A Taste of Calabar

Book for the Month of February- A Taste of Calabar

February is synonymous to love and the say the best way to a man’s heart is his stomach.

I decided to study that act of cooking for two major reasons; one because I love to experiment with food especially food with colour. I guess that is the main reason that I love fruits and vegetables salads, they are my favourite on any buffet anyday-anytime.

Secondly, I want to cook at will; especially those soups that are typically not Yoruba’s- Edikang Ekong, Afang soup, Afia Efere and many wonderful delicacies from the southern and Niger Delta regions because I want to really give KK the very best of food.

This month I read a very small book of 80 incisive pages, which I will recommend to any woman who is very serious about improving her cooking skills because I’ve discovered from interactions with ladies that majority of them love to eat but they seriously detest cooking. Their reasons are not what I know but it might be the kind of business and professional lifestyle we live in this century where we compete with men on work fields.

I got this book on one of my trips to Cross Rivers at the culture in Calabar. Mrs. Arit Ana, the author of this book meticulously described Calabar in this book “A Taste of Calabar” may be that we give you the reason why the name CALABAR is always associated with good cooking and sumptuous meals. 

This poem was worded by Justice Otoo, it’s on page 5 of this book and it goes thus:

Calabar ooo

Calabar ooo

Calabar ooo Calabar ooo

Nyedung do mfin (I will live there today)

Ufan (my friend) canan, canan

Calabar ooo

 Nyedung do mfin (I will live there today)

My Dress is drenched in dribble

My own dribble obviously because I am

Not carrying a baby

I feel so glad to be alive as I drift in a

Trance through thousand streets

Of smell so sweet 

My eyes feast on grandma’s cooking pot

THIS IS CALABAR!!!

No wonder I have no control over my

Test buds

With this type of poem, one will definitely feel hunger without seeing food anywhere near.
 

She took us through the Nigeria’s food history, the basic staple foods of different geographical regions, food habits of different tribes, their eating patterns, also delved into small history of Calabar and the Efiks (the indigenes of Calabar) culture and food habits.

The food conversion measurement techniques in British methods and American methods were also not left out. 

On page 11 She said “Efik believe in two proverbs- That it is what a sick person like to eat that he/she will go the other world with and secondly, The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

The book didn’t just analysis local soups but also picked menus from other regions, snacks preparation were also explained in it. 

Name of local ingredients were given with their local names so one will not have problems of not getting the ingredients from the market women, clean picture of some of the prepared meals are also presented.

My most loved in the book is on page 48 where she described the preparation of Ekpang Nkukwo, this is a menu similar to Ikokore the native food of the Ijebus. I’ve prepared the meal and it turned out nice and I love it.

I know my friends abroad who love Nigerians meals or those who married to Nigerians will find a helping hand in Mrs. Ana food compilation in The Taste of Calabar.

As you get the book, please try some of the menu in it and all I can say from this end is Bonne Appétit.

Denrele Edun Pays Tribute To Goldie Harvey

 

Just as Oluwabimpe Susan Harvey aka Goldie is laid to rest today, her bestie, Channel O VJ, Denrele Edun paid his last emotional laden tribute.

The tribute below:

My super star friend sways away and I stand watching till she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says “she’s gone”…Gone where?.

Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as gorgeous now as when last I saw her.

Her slightly disappearing figure and total loss from my sight is in me, not in her.

And just at that moment, when someone at my side says she’s gone, there are others who are watching her coming over their horizon and other voices take up a glad shout – There she comes! That is what dying id – An horizon and just the limit of our sight.

My lifeline, my lexicon, Therapist and support system. We have known lots of pleasure, at times endured ppai, we have lived in the sunshine and walked in the rain.

I had acute malaria (was shaking terribly) but performed “skibobo” with you at the Industry Night and Loud&Proud show, I sprained my ankle but still shot your three videos in a row in S/A.

I left my family house and moved in with you and your family right after all the Big Brother Africa madness, I did all the damage control.

I fought every organizer simply cos I wanted you on the bill with me and split my show earnings with you, I dragged you to the American Embassy even if it meant I had to get up at 4am.’

I endured negative criticism because shallow minds couldn’t comprehend your brand essence – I started wearing block heels (you got me the most fabulous pair of Jeffrey Campbells) and I damned the consequences.

I recorded the reality show “Tru Friendship” with you because you went on and on about it and I wanted to please you.

I have been your fierce-alter ego in all your videos, I have fought your fights, endured countless eccentric P.As with you. I can go on and on and this is how you leave me? You chose an eternal sleep over a fabulous life with me?

Lest I forget, I ate the entire box of birthday chocolates Bola sent to you.

Phew, I can’t type anymore, I’m playing “Good To Me” (always disturbed you to release that song) and my notepad is a misty mess of my never ending tears. So sad when people who give you the best memories, become a memory!

The Goldie I knew, despite your success and worldwide recognition, still wondered, “Am I good enough?” “Am I pretty enough?” “Will they like me?” It was this burden that made you great…And that made you stumble in the end.

