛬 at your destination. . Thank you 🙏🏽 @emirates for consistently ensuring passenger comfort during air travel 🛫🛩️. . . #Ad #travel #emirates #emiratesairline #airline #amenitykit #travelkit #influencersinghana #influencer #paidAd #flatlay #flatlaystyle #travelincomfort #travel✈️ #🛫 #🛬 #🙏🏽#thewhitecompany

A post shared by Naa Oyoo (@oyooquartey) on May 29, 2017 at 9:48am PDT

The ecoTHREAD blanket, new amenity kit is definitely worth looking forward to! ✈️ 

Your walk down the aisle towards your awaiting groom must be a moment worth remembering for all of time! Whether it's a ministration to be sung by the choir, a solo by your Kurt Carr wannabe friend or a selected song from Spotify, this song must be inspirational and song of great joy. My wedding aisle song was 'I Found Love' by Bebe Winans and what a befitting song it was! There are many songs to choose from. But what of Nigerian Gospel? As an African, I am ever proud of the quality of gospel music emanating out of Nigeria. 

  If you are planning your wedding, these are my top 5 Nigerian gospel songs to choose from for that beautiful lacy walk down the aisle.  

NO.1 

 ONISE IYANU by Nathaniel Bassey

WHY?: What better to song to walk down the aisle to which your heart can glorify God for all His mercies over the years and yet another day to sing of His praise? Just check out a few of the lyrics: 

My eyes have seen, my ears have heard
The wonders of Your grace
Creation bows in awe of You
And we join to give You praise
The words You speak turns things around
Your outstretched arm has lifted me
You took away the chains and cords
That held me bound

Even your guests will join in to give glory! Definitely a top spot! 

NO. 2

YOU ARE GREAT by Steve Crown

WHY?: Why not? Being in a relationship which survives the tests and trials of every relationship and works through it's challenges to get to a day of marriage is worth praising God over. God is indeed great and it's He only who deserves your praise as you walk down the aisle. The lyrics below sums it all up! 

Worship You today
Give You all the praise
As we lift our hands to You
With pleasure in our heart
Raise our voice to say
Everything written about You is great

Told you! Perfect song as well!

NO. 3

I STAND AMAZED by Sinach

WHY? Sinach is a powerhouse woman full of the Holy Spirit and when she sings it seems as though all your problems are fleeing through the windows! But this song I Stand Amazed is a simple yet powerful worship song ( especially the refrain)  " You do mighty things, you do glorious things, You’re a faithful God; awesome is your Name. "

Make sure you don't cry as the song plays, your mascara won't forgive you. 

NO. 4

EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED by Onos

" Everything has changed for me, everything has changed" goes the lyrics for this song by Onos a Nigerian gospel rockstar who has shared the stage with Israel Houghton and Fred Hammond. With several awards under her belt, Onos is taking Nigerian gospel to the world. This song for your graceful walk testifies of how everything has changed for you and as you enter into a new phase of life, you are trusting God to see you through. 

NO. 5

EZE NDI EZE by Frank Edwards & Don Moen

WHY? Do you feel blessed for the grace of God which has brought you thus far? Then this song is definitely for you! The lyrics are also perfect : 
Blessed be your name (idi ebube di ngozi)
Blessed be your name (İdi ebube di ngozi)

What a collaboration between Frank Edwards & Don Moen!

These are my top 5 Nigerian gospel singers and you can be sure to have a beautiful wedding ceremony which you will tell your grandchildren one day. 

Which song would you choose? 

Headwraps are life savers. To think that we used to see it as old school or kolo to wear headwraps also called Duku in Ga. Headwraps are here to stay and wearing it in different trendy styles whether on your straight or natural hair or braids will keep boredom away. 

My recent youtube video shows how to wrap in different styles from what's usually out there. 

After posting this video on my Facebook Page, it went quite viral and I got a few questions on the length of fabric to use. 

Below are my tips for choosing the right fabric and the length. 

1. Using a softer african print fabric makes it easier and neater to headwrap. I used a Vlisco fabric for this headwrap. Expensive I know but it totally works out for me everytime. Hitarget which is every woman's fabric of late due to its affordability can also be used. But wash it first to make the fabric more workable. 

2. Two yards is the best length to use to get more outstanding styles. One yard can give you a cute headwrap but if you are looking for something more glam and noticeable go with two yards. I have realised that using two yards doesn't restrict me as I am able to do bows and bigger buns.

3. Look out for prints which have more unique details to make the headwrap stand out. Prints with strong bold lines and colors works for headwraps with bows and prints with flowery, dots and standout details works very well for the buns. But why be choosy? Go crazy!

Read More: 3 Ways To Wear A HeadScarf

source: Pinterest

What informs you when choosing a headwrap style? Do you think of the fabric to buy for a headwrap? Do share in the comments below 😘.

I was recently contacted by my friend Karen who shared how she had been feeling ill for months and how to her utter shock was diagnosed with Bilharzia! Shocking, right? And it all began after enjoying water sports during a visit to one of the riverside resorts in Ada. Here's her harrowing experience..

I took this photo last year when visiting the resort.

What water activities did you partake in at the resort?

I went Jet Skiing at one of the Ada resorts in June 2014.

When did you first noticing any ill effects?

Back in September last year, I remember going to the hospital because I was feeling lightheaded and tired. I have had various symptoms between September and June this year and have been back a few times.

What diagnosis did the initial doctors give you? What tests did they run?

They did some iron tests and saw that although my haemoglobin levels were fine, some of my iron stores were low. They put me on iron supplements for a month but it didn't imrpove. I went back to the same hospital about 4 times with various symptoms at different times (tiredness then twice with stomach cramps and finally shortness of breath and chest pains). Each time they ran some tests/scans but ultimately found nothing wrong so sent me home, sometimes with painkillers.

What made you decide to try the last doctor? 

My last appointment at the first hospital was for chest pains and shortness of breath. They ran a CT scan and chest xray but both were clear. I wasn't feeling any better so decided to see another doctor for a second opinion. It turned out I had a throat infection but the doctor wasn't sure if that was what was causing the chest pain so treated the infection and asked me to come back if I was still experiencing the chest pain. 

The chest pain went down but I was still feeling the fatigue and occasional shortness of breath. I went for further tests at the same new doctor and she picked up a minor thyroid problem. It needed monitoring more than medication at this stage. About a week after that diagnosis, I passed out one Sunday morning and was having palpitations and chest pains on and off throughout the day. I rested in bed for the day but did not go back to the doctor immediately. It's quite frustrating to keep going back and without getting answers! About a week later, I went back to the same doctor who diagnosed the thyroid issue. I described what had happened the previous Sunday and she said that did not sound like it was caused by the thyroid issue. She ran another blood test and saw from the results that the foreign bodies in my blood had increased slightly from the previous test. It was at that point that she asked if I had been to Ada before. I almost brushed it off by saying "oh yes, but YEARS ago". She asked how many years, I told her 3 years and she said it is still possible that I may have picked up bilharzia.

What tests was run this time?

She sent me for a bilharzia screen at MedLab and the blood sample was sent to South Africa so it took two weeks to get the results back.

What was your reaction to the results?

I was shocked because even though I had heard of bilharzia before, I believed that the lake at Ada was bilharzia free. At the same time, I was relieved that I finally had an explanation for how I had been feeling for months.

How expensive was the testing through to treatment?

The test at the lab was 280 cedis. The treatment was roughly 30 cedis a tablet and I was prescribed 6 tablets (the usual dose is 3 tablets but it depends on your weight).

