Taking Fufu

So here in Ghana when someone wants to ask you what you had for lunch they will say, "What did you take for lunch?" At first I was a bit confused but now the phrase has infused my vocabulary. I'm sure there are others phrases I will use when I get home that will cause a few chuckles. 

Last week our friend Charles invited Kirsten and I to come to a restaurant in his neighborhood to take fufu with him. I'll admit that I was less than excited about the prospect of taking fufu. I have eaten similar foods but I had yet to try this one. Most of the food I've had tried here has been way more spicy than I prefer. I promised myself that I would try anything once so we decided to go take fufu with him. When we got to the restaurant there were about 5 different varieties available. Kirsten and I decided to share a bowl of fufu with redfish. I was nervous but I actually like it. The soup was not quite as spicy as some of the other soups I have tried. I think I might be allergic to the type of peppers they use here because my lips were burning and even swelling a little bit. I'm glad that I tried it. I think I might even be willing to eat it again someday. My favorite part was the fish.

What is that large piece of protein in our soup?? Yes, my friends, it is a fishtail!

Charles, our wonderful host.

After eating we went to Charles's apartment. He wanted to show us all of the "luxuries" that he enjoys. He rents a room that I would guess is about 10x10ft. His clothes hang from a wire that runs along one wall. He has a TV and DVD player. He has a mattress that is up on a small wooden frame. His window has a screen. He has a ceiling fan. There is no running water in his room but there is a communal washroom on the end of the building. Every morning he lays a clean sheet out on the floor so that he can iron his clothes. I wish that I would have taken a picture for you to see but I didn't know if that would be rude. It was truly humbling to see how he takes great pride in things that I would probably whine and complain about.

We hung out in his room listening to music for a while and then we walked down to the beach. It was fun to just hang out and enjoy a nice ocean breeze on a VERY warm day. It was about 95F plus humidity. I think my favorite part about the beach in Ghana is that unless you are in the water you are hanging out in the shade. In America everyone likes to soak up some sun but that is not really necessary for them.

Charles friend Erastus joined us for a little while. He is the first Ghanaian I've met that truly understands and appreciates sarcasm. It was quite refreshing. He also bought us some delicious bananas.