Goldie if you can hear me now, you weren’t just good enough – You were abso-frigging-lutely GREAT! You sang the whole damn song without a band- you made the picture of a showbiz star look so perfect!

Your parting has left a void, but I will fit it with remembered joy. A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss and oh yes, these things I too will miss.

Even though we are separated and for a time apart, I am not alone cos you’re forever in my heart. I will move mountains to continue your legacy, I will crash ceilings to spread your good works, I will break barriers to sell your “market” but above all, I will cherish the awesome times we spent together. You will forever be my source of infinity!

We wore the same shoe size and had the same body proportions. You made me start strutting lashes and recall I wore that black dress of yours you never got to wear? No masterpiece can ever match your face! To everyone reading this piece, let my dear friend rest in peace! Speak no evil about her, she was too good to be true!

I can hear you say to me…Mbirikoko, do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep, Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there, I did not die!

Rest in peace Goldie!

Rotary International is Good at 108

 Rotary International celebrated its One Hundred and Eight years of excellent service to humanity on February 23, 2013. It was founded by by Paul P. Harris with his three other friends namely Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele  and  Hiram Shorey. They started their first fellowship in Rotary Club of Chicago, which was formed on 23 February 1905.

 

Today, Rotary International has about 1.2 million Rotarians in over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries in six continents.

 

 

 

 

As a young undergraduate of Ogun State University now Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye and with freedom on lapse I saw different organisations on campus but remembering the stern warnings from my parents on not to associate myself with bad group, I was not just interested in joining any club or society not even the Muslim Students Society then.

But on one faithful evening in 1997 after our lectures, my friend Yetunde, a statistics student invited me to her club for a fellowship as they described their meetings, she specifically told me I will love the group. I reluctantly followed her and to my surprise I met some of the Efikos and the bookworms as we called them (The brilliant students)  in my department there as club members including other students from other departments and faculties like medical science, Agricultural science and Law.

 

This got me interested and I wanted to find out what this club was all about, I later found out the name of the the club was Rotaract club of Ogun state State University district 9110, this was my first encounter with Rotary International.

 

International Mother Language Day

"Learning in a language students can understand isvital for them to enjoy the right to quality education" -UNESCO.

"Oruko mi Banjo Omolaraeni, mogbadun lati ma so asayan ede Yoruba ni ibi kibi ati ni igbakugba"-My name is Banjo Omolaraeni, I love to speak Yoruba Language every time and everywhere.

 

If I express my thoughts in Yoruba just like I've done above in my secondary school, I wonder how much money Mr. Olatunde, my English teacher would have fined me for speaking in vernacular. But thank God, I'm out of his classroom and not anywhere near his cane and his punishments.

 

I join millions of natives everywhere around the world to speak their mothers' language today as we mark the International Mother Language Day which was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999.

 

 

It's not uncommon nowaday to see young parents who do not speak their mother langauges to their children due to their civilization claims, this is very sad because if a race looses its language, the tendencies of such race going into extinction is very high.

 

According to Bashoru Dele Momodu the best language in can ever pray is in Yoruba language.

 

So my Hausa, Ndigbo, Ishekiri, Ijaw, Kanuri, Tiv, Urhorobo, Bini brothers and sisters and all other tribes in Nigeria,  let's switch our English langauge  today for our beautiful mothers' langauges.

 

Happy Mother Language day.

 

O dabo, O digba Kanna!

Rest in peace Goldie

Goldie Susan Harvey is dead.

For more than 3 hours after getting the flash on blackberry instant messenger asking me if it's true that Goldie is dead.

I told myself that it can't be the Nigerian Goldie because I was following the events at the Grammy and you represented Naija very well, that was how glamorous you were.

Even up to the moment that I'm writing this, I can't still get my mind together that you are no longer going to be on the music stage.

I pray that the Lord give your family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss, I also mourn with Mr. Kenny Ogbunge the CEO of Kennis Music, the entire Nigeria music industry, Prezzo and your fans throughout the world.

Rest in peace Oluwabimpe Susan Harvey aka GOLDIE.

Book of the Month

 - 15 Minute Home and Family Organizer

by Emilie Barnes

The first time I saw this book, I thought it's one of the books in the market that give vague and unrealistic approach to family management but having had it for over two years now and having read it for more than six times from back to back, I know better that it's a survival kit for today's wives.
 

I gave Tunde (my bookman) the condition of reading at least three chapters of the book before paying, I guess he knew what treasure was in it because he gladly gave his nod without hesitation for me to read the whole chapters even before paying. I'm sure you want to know the outcome, I paid for my own and also bought two copies for my sisters.

Emilie Barnes carefully organized this book in such a way that it can be taken in one on one topic basis without going through the entire book. For my Christian friends, I'm sure she had you all in mind when she was planning this book because each chapter of the book starts with a Biblical quotation which explains each topic to be discussed.