Any positive changes in your health? 

I took the medication on Thursday and have had nausea, headaches and dizziness on some days and felt better on other days. I've been told that it's a side effect of the treatment (with the parasite being killed off and leaving the body). I need to repeat the treatment in a week as directed by the doctor.

Have you informed the hotel of this revelation for them to take some measures to protect its guests?

I spoke to the hotel and they let me know that they would take a sample of the water to get tested at the hospital and would keep me informed.

As at the time of writing this post, my friend hasn't heard back from the hotel. By publishing this, I am by no means condemning or attacking the resort but rather drawing the attention of river resort revellers to be cautious when entering the water. Hopefully, if the hotel reads this and has the results, they would put in place corrective measures to prevent another occurrence. Bilharzia. Who would have thought?

The origins of bread spans more than a thousand years and it’s the world’s most widely consumed food. Even in our everyday language the use of ‘bread' shows the relevance we place on this staple food. We say ‘Bread is the staff of life’ is to expound on the fact that food is necessary for people to survive. Bread is indeed life. 

In Ghana, bread is undeniably a strong staple food with many local bakeries found across the country. Personally, I grew up on tea and sugar bread but I preferred sugar bread more with thick peanut butter spreads and a big cup of tea. This has however evolved into brown bread. Wheat bread is what we call Brown Bread. I would climb any mountain to get excellent fresh bread, that’s one thing not many people know about me. Well, I would go the distance to get great food but to get quality bread? I would run the distance! So I recently run from Frafraha to Agbado, a small town in Palladium Down, Jamestown because I had been reliably informed of a bakery baking bread using a most distinctive traditional baking technique spanning several generations. This was something I had to see and taste for myself. 

I am forever drawn to the use of traditional cooking techniques and just like the family business which bakes pork in the clay oven, this bread was also being baked in same. That’s not all. The dough is allowed to prove ( the resting period for dough to rise) on…guess what…leaves. Not just any leaves but the ‘waakye' leaves we all know and love. Isn’t that an incredible piece of information?? I know right! Now this bread is called Baa Mli Blodo (Bread Baked In Leaves) by the Ga’s. It’s so named after the ‘container’ it’s baked in. And after tasting it, I was suddenly cast back into a memory so old; the days of sitting in my Dad’s shop at Cow Lane and he calling the bread seller passing in front of the shop. I would rise up from my little bench and watch the bread seller tear apart the conjoined bread, slice it open and using the knife slice off a bit of butter and spread it quickly in the opened bread. I would eat two ofthat. It was that unforgettable flavour which cast me back and I couldn’t believe I had moved on in life and forgotten my Baa mli blodo. What unintentional self-inflicted punishment! 

I had no clue of where the bakery was located but I knew Palladium pretty well as it was our daily commute from Mamprobi to the suburbs of Ridge back in the day.  So using my friend’s landmark of Nana Apaa Electrical shop, I parked in front of a nearby shop and walked a bit to make enquiries. Gosh! I haven't seen these lion statues in ages! I need to find out their significance. Maybe the house belongs to a Ga Chief? 

   I asked the first person I saw and she pointed to a bakery ahead of me. Great! This was going to be easier than I thought. As I got closer to the ‘bakery' it rather turned out to be a gas oven bakery by the roadside baking sugar bread. I asked the baker if he knew of the bakery where they baked in leaves and he pointed me in another direction. This time, I had to walk through the compound area of several houses and pass behind a few unwalled houses. I came across a clay oven and thought to myself, ‘ surely this is the place.’ I was mistaken again. How many bakeries are there in this neighbourhood ? I made a third enquiry and luck shone on me! I found myself in the One-In-Town Bakery and immediately I was overpowered with the incredible aroma of freshly baked bread. 

The bakery not only bakes Baa Mli Blodo but they also bake in modern metal trays.

I had a chat with the chief baker Maame Konadu the baker artist who inherited the bakery from her great-great grandmother. You can watch it all in the video below. 

I was not disappointed with my experience. The flavour of Baa mli blodo is unlike that of sugar, butter or tea bread. With the exclusion of artificial flavourings, less yeast, a longer proving period and the use of the leaves gives it a distinctive taste. 

From the mixing stage, kneading and then the shaping followed by the baking was truly an eye-opening unforgettable experience I would forever hold dear in my heart.  

Maame Konadu was busy interacting with sellers throughout the morning. Each bread loaf (standard size) costs GHC1 whilst the bigger ones are GHC4. Stacks of bread were sold almost ever 10minutes. 

Appearance influences our senses, did you know that? For me, bread which doesn't look browned enough is not baked properly. I like my brown looking gorgeously browned a little beyond golden brown. A rich browned crust atop the bread gives it that crunchy look desperate for a deep bite. 

That's how the bread looked after the 20mins baking. I packed bag and baggage into Happy Town. I was sold. For life. What a Bread!

I was so reluctant to leave the bakery. I was caught up in the conversations between the kneaders busily cutting and shaping the dough, the sellers wrangling for the best looking bread and the clamour from the clay oven process. It was a typical Ga house where friendly insults get hurled faster than the flight of neighbourhood flies. 

It's so important to educate our children about our culture and how things were done. I couldn't help but marvel at this one yr-old toddler who looked ready to start his own bakery. This exactly is how children learn and why we must teach them how to discover their talents. 

This time-honoured bread baking technique must not disappear. We easily adopt Western cooking techniques & equipment and with the same ease throw away traditional cooking techniques calling it ‘colo’. Why do we call it ‘colo' just because it requires a little patience and extra effort? Could a bit of innovative thinking recreate new kitchen equipment by moulding both traditional & modern cooking technologies? I think it’s possible. The flavour of food from using these ‘colo' techniques cannot be compared with food prepared using electric or gas equipment technologies. A great example is the taste of pepper ground in an asanka and how distinctive and more tasty it is than being ground in a food processor/blender. Unbeatable. 

Want to have a personal palate experience for yourself? Call my new friend Kweku on 0277339815. You won’t be disappointed. Food from Ghana is the absolute best! No hype! 

Have you tried Baa Mli Blodo before? What are your thoughts on the use of traditional cooking techniques for modern day cooking? Should we do away with them or modify them? Do share in the comments below. 

* If you love my content and would like to get exclusive access to my work before it's published to the general public, get free consultation to conduct a performance review for your brand's social media assets or you would like to be a guest for one of my food tasting events, then here's your opportunity to be a patron of my blog. Click here to see what you get as a patron and what it's all about. 

What started out as a normal restaurant business day for Quincy, ended up being a numbing experience requiring the snappiest of decisions. His business partner left him with cake order yet to be fulfilled. With zero experience in the baking of cakes, he quickly turned to YouTube for cake tutorials. That was the start of his journey as a rising cake designer & entrepreneur in Accra. I visited Quincy at his   bakery, Cold Cream Cakes & Food Limited  to know more about this dramatic turnaround in his life and how he got through it.

What's the story behind this food business?

Quincy: This business was actually my idea, that is to start a restaurant business. It was much later my partner and I decided to add cakes to the menu offerings. My partner was the one with the cake baking skills so the idea seemed to be a great one. I was in charge of managing the business  which I would do every now and then whilst working a day job at Dalex Finance. I was a Sales Executive at Dalex due to my degree in banking & finance. My uncle who also worked at Dalex advised me to focus on the food business if that's what was in my heart to pursue. So the business started and somewhere along the line my friend upped and left to pursue a previous job offering. I didn't have any baking experience then. I had to make a decision to either stop baking the cakes which most people were beginning to love or continue. I chose to continue despite my zero skills.

