Tupperware usage in Ghana

The most hilarious usage instructions I have read in a long time!

Baby Zaby

My baby niece Sara, aka 'Zaby', finally made an appearance after many long days of procrastination. The wait was worthwhile, as 15 seconds after being coaxed into the world (with sweets and the promise of a visit to Ghana) she was papped wearing a very trendy stripy hat. My theory is she was born wearing it and was worried about what people would say...

Merely by making an appearance in the world she has unconsciously created first time parents, grandparents, great aunts and uncles and an aunty fally!!

Early pictures suggest potential for good looks, personality and sense of humour...

Origami on a bus

Having a visitor was a good opportunity to take a few days' leave and discover a new city. Headed to Kumasi with my cousin on a VIP bus, which was air conditioned and had loads of leg room. It took us two hours to get on a bus because tickets are only sold when a bus pulls in, so you are waiting indefinitely, and then just enough tickets are sold to fill up the bus and so on. It took us two hours to get on a bus. The journey to Kumasi takes you down the still being constructed Kumasi road, past the Achimota house, and means a bumpy ride. A test for any suspension! We were entertained on the bus with Nigerian soap operas. I managed to sleep for almost the entire journey, despite the bumpy ride and was stirred briefly only when the Nollywood actresses emitted particularly loud screams and exclamations! As an aside, Nigerian soaps are filled with intrigue, seduction and mass murder (at least half the cast is finished off in every episode), yet are strangely gripping!

Sitting across the aisle from us was a girl of about 2 or 3 called Ama. She sat really solemnly on her mum's knee for the entire journey, so Fee made her an origami flower and bird which greatly impressed both mother and daughter!

Ghana's second city

Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region, is Ghana's second largest city. It is considerably smaller than Accra and has a natural centre. The centre is a proper hub for transport, a market, high street stores and a high degree of bustle to the point of being overcrowded and a little overwhelming! The market sprawls under a series of makeshift tin roofs with themed sections selling fabric, household products, secondhand clothes and food. There was a whole block of street devoted to yams, neatly laid out in heaps on colourful sheets of cloth on the pavement. The narrow lanes of the market barely allow for two people to pass side by side. As we negotiated them, we were faced with oncoming carts, wheelbarrows, trolleys, ducking to avoid women balancing large heavy loads on their heads.

There is an impressive basilica, the huge kejetia market and if you venture a little out of town, the Ashanti king's palace. The Ashanti are one of the most powerful groups in Ghana. We learnt a bit about the history of the royal family. Their symbol is the porcupine, meaning that they are peaceloving but will defend themselves in the event of attack. The king is involved in lots of customs and there are strict rules, for example, during cereminies he is carried in a palanquin as his feet must not touch the floor to protect him from evil spirits. In the past, Ashanti kings were not taught to read or write as it was not considered appropriate for the king to attend school, but this has changed in recent times. No one but the king is allowed to sit in the thrones. The queen mother also has a prominent role to play in ceremonies and customs, and wields the most power as she chooses who the next king will be!

Kumasi is also renowned for its art and culture, and has a huge cultural centre with artisan workshops and really competitive prices. It's a peaceful respite from the manic centre of town. We came away with kente cloth, which is woven in the Ashanti region, beads and some great paintings.




Bustling centre of Kumasi

 




Kejetia market with basilica in the distance



Going into the narrow, hectic, lanes of the market




Crowded street

   



Man in traditional robes outside Ashanti palace

 

Food - Ghanaian style

Ghana offers such a range and choice of cuisine (I've previously mentioned the sushi bar), but having just introduced my cousin to some local dishes, thought I'd share some of the pictures! I mostly enjoy Ghanaian food and eat it a few times a week. It consists of lots of stews and soups and can be quite spicy. Spicy 'shito'(!) sauce or a chilli salsa 'pepe' accompany lots of dishes. Plantain, yam and cassava are the main staples. Street food consists of fried yam or plantain, roasted plantain, egg and bread for breakfast or rice and noodles for lunch.

The stew or soup is generally eaten with a stodgy carbohydrate (with your hands, so you break off bits and dip it in the stew or soup). It's quite messy and you're provided with soap and a bowl of water at the table before and after your meal. Rice is also eaten in very large quantities, and most street vendors and restaurants offer plain rice, fried rice and spicier jollof rice. The stodgy carbs are generally in the form of white lumps of either: fufu (pounded plantain and cassava) which is tasteless and a bit too gloopy; banku (fermented corn) a bit tangy and by far my favourite; kenke (also corn derived and wrapped in leaves) or rice or yam balls. My favourite dishes are banku served with grilled tilapia fish, red red (fried plantain and beans stew), banku with okra stew (this can be a bit slimy!), and waakye, which is rice and beans cooked together.

Red red

Fried yam with pepe



Banku and tilapia



Roasted plantain, the ultimate street food