Page 24 - Obruni In Ghana | Amber Lockridge
P. 24
22 EPISODE 2: OBRUNI KO SKUUL
At home, I wash the dust off my feet and change into a brightly colored skirt and tank top. If there are dishes in the kitchen, I wash them before settling on the verandah for a quiet moment to watch the sellers pass by with buckets balanced on their heads. Eventually I am dragged into a game by Abena and we both practice Fante by pointing at objects and naming them.
A meal is ready around 6:30, though it was started long before them. Tonight it is fufuu and abenkwan (Palm nut Soup). The soup is made from the juice of pulverized palm nuts together with crab and fresh fish. The fufuu is made by boiling cassava root and plantain. These are laboriously pounded with a large stick and mortar until they form a dough-like substance. The final product is divided into balls and dipped into the soup before swallowing. I eat with my hands like the rest of my family, though we never eat together at the table. It's not my favorite meal, though a Ghanaian specialty. I prefer kinke, a sharp tasting paste-like ball wrapped in banana leaves. Ghanaians tend to