You Made A Crucial Decision. How Did You Close That Skill Gap?

Quincy: I went on YouTube and watched a few videos but I also asked my now-leaving partner to leave behind a few recipes so as to ensure consistency in taste. He did leave me with a few but with my zero background in baking cakes, it was confusing. The day he was leaving we had a cake order and I asked him if it was possible to fulfil the order, I got a negative response. So I was placed in the position of either having to disappoint the customer or find an alternative. I immediately jumped back into YouTube, watched a few more videos and proceeded to bake the cake. I called my former partner's brother to pass by and assist which he did. That was positive for me. He also however had to run into a meeting leaving me to finish up. I dressed the cake by myself and left the shop. I couldn't handle facing the customer when they came for collection which was handled by the shop assistants. Then the customer starts calling and I couldn't bring myself to pick up. She was going to blast me, I was so sure of that. But on the third ring I decided to pick up. What was the worst possible thing that could happen I thought to myself. The first thing I heard was, "Quincy! The cake is soo nice! I am giving you customers!" She gave us a few customers and since that time we have baked about 7,000 cakes. 

Wow! That's Pretty Incredible! What's Your Weekly Turnover Like?

Quincy: We currently bake 100 cakes a week. Most of our orders have centred around birthday cakes, cream cakes, anniversary and corporate event celebrations. We have had a few orders for weddings too. So currently my whole life is cake. When I wake up in the morning, I have cake on my mind. 

A post shared by coldcreamcakes and food (@coldcreamcakesandfood_ltd) on Jun 23, 2017 at 8:48am PDT

What Challenges Have You Faced Since This Dramatic Change In Your Life?

Quincy: Well, my social life has changed a lot. You wake up in the morning, there's things to plan for, orders to fulfil, etc. I know some friends wont forgive me for missing out on their weddings and baby outdoorings. I know they have issues with me. I am always planning on new orders, going to the market to buy ingredients etc. The challenges I faced initially was having to compete with existing bigger cake businesses. However, we stuck to our business model of giving three flavours in one cake and that made us different from others. We also don't restrict customers to color choices. I also need extra help with running the business as well as a bigger space to operate in. We have outgrown our current corner. 

What Lessons Have You Learnt So Far As A Cakepreneur? 

Quincy: One definite thing I can say is that, it's very important to be disciplined and principled with your business idea. I have had to be very disciplined with my staff as most of them have more of cake baking skills than practical business management skills. I have learnt to ensure that employees follow laid down procedures to ensure & increase business efficiency. Customer service is crucial in any business. How you handle customer enquiries on the phone or face-to-face can make or break your business. It's an area I stress on alot with my staff. I train them on eye contact and how to even respond to complaints. Every once in awhile a staff may respond poorly which may be due to pressures in the kitchen but I make it my responsibility to correct any misunderstandings. Keeping customers happy is very essential to my business. 

One sure thing I can say about Quincy's cakes are how refreshingly less sugary and moist they are. Personally, sweets and sugary desserts are not my thing but after trying one of his chocolate cupcakes, I was sold! Lock, stock and barrel. Full of exquisite flavour and with real fresh fruit toppings! Cake fit-for-the-gods. I am super proud of Quincy and how resilient he's been in this cake business industry. A true story of never giving up on an idea because of a few thorns, there's always a solution. Never forget.

* When life gives you lemons, squeeze them and make lemonade. 

Freshly prepared Jollof embraced by waakye leaves, steaming supple corn and millet banku in traditional cauldrons atop traditional laat3 (gas fired pits), unexpected united nations light soup: what originality was this? True tradition, raw authenticity on display. 

On entering the one-level open space restaurant, it’s easy to instantly feel the ethnicity and originality of Azmera restaurant. From the touch of African wax print as furniture coverings, curtains and ceiling covers to the unexpected and oh-so delightful traditional cooking equipments, it’s a restaurant which promises to bring back nostalgic memories even as you dig into mportorportor. A blend of both modern and traditional food serving techniques gives a homey feel, how we both have the blender and asanka in our kitchens for food preparation.

Traditional cooking clay pots

I made my way to a two seater table by the wall which are few in number and to my surprise, a waiter brought me a stool for my handbag. That’s thoughtful as sometimes as women we are forced to place our bags either on the floor or the table which occupies space. It was still early, not yet 12pm so the restaurant was quiet but food was definitely ready. As a buffet restaurant, I wasn’t expecting to be given a menu but within two minutes a waitress approached to take my drink order. As she ran me through the traditional local drinks; asaana, sobolo, lamugin, watermelon juice, palmwine my mind raced on which would go great with my lunch. My palmwine selection came in a small calabash, it’s as though she knew I was driving. The freshness of the drink balanced out excellently with the united nations soup which was light without too much chili burn, head scratching or nose leakage. An excellent starter for the rest of the journey ahead. 

The trick to eating at Azmera to get your money’s worth is not to overdo it. Ghanaian food is traditionally heavily carbed and one plate of Banku and Okro soup will soon get you quite full. Start with two ladles of soup, have a great conversation and wait it out. Then try out a bit of everything but going easy on the plantains, yams, beans, banku and fufu. That way your experience will be a great story to tell your office colleagues or friends who will wish they had made a wiser choice to come with you than go to that fast food joint.

Akpligii

And what a story it will be! Whether you rave about the palaver sauce and boiled cocoyam or akpligii (apapransa) and sobolo or the Otor and egg, your storytelling won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

Otor and Avocado with Boiled Egg

My first Millet Banku eating experience was pleasant to my palate unlike kokonte which I swore never to eat again. Made from pure millet dough and cassava dough, it’s also light like corn dough banku with a mild earthy back taste which the okro soup impetuously blends excellently with as it slides down your throat. The blue crab (nkaa) the solitary choice of seafood for me was very mature. In Ga we say, ‘kaa eto’ to signify the rich chunk of the crab flesh. Satisfying.

Millet Banku

Millet Banku & Okro Stew

Diners had trooped in whilst I had hunkered down to prevent the okra slime from touching any part of my dress. Had I been at home, I would have been less careful. The buffet table is thoughtfully decorated with very traditional and local foodstuffs not meant for eating though.

It’s like those fruit bowls you see in your hotel room and can’t help but wonder if they are real and available for you to snack on. But these are very real and colourful, telling their own story of Ghana’s rich food culture. My favourite were the Akpatramor beans (Lima/Butterbeans) littering the shelf. 

The kitchen entrance is distanced far from the dining tables and guests saving us from the clamour of food preparation. I am still yet to understand restaurants which place tables near the kitchen entrance. What’s the objective here? The restaurant staff dressed in traditional garb to the nines busily redressed food as diners dished out their meals, a few explained the dishes to expat diners.

My finished meal was cleared with my permission and I pursed my lips on what next to try. Amidst the mild chatter of diners, Ghanaian highlife music floated from the speakers, it doesn’t overwhelm or drown out conversation and this was well noted by Kwaku Sakyi-Addo whom I spotted in the buffet queue. He was glad about the continuous evolution of the restaurant to improve not only the ambiance but to localise the experience as much as possible. The restaurant owner Madam Afua Krobea Asante has won several local and international awards for ensuring product improvement and quality service ever since she established the restaurant in 2009. 

