Dinner Party Entertainment

For the election it was safest that I stay in the house and out of sight as much as possible. My friends felt that since I stayed home and didn’t travel to Ghana or anywhere then I should stay at home for many many painstaking days. The only silver lining was that some of my Togolese friends stopped by to check on me, others called, and I kept busy so time didn’t drag on. Some of the highlights from my five days of house arrest were; watch movies, trim the overgrown poky bushes, school work, painting Roxy’s toenails sparkling pink, and planning and pulling off the best dinner party that I’ve ever had.

I invited my friends who were around still, most were Togolese. Then I planned to make beef shish kabobs, which they call brochettes here, with salad, rice, and Jello for desert. Now please keep in mind that a dinner like this is TONS easier in America, but my friends are worth it and plus I had plenty of time to kill. The morning before the election seclusion I went to the boarder market and bought beef that was freshly killed. Now I bought meat from the man with the cleanest of the dirty fly ridden butcher stands. I was grateful that he cut my meat from the pieces that were under all the pieces that the flies were infesting. The rest of the prep took place in my kitchen that is 20 times hotter than it is outside in the sun so that wasn’t the funfest of my day only a part of the journey. I planned to cook the brochettes on the fire like bar-b-que that the Togolese cook all their food on, so I borrowed one from a friend. This little thing is maybe an eight inch square and I had to be creative and make a rack for the brochettes, that were put together on six inch sticks that were whittled haphazardly. I bought 20 of these sticks or skewers as I like to think of them for less than 25 cents. Oh and have I mentioned there is no charcoal lighter fluid here. The charcoal is just chard tree branches that you have to light and fan until they are nice and red. Most Togolese cook on the open flame with their pot right in the coals and they like the flame rather than the coals. Oh on a side note the irons that the tailors and people use on their clothes are also coal powered. So before my friends came I began huddling over this little fire in the yard with Roxy observing and ready to help, so I tied her runner. I fanned my little fire with a leaf from my tree and sat and cooked for a good 45 minutes or possibly an hour. When my first two friend came they sat in the yard, in the dark and kept me company. They even snapped a few photos that capture this scene pretty darn well. I hope I can share with you below.

When my friend arrived, on Africa time 45 minutes late, we all greeted each other and they came in and made themselves at home. I told them to go eat but they just sat there. My guardian/little brother told me ‘No no no Nina. This be Africa. You must go get food for them.”
I almost crapped my pants. I had not just spent all day preparing and cooking for these people and then they come late and expect me to serve them! Buy that time we were all out in the yard again as I was checking on the last of the shish kabobs. I looked at them with all the love in my heart and pointed in a big arch that covered my yard and house and said “Oh no my friends, I just cooked all this great food for you and will not plate your food for you. You have come to America tonight and if I say go eat, you better get some food before it is all gone. Now please go eat.” They looked at me and then each other in shock and then smiled and went and got their food that was laid out buffet style. I was happy to see they enjoyed their food so much. One guy looked at me and then to the others and in Eway said that he didn’t realize that I could cook this well. They all laughed and translated to me. We all laughed more and I told them that I am a very talented person, of course I can cook well. My girlfriends didn’t show up so it was me, my Australian neighbor friend/parent of a student, my guardian/little brother, and three other friends. It was ok as we all enjoyed each other, the food, the music, and after the food was finished I showed them pictures that I’ve taken in the last few weeks. Most everyone was in a few pictures so they loved that. I also showed the Valentine’s video I took of one of them singing in Eway. We all had a great time. Some people left after that and the rest of us had a dance party.

I think this evening was so much fun and I loved it so much. All of them thanked me but as I’ve seen them over the remaining days of my house arrest they have made sure to tell me over and over how much they liked coming over and eating the food I made. Even in the midst of the election and the hard times that follow I think there is still room to enjoy the people around you and smile a little bit.