At a price of GHC100 minus drinks, Azmera attracts much of the working class who either come in groups or in pairs. I remember making a reservation some time back for a group of about 10 people and we got a discount! I noted quite distinctly food hygiene practices in use; buffet attendants in gloves and traditional scarves which served as hair protection coverings. Nothing worse than finding a nail or a hair strand in your garden eggs stew. 

Aboloo with shrimp, one-mouth thousand fish and similar smaller fish as my next choice took me back to my days at my Dad’s shop in Cow Lane, Accra Central. Aboloo vendors would consistently pass by from 12 to 1pm everyday.  Green Kpakposhito and Red Paprika pepper always accompany aboloo and they do a little dance together with the sweetened steamed cornmeal patty. The crunch of the fish and shrimp depicted freshness. 

 So yeah I was stuffed after my aboloo. Enough already. Paying for one’s meal isn’t a struggle thanks to the options to pay with Visa, MasterCard or mobile money. Win.

On my way out, I couldn’t help but take a spoonful of Atadwe (tigernuts) as a snack. I should confess that I looked for a container to reduce the mountain to a rubble. 

Azmera restaurant takes bookings, isn’t that fantastic? With it’s promise of giving you an authentic Ghanaian cuisine experience, Azmera fulfils this promise in totality whilst giving that homemade taste experience. A little bird whispered to me that they have plans to expand within the country and explore international markets. Sweet.

* Azmera restaurant is located here. Contact :  0302770606Instagram: @azmerarestaurant Facebook: @azmerarestaurant

A rather insightful, real and thought-provoking book is what Equal But Different is. It explores and shares the life stories of women leaders' in South Africa and how they overcame gender, race and social class issues in their career climb to success. It's esteemed author, Dr. Judy Dlamini interviews several influential womenleaders in South Africa on their personal and career journey's and their thoughts on women leadership in South Africa and Africa in general. Not only are the voices of these women shared but also the men who have committed to supporting black women empowerment activities.

Dr. Dlamini believes that we are all equal but different and starts her book with her personal stories as a child facing racism in apartheid South Africa, parental counsel and guidance, and how being entrepreneurial with her husband taught her many business lessons.

It's interesting how despite the racial ( Colored, African, Indian and White) differences between the women, they faced similar gender inequities in the corporate & entrepreneurial industry. They also agreed on the importance of maintaining a work-life balance and not having to sacrifice family for work. This is something which many young professionals are unable to keep up with. Another commonality is how patriarchy is so entrenched and how taking measures to ensure that there's equality amongst men and women is a must. A necessary action to be taken. 

Although the book focuses on South African women, I realised how women in Ghana also face the same trials and barriers just because of their gender. There's abundant encouragement flowing from within the pristine pages which urges you on to flip to the last. The book shares what we need to do as women to ensure gender transformation. 

Below are my select favourite and inspirational quotes from the interviewees. 

#EqualButDifferent is a book offering solutions to gender, race and social class problems retrogressing the lives of South African women and even other African women on the continent. It's a collation of South African women's voices echoing courage, strength and hard work in the face of gender stereotyping and racial abuse. It's a must-read for today's African woman. 

Get your personal copy via the following links:

1. Amazon http://bit.ly/equalbutdifferent

2. Amazon UK http://bit.ly/equalbutdifferentUK

About the Author

Dr Judy Dlamini MBChB(Natal) DOH(UFS)MBA(Wits) DBL(UNISA)

Dr Judy Dlamini is the founder and executive Chairman of the Mbekani Group. She is the former Chairman of Aspen Pharmacare Limited (Aspen) a JSE-listed South African pharmaceutical manufacturer with an extensive global presence with product distribution in more than 120 countries. Mbekani celebrated 20 years in business in 2016. The group has operations and investments in different sectors, including pharmaceuticals, facilities and property management, tourism, surgical instruments management, and luxury fashion retail.

Judy qualified as a medical doctor in 1985 from the University of Natal. She practised as a family practitioner for many years before consulting in Occupational Health for various companies, including Rainbow Chicken, Divpac (a NAMPAK subsidiary) and National Ports Operations. After completing her MBA, having majored in Corporate Finance, she joined HSBC Investment Bank, Johannesburg division, in Corporate Finance. She obtained Doctorate in Business Leadership from UNISA where she investigated the intersection of race, gender and social class in women CEOs’ career progression and strategies for gender transformation at leadership level. One of the academic contributions from her research is the WHEEL Theoretical Model.

She is the recipient of the African Economy Builder Lifetime Achiever Award for 2016 from African Economy Builder Forum; The Global CEO’s 2016 Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government SADC South award for the Business and Professional Services sector at regional and national level, and Fabulous Woman Award 2016. She is the author of “Equal but Different: Women Leaders’ Life Stories”, which was published in 2016.

She recently (August 2016) stepped down from the Anglo American plc board to focus on her business. Previous board engagements include Discovery Holdings, a JSE listed financial services company where she chaired the Remuneration and Transformation Committees, and Woolworths Holdings (JSE listed Retail Company). She is past chairman of the CEPPWAWU Development Trust, a public benefit trust. She and her husband, Sizwe Nxasana, are the founders and trustees of Mkhiwa trust, a family public benefit organisation with a focus in rural development and education. She is a wife, a mother and a grandmother.

ABOUT THE BOOK

“My interest in this area of study is based on my strong belief that people are born equal but different. It is a belief that equity across gender, race, social class and sexual orientation will be attained in my lifetime”.

Equal but different is based on my doctoral thesis which investigated the intersection of race, gender and social class in women leaders’ career progression. The women leaders came up with strategies for gender transformation at leadership level. The book presents life stories of women leaders in South Africa and abroad and men who believe in gender equality and contributed towards this goal. The common thread across the life stories of women who contributed to the book are:

•                • A message from family that said ‘’you can be anything that you set your mind to be’’

•                • Supportive men who sponsored and mentored them.

•                • Pursuit of education

•                • Determination to succeed

•                • Your initial social class should not determine the person you become. Though the lower your initial social class is, the harder you have to work to achieve your ambitious dreams.

This book is relevant for people across gender, race and social class who want advice on personal strategies and tactics to succeed; leaders who want to be inclusive with an empowerment agenda for minorities; mentors across gender, corporate and government leaders who are committed to transformation.

I didn't eat meat this week. Scratch that. My husband and I didnt eat meat this week 😁. Well, our reason was to see how we both would feel physically if we abstained from chomping down on pork, beef and chicken and not forgetting fish. I think we were also in a place of 'hmmm 🤔' after watching 'What The Health' on Netflix. Also we are ICGC members and it's #SEM2017 so what better way to break with greens? How was it? TOUGH! More for my husband anyway 😆, on the third day he was literally screaming, 'WHERE'S THE MEAT? I NEED MEAT! 😫' Me: 😒. 

Anyway, we did well from Day 1 switching between drinking vegetable soups to salads and a bit of rice and Friday we ended it with FISH! 😅 I tried hard to stay away from places where meats were being grilled, quietly averted my eyes from the butchers stand at the market and focused on the vegetable stands. I love greens, I can eat them all day but man needs some chicken breast 😬. 

This salad is a new recipe I developed on the go for a late lunch break. I had gone to North Industrial Area earlier in the day when I spied a Farmers Market signboard and decided to go check out what they had in stock. The celery was actually reasonably priced so I grabbed that before my mind could change. Celery salad here I come. 

The ingredients are very easy to get, aside the celery which you can get in the major supermarkets in the city. But you can totally switch the celery to maybe cauliflower or cucumber. You will just get a different taste. I bought 1 0.50p peanuts from the corner store for the nkatie cake flavour. Isn't it time I started making my own homemade roasted peanuts like my Mom used to make? YASS! 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10minutes

Level: Easy

Serves: 2 adults

Ingredients

2 medium-sized tomatoes

1 stick of celery

1 lettuce bunch

1 red onion

handful of oyster mushrooms

2 sticks of carrots

1 mini-bag of 0.50p pealed peanuts

3 tablespoonful brown sugar

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Wash all vegetables in salt water to kill any nefarious germs and drain in colander.

2. Wash mushrooms under running water. Soaking mushrooms in water is a no-no, the mushrooms will become soggy. 

3. Slice up celery, onions and carrots into matchstick lengths. 

4. Slice tomatoes into thin circles 

5. Layer a glass bowl with the vegetables starting with the lettuce followed with carrots and onions. 

6. Place a pan on fire and Saute mushrooms in olive or coconut oil for two minutes. Sprinkle a dash of salt on mushrooms. 

7. Layer mushrooms on the salad.

8. Using the same pan and over medium-heat pour in sugar and stir until it caramelises into a light brown colour. Pour in peanuts and stir through till they bunch up nicely. This should be done in 4 minutes. A longer time will make the caramel taste bitter.

9. Layer the peanuts next. 

10. Sprinkle on your vinaigrette of your choosing. You can make your own vinaigrette or use a store-bought one but you know me, right? Use this  vinaigrette recipe I made for a cashew salad it works great too!

11.  Sprinkle or Shower that salad with vinaigrette love 😍 and enjoy! 

What can i tell you about the nkatie cake, celery and mushroom dance in my mouth? It was all twirls, crunches, flips and fantastic shaking going on...oh man! My tummy was rejoicing and singing! Nothing like making your own soul food I tell you! A perfect meal for eating light and healthy. My decision to use nkatie cake for a surprise crunch came quite late but a decision I didn't regret making at all :D. 

Deception is a shape-changer. It can take any form or shape and give you a wrong perception about a thing. A thing, being an understated looking plate of food or a restaurant having simplistic and inexpensive interiors. That is how deception almost grabbed me by my lapels and tried shaking me out of my decision to enter the driveway into Bandex Thai & Restaurant Massage parlour. Thankfully, I won the mind battle.

A few metres from MJ Grand Hotel, tucked into one of the residential lanes is where Bandex Restaurant shyly sits, away from the hustle and bustle of the main East Legon streets. It's homey look ushers a diner into a no-fuss dining area. A straw-covered hut is also one's choice for a more natural outdoor ambiance. 

Less than a year old, it wasn't surprising to find serenity for a typical Saturday afternoon where many Ghanaians choose to eat out. A hidden gem. 

Asha, daughter of the restaurant owner who's also the chef was quick on bringing menus and being a first-degree holder of Most Adventurous Palate I chose the Fresh Spring Rolls instead of the traditional fried spring rolls we all know. The fresh spring rolls is actually healthier than it's deep-fried counterpart. Getting through a Thai menu can be a bit daunting especially with the pronunciations which have been translated into English. Google the names to see what to expect before your meal arrives. The menu however is simplistic with varieties of soups, starters and main courses. 

I am drawn into meals presented with love, care and balanced colours. The Fresh Spring Rolls appeared and looked so well put together, fresh and sating even just by looking at it. Translucent rice paper enfolds delicately put together vegetable fillings and touches of rice noodles which balanced well with the restaurant-made sweet dipping sauce. 

Read More: Azmera Restaurant Review

Conversations dip in and out as we finish up the rolls and looked expectantly towards the entrance for the main course. 

Sticky Rice with Fried Fish Herbs was one of those meals that as a foodie you can't help but gawk at. Not overstated but gorgeously presented. 

Thai Sticky Rice is authentic Thai rice which is well...sticky. It's actual name is glutinous rice ( but doesn't contain gluten) and the stickiness comes from the presence of low amylose and high  amylopectin .

It's glue-like texture and the fried fish herbs was an excellent expensive choice which I don't regret. At GHC40, the fish was excellent in flavour and was bathed gloriously in lemongrass, scallions, ginger, garlic and cashew sauce. Whew! Hearty and piquant was the sauce which made me question why we don't cook much with lemongrass in Ghana. 

The fish had a delightful crunch on the outside with a soft but fresh meat on the inside. Sticky rice is eaten with the hands by the Thai and it's easy to see why. The rice was easy to bundle up and dip into a sauce. No it wasn't plastic rice. 

The use of traditional serving utensils always succeed at warming my heart and this perfectly woven Bamboo sticky rice basket was no exception. This is what many international cuisine restaurants in Ghana fail to do; give an authentic traditional culinary experience. 

I usually prefer teas after a main meal and the Iced Green Thai Tea which although was a first for me, cleansed and soothed my slightly burning palate. I tasted star anise The Red Thai Iced Tea will be for another time. 

Reasonably priced between GHC10-GHC45, Bandex Thai is recommended for enjoying confidently flavoured without being overwhelming Thai cuisine. 

The Kumodzi Restaurant Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

* ⭐️ is a restaurant which is averagely clean, very affordable, basic amenities in place, food is just okay, service is average. 

*⭐️⭐️ - Above average hygiene conditions, polite and reliable service, staff are responsive, basic amenities, food is exciting and tasty with wider variety, affordable, mobile money payment options, family and group friendly. 

*⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Worth driving to and trying everything on the menu. Reliable and responsive service from staff, family and group friendly environment, online payment options available, parking services, easy access to location.

*⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Exceptional and well presented food, outstanding and flawless service from staff, executive space for VIP services, seamless online payment options. 

*⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Flawless and outstanding food and service offerings. Diner focused and awareness of allergies and wine preferences. Menu offers vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian offerings. 

Find Bandex here. 

First of all I would like to make it clear before I continue this post that I maintain my full rights to delete derogatory comments, insults, slanderous posts and any submission which lacks fruitful and mature engagement. If you disagree with this post, please be a person of sound mind and disagree with maturity. Glad we are on the same page 😘.

I first came across the ICGC Special Offering which had an Offering Type during last year’s GreaterWorks. I didn’t pay much attention to it because I knew I didn’t have that kind of money, but I still sowed a seed within my capacity. I saw it again yesterday after Bishop Tudor Bismarck ended his sermon at Christ Temple. I looked through and decided to sow later within my capacity. I however gasped at the $5,000 Millionaire Status. Like wow! Someone is going to sow a seed for $5,000! Rich people dey! I wasn’t carrying enough on me but I still placed a seed offering in an envelope which I put in the offering basket. A few people seated around me got up when the Millionaire Status was called out, the numbers increased as he went through the list to the last Seed of Perfection.  

Little did I know that the Special Offering had caused a ruckus on social media and up until this morning, there’s rising indignation about the impact of putting a price on a miracle and why miracles shouldn’t have a price tag. I read through many statuses and comments arising from them. The social media playground is split between strong believers who are explaining the why, the believers who understand the why but still feel that it shouldn’t be so, the unbelievers who are insulting all pastors, unbelievers who have raised quite some excellent points to buttress why they don’t agree with this action and lastly the silent readers.

Where do I stand in all this? Maybe I should start from my personal experience with sowing seeds and tithing in God’s house and the miracles I have received and fruits harvested. Let me also remind my reader here that my measure of faith is different from yours and faith works for those who believe. 

I never took tithing seriously till I changed churches and started attending ICGC. By then i was earning about GHC1600 a month as a team assistant so I would tithe my 10% faithfully. There were times I also exceeded this 10% because I was expectant of so many things in my life. I would sow a seed when I was praying for a promotion at work and even do so when I was praying for the right man. My promotion wasn’t coming but I knew that sowing a seed wasn’t going to be a magical appearance the minute I sowed a seed. Seeds take time to germinate. During my early times at that job, I was deeply frustrated by my former boss who didn’t pay attention to my request for professional development and training. Here I was a graduate, working as a team assistant but not getting responsibilities or opportunities to develop myself. And if your manager doesn’t approve for you to go on training what can you do? HR will tell you to get approval first even if you state it on your appraisal. With such a situation, I turned to prayer a lot and sowed seeds of faith in church, praying for a miracle and a turnaround in my situation. What did I do after I prayed? I started paying attention to the tasks being done by my other team members who were expats. I started asking questions and offering my help on some of their reports and documentation. It got to a point that some of them started teaching me how to create health & safety reports and incident reports. As I involved myself more and more, people started associating me with health & safety in the company but I was still a team assistant. One afternoon, as I sat at my desk which faced a wall ( zero interaction with anyone, why won’t I be frustrated ?) the former country and general manager of the company came by my desk and asked how work was and if I was getting any training. You can guess where this is going, right? I said I had requested but it was yet to be approved.He was surprised. Long story short, he approved my training request immediately and I got sent to my first health & safety training in Dubai. How is this not a miracle? What did I do to get this unmerited grace and favour? Did I drag the country manager to come to my desk? Did I force him to talk to me? Grace had already enforced the way of things on my behalf and I used faith, confidence and strong self-esteem to have a conversation with him. I didn't dawdle with the truth. 

I didn’t remain in that role for long and promotions came my way. Twice. These were my miracles and my faithful tithing and seed sowing opened doors for me I never thought possible. This and many other reasons are why I sow seeds. I have a willing heart and I never feel compelled / forced to sow a seed ( 2 Corinthians 4:7) even if a man of God asks a congregation. 

So should miracles have a price tag? It's not a yes or no answer for me but how the asking of Christians to give is presented which becomes an issue for some and myself. Is it possible to ask Christians to give without the promise of a 24 hour miracle but to give and live in expectancy of God’s blessings? I feel as though the offering type as listed in the photo is offering miracles for sale. Miracles are on sale and the one with the money is the only one who will receive such miracles. Your money for your miracle kind of thing. It may not be the objective of my church but to many it looks like a coercion and not an offering to be made. Even to some ICGC members.  This for me doesn’t help new believers or poor people who give in the house of God or who don’t even have a widow’s mite to give. It can have an effect on their faith and sow seeds of doubt in them. “Am I unable to become a millionaire because I couldn’t sow a $5,000 seed?” would be their thoughts. 

Nana Damoah put up an interesting post on the use of tithes and offerings and the possibility of developing our own projects without reliance on foreign aid. It was also finger-rubbing chin interesting that a small town built a magnificent church instead of a public toilet facility. Wherein lies our priorities one may ask. 

One of Ghana's illustrious contemporary artists Bright Ackwerh released his latest drawing depicting Dr. Otabil surrounded by cash.

Pays the Lord, Hallelujah!#abonsamcartoons #greaterworks #gw2017 #selfcritique #blessingsforsale #caricature #sketch #drawing #ghana #art
🙏 pic.twitter.com/b6CaoaDJEI

— #abonsamcartoons (@brightackwerh) July 26, 2017

Varying opinions gushed out on his post. 

Seed of improving your significance and sophistication in art... 5000 usd...#GreaterWorks #GW2017 #abonsamcartoons pic.twitter.com/2gjiLueYr0

— #abonsamcartoons (@brightackwerh) July 27, 2017

On reaching out to Bright on what inspired this drawing he said, " I was thinking about this trend of religious people taking money from congregations to trade blessings and prayers. We were all shocked when ICGC blessings menu came out and I thought to only record something we all do in a satirical way. It seems Ghana people don't want their faith systems investigated for no reason at all."

I do agree with him on how as believers we are so thin-skinned and sensitive when our faith system is investigated. There's nothing wrong with engaging in discussions around our faith dear believers. If Jesus was able to answer questions from Pharisee's why cant we? What are we afraid of? Are we afraid of being caught out on not being able to answer appropriately to expose our ignorance? Our spirituality emboldens us to enlighten and be a light not to trade insults or derogatory remarks left and right. Right swing, left swing. It's not a boxing match oh. 

Rev. Cudjoe said recently at #GW2017 that without money Greater Works wouldn’t even be possible and we all know this. Without money, how will drones be bought to give that outstanding bird’s eye view which you enjoy watching on your smartphone? Without money how will shuttles be hired to pick congregants from their neighbourhoods to the event space? We need money to influence and yet here we are thinking and believing that the Pastors are enriching themselves. Sure there are false prophets and pastors who are enriching themselves out of the widow’s mite whilst the widow goes away with nothing. One rotten apple wants to infect the rest with it’s infectious poison. It shouldn’t be so but that’s what we are seeing today. Are we thinking of how the church is able to cater for the speakers and their protocol? The hotels they have to sleep in, the food they have to eat, vehicles to transport them, airline tickets? Yet we want to come to Greater Works and lift up hands and claim blessings. How will God's Kingdom grow without money? 

As a discerning human being, you should be able to know the Word for yourself and pray on your own and for your needs. Too many Christians are taking the easy way out and ask Pastors to pray for them and these ‘preying’ Pastors demand monies from them before seeking God’s face for them. WHO TOLD YOU THAT GOD WILL NOT HEAR YOUR PRAYERS IF YOU PRAY ON YOUR OWN?? That needed to be shouted out 😜. Stop giving power to a man or woman who claims to have the anointing on their lives yet is sucking the life out of you. 

When I joined ICGC, I experienced a 110% self-improvement on my life. Did I sow a seed for self-improvement? Nope. I took the wisdom from Dr. Otabil and applied it to my life. I never left a sermon without being enriched and without acting on his words. Of course I also prayed and asked God for discernment and ordering of my steps, shwer! Whatever weaknesses I had, I prayed about. I prayed about my fears and anxieties and got back God's peace in ways I couldn't imagine. There has been tragedies in my life this year which if not for prayer and faith I would be down in a pit of depression. That's a story for another day. 

Personally, I don’t like to complicate my spiritual life. I read God’s Word on giving and tithing and ask for spiritual wisdom and understanding on the why and act accordingly based on my faith. Giving my tithes obediently has resulted in me receiving incredible and unimaginable favour in my life which makes me realise the power of God and how He does things which I cannot have a hand in so that I wouldn't boast in my own strength so that I give Him the glory. 

Dear world, this is what God’s Word says on giving.  

 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

Deuteronomy 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. 

There are many many verses on giving and if you believe in what it can do then your faith will move mountains for you. It’s really that simple. Like Bishop Okonkwo said this morning, giving exceeds logic. 2 Corinthians 9:6 Consider this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

If you have self-esteem issues, timidity challenges, relationship issues and you are praying and sowing a seed for self-improvement don’t just leave it at that. Yes, the favour of God will work in your life to experience peace and confidence boosting but you also have to practically take steps such as reading leadership books, finding a mentor etc to help you overcome these challenges. 

If you belong to any church and certain monetary calls are made out, if you think you are well able according to what you have been blessed with then give wai. Don't feel pressured to impress anyone by going to the front to be touched by the prophet. That's not wisdom.

Then Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." Mark 4:9

It was just another busy day for my husband as he left home to run errands in town. He had barely been gone for 3 hours when my phone rang. He was so calm and collected when he said, ' I have been arrested for expiry of the car insurance. I am going to the police station with the policeman.' Snap. But I am pretty sure a stronger expletive came out of my mouth.

Policeman arrests me because insurance expired. I ask him let's go to the station and he's trying to waste my time. Bribe from me? Nah bruh!

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 2, 2017

I could barely focus on the rest of the work ahead of me and the hunger pangs I had felt earlier just dropped into a black hole. I have always been careful and dutiful in renewing the car insurance and I just couldn't believe time had flown by so quickly which had now led to this. Kmt. 

Edem called me again to say that the policeman was being slow and didn't want to get out of the car when they arrived at the police station. I said, yeah he's wants you to give him 'something' so he lets you go. 'I WILL NOT PAY!' he said adamantly. Good on you I silently thought to myself but then again I knew how he was about to be frustrated by the police for failing to give 'something' small. 

At the Airport Police Station, the policewoman behind the counter called him and told him he was being processed for court. Edem acquiesced. A few people in the station looked up in surprise at him. The policewoman who obviously couldn't believe her ears repeated herself. 'Ok!' he said again. Processing him for court took another hour but my husband calmly waited for it to be over.

The system is designed to frustrate you so much that you just give in a bribe your way out. It's really sad.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 2, 2017

I called my lawyer friend for his counsel on what happens in instances like this and he said what I was already dreading; they will impound the car. All of a sudden I started thinking of the two meetings I had the next day 😅and how unreliable and almost non-existent Uber is in my area. So I relayed this information to Edem who wasn't surprised. He was told to come the next day at 8am for court. This was going to be fun! I dashed off to the insurance company to get a new license. 

We woke up really early to avoid the traffic on the Madina road, walked up the dusty & untarred road. Edem had taken the day off from work so he was more relaxed and looked ready to see this through. I took out my phone and opened the Uber app. By some divine favor there were two Uber cars within five minutes of our location! I booked it fast! 

Why is it so awkward and almost fearful to enter a Ghana Police Station? Even if you have a case to report it's as though you are the criminal. I wasn't a criminal but I already felt fearful. We got to the police station 7:45am only to be told that the policeman taking us to court said he will be in at 9am. More fun! So we waited an hour but because we brought our gadgets with us we were able to get some work done.

It's 9am. He still hasn't showed up his colleague is calling him asking "chale where you dey? 9 o'clock catch O" 😂😂😂 https://t.co/4jl4FsfEw3

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

He came in wiping his mouth with his hands as though he had just finished eating waakye. I asked Edem which court we were going to and he said High Street. Ah okay. How were we going to go there? Via trotro and the policeman will be paying as well. Oh wow! 

I told the guy the new insurance is with me and he asked me why I didn't to and show it to the guy who arrested me and beg him to let me go https://t.co/nB21kh5oaH

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

Here we were walking and crossing the main road from the police station towards the Accra Tema Station bound bus stop and I almost found it funny if not ludicrous. For a first time offender like my husband, surely this wasn't the solution. Yes the law states explicitly that any driver who's insurance cover has expired must be arrested. But the expiration wasn't even up to a month yet? That was me in my thoughts. 

As we waited at the stop, a Tema station trotro pulled up and we jumped in. Man! Been forever since I took a trotro. The last time I did was about four years ago when I slipped and fell whilst getting out of a trotro. Never again until this day. 

We alighted at Tema Station and walked towards National Arts & Culture Center. I was confused..what court is this again? Or we are being led to some dangerous corner bi? so disconcerting. We passed through several stalls which took us to the back of the center and I was pretty intrigued to see see wooden shacks and mini slums growing at the back of the cultural center. 

Then we finally saw the court. sItauated right behind the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum. Several people stood nearby waiting for their cases to be called whilst others looked so desponsdent as though pronounced guilty already.

If you watch Suits and think going to court dey be, this is what Accra Central District court looks like. ☺️☺️☺️ pic.twitter.com/Pi0BdEqJMD

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

We sat on a bench outside the motor court as directed by our friendly policeman. He then found a higher ranking officer who glanced through our court case papers and I could almost read his face as he seemed to ask the policeman what this case was doing here. Like some lambasting was going on eh 😂.

waiting to be heard. A ranking officer asked the one who brought us here what he was there for. He read the docs and said "Why??" 😂😂😂 https://t.co/SWUjbmG1xT

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

The court house was not filled to capacity and the people in there looked to be middle-aged to senior citizens. It was only much later that Edem told me that most people were there to get their tenants evicted. The judge arose or went on some break of sorts so we waited some more. 

So this is what most Ghanaians fear and end up paying bribes to policemen? The waiting process? So because the system itself is frustrating, the police take advantage and threaten us with court to force us to pay bribe. 

Unless it's a serious offence I bet they won't be arresting us by heart because they are not equipped to process charges at scale.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

What I keep wondering is this: what if all of us started refusing to pay bribes and went through this process?

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

Unfortunately I had to run off to a meeting I was already late for but was keeping tabs via Telegram. I had a meeting with my Uncle who wasn't sympathetic one bit and told us to be ready to pay a penalty of about GHC500. No chill at all.

It was finally his turn. 

My charge was read as failure to renew insurance policy since July 08th. Judge asked if that's up to one month. Police officer said no.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

After a few minutes the judge said he's heard the charge but however there was no evidence that I have refused to renew my license.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

Edem asked permission to speak.

In tthe meantime my car would be impounded. So I asked for permission to speak and said: My Lord, I have the new insurance policy right here

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

The judge asked why he was there in the first place

Then he asked "so what are you doing here? You should have showed that at the police station"

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

I replied: I tried to show them but they insisted I still come to court because i have already been processed.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

And indeed had the policeman listened, we wouldn't be in this place. But noo! After confirming that the new license was valid my husband was asked to go pick the car. 

Officer confirmed that it was valid and the judge told me I'm free to go and pick my car.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

Frustrations upon frustrations but I ended up paying nothing. This is how it should be done. The end.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

Meanwhile, reactions to his experience was being shared by his followers. 

Imagine if we all stopped paying bribe and went through this process. Like the police ppl themselves would stop stopping us unnecessarily

— Josie Ngminvielu (@kuu_ire) August 3, 2017

Well done man. We shouldn’t be intimidated by the police when we’re right. They’re always ripping us off with the law.

— Tsatsu (@tsa_tsu) August 3, 2017

He shared his lessons from the eventful experience with me,

1. Better to pay than be corrupt. 

I know this sounds cliché but I actually believe in our judicial system. If I had been fined for this charge I would have happily paid.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

2. Always know your rights. Speak to your lawyer or your lawyer friend to share counsel. 

3. Expect to be frustrated. I took the whole day off to handle this incident. Clear your calendar. Let your boss know what happened

4. Organisations should implement a no-bribery policy which translates into employees taking emergency day-off to go to court and sort out their issues. 

I can understand why people would. If you have a typical 9-5 job and this happens to you, your employer may not give you a free pass.

— Edem Kumodzi (@edemkumodzi) August 3, 2017

5. Always renew your insurance policy at the right time 😂😂😂.

I had to go back to my insurance company and reminded them to send me reminders when the policy was near expiration. That was quite an experience but nothing scary about it especially when you know your rights. I couldn't help but remark earlier to Edem ( when we were waiting for the policeman to show up) about the behaviour of citizens on reaching a police station. It's almost a deference, worshipping attitude. No wonder we are also talked to by heart sometimes by the police as though we the victims are criminals.  Well, I hope by this our experience we will be bolder and more confident in refusing to bribe Ghana Police. The corruption in this country must stop and it must stop with us paying what we shouldn't pay. If we have to pay, it has to go into the Judiciary system's coffers not into the pocket of a policeman. Ghana police all due respect, y3n ara asaase ne. Why frustrate those who want to do the right thing? Eno na men tease no! I can't think far! 

What about you? Have you ever had this experience with the police before? Did you pay or not 😋? What made you pay though?

How's that for awesomeness! Too cool, I know 😄. I recently had my natural hair done at Exotic Trends salon at the Marina Mall and as a natural hair ambassador I fell in love with the Mizani Hair Products which was used to give me a whole natural hair care & styling routine. 

For some time I have been thinking of a change for my hair. Everything is fine and dandy but I want a new look. Maybe a short hair cut? What do you think? Some months ago my hair was breaking like... it was breaking bad! I would see chunks of hair just falling out after almost every wash. This wasn't healthy at all! But I knew what the problem was. I was going to bed without braiding, not moisturising like I used to. I had gotten busy and ignored my hair. Something had to change! 

So I began being more conscious of moisturising, and braiding before sleep time and drinking more water. The difference was so obvious! 

Recently, I went on a salon visit to Exotic Trendz to try out the Mizani natural hair products. Mizani's #TrueTextures line of products is purposely for the naturalista's and I can tell you how relieved I am that big beauty brands are beginning to pay attention to our naturalhair needs as Ghanaian women.

After the whole treatment and styling, I realised how soft and manageable my hair was even after 4 days! I know my hair and how it easily hunks down after a day's styling but this was different. No hype. The curls last about two days because I scarfed my hair before bed. 

The shampoo and conditioner made my hair all cloud soft and it had such a calming fragrance.

The staff of Exotic Trendz were very professional and my worry about how they would handle my hair was allayed from washing to styling. Although I wasn't too happy about my hair dye but people love it so hey 😅. It's encouraging to have more local salons build their skills on how to handle natural hair which we are born with. 

So to win lunch with me, all you have to is to like & share my video which is on my Facebook Page. Click here to watch the video. If I do win this competition ( yes, there are other influencers on this as well 😂) I will select about three of my fans who engaged with the video. Out of this three one person gets to have lunch with me somewhere really, rrreeaallyy really nice! And you get natural hair goodies too! Sweet!

Currently I am in braids to give my hair a rest and my itchy fingers a break from checking on #hairlengthgoals 😅. 

How are you managing your natural hair when it comes to breakage? Please do share in the comments below 😘 

How many Saturday's in a year do you get food events all happening on the same day in the city of Accra? Ummm...like almost never right? But today is one of those rare glorious weekends where foodies in the city can rejoice 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾 as the dawn ushers in three food events. 

Two of these events are Jollof-related events and totally unmissable. With #WorldJollofRiceDay just this past Wednesday it's no surprise these two are happening all at the same time and on the same day. So you get to choose either one or be greedy and attend  both. 

Jollof Market

Where there is Jollof there's peace and joy; there's also Jollof cooking competition, lovesong competition, spoken word, music, the urbanite cool peeps to meet and connect with. The Jollof Market being organised by ThinkMahogany and The Food Events Company is happening today from 11am to 10pm at Serallio in Osu.

A post shared by The Food Events Company | TFEC (@tfecafrica) on Aug 23, 2017 at 7:41am PDT

A post shared by Mahogany Events By Debra-Jane (@thinkmahogany) on Aug 18, 2017 at 2:02pm PDT

2. Jollof Rice Festival

A Jollof Rice festival being organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority is also taking place at the Legon Botanicals Garden. What should one expect at a food festival event organised by the government? Find the gardens here. 

It's tomorrow... #eatghana #JollofFestival pic.twitter.com/N9IvCsp3B3

— FeelGhana (@feelghana) August 25, 2017

3. Accra Premium Market

An impressive food fair which brings together premium food vendors and restaurants in the city for foodies to take their palates on a wild adventure. If ever you visit Ghana, this is one food event to never miss. Foodies to connect with, fascinating Ghanaian & fusion recipes to get introduced to and some really great chefs to connect with. This is happening at the Memory Lane Art Park from 12pm-6pm. Find the location here. 

A post shared by accrapremium (@accrapremium) on Aug 22, 2017 at 9:05am PDT

The #JollofMarket organised by @tfeafrica & @thinkmahogany was a seriously successful event from my perspective as a foodie and also as a judge for the Jollof cooking competition. For a maiden event...WOW!  I have been to many food related events but this actually surpasses the rest. 

It wasn't simply a food market to experience the different foods (Jollof and grills mostly) and drinks ( exotic cocktails, palmwine and fresh juices) but with regards to content it was a fresh breath of air of mixing entertainment with eats. FUN, FOOD, FABNESS!  Although the slight drizzle threatened to shorten the event, the trooping in of people never ceased. Rain or no rain, Jollof had to happen. 

Decor was balanced between the modern & rustic, from wooden crate chairs to wooden pallet vendor stands. What else would you expect when Debrah-Jane is one of the event organisers? 😆

I totally love my JOLLOF IS BAE tee from Kayobi! Imagine how extra-special I felt when I realised the organisers were in it as well..too cool guys! I was trying hard not to show it though 😜.

The location; Serallio, was also perfect for the event as it created an intimate feel as the crowd grew thicker. Parking however was 🙄 thanks to the narrow streets of Osu.  
 

Without a question I had to try out one of the Jollof vendors and being a strong supporter for cultural maintenance I chose this vendor who was serving Jollof with cooked local beans, grilled chicken and spagetti all served in the waakye leaves.  That just killed me 😜. Most vendors offered hungry customers a sample cup to taste as a deciding factor. But some weren't friendly on that. 

The crowd at the #JollofMarket was the usual crowd one often sees at most open air markets which for the past 5 years are the choice of hanging out for the young urban cool peeps with dosh to spend. A constant flow of trending hip-hop with splashes of old-school RnB's music created an atmosphere for not just food tasting and swirling drinks but also a body-shaking party arena. 

The Jollof competition was made up of four contestants; three females and one male cook. I was nervously excited and felt all Gordon Ramsayish as I joined three other judges to crown the Jollof King or Queen.  Each contestant were given the choice of  various ingredients to pick from  including the type of rice which was sponsored by Fortune Rice. So one could decide to choose either tooloo beefi ( salted goat/beef meat pieces) or herrings for a more unique flavour. 

It was also family-friendly with candy floss, popcorn and face-painting for kids. Here's me wishing I had gone buck-wild on that candy floss 😫.

At the end of the Jollof competition, one winner emerged and it was Afiyo! Her Jollof was incredibly flavourful thanks to the tooloo beefi she used as well as a couple of dry herrings. 

Jollof Queen Afiyo and I in a selfie moment. 

Two claps for the event organisers for bringing together millennials in the name of Jollof and other food accompaniments 👏🏾👏🏾. 

A post shared by Mukasechic | Africa & Food (@mukasechic) on Aug 28, 2017 at 6:21am PDT

Were you at the #JollofMarket? What did you think? Do post your thoughts in the comments box, would love to know what you thought.