TwEnglish

 I have become infected with TwEnglish. The most common tribal/local language here in Accra is Twi (pronounced tch-wee). I know exactly five words/phrases in Twi - which evidently puts me ahead of about 90% of other Obroni. Locals, especially my team of lovely Theodora participants, speak English with a certain Twi features. They text the same way. I have made it a point as their mentor try to speak proper 'The President's English' (the King's English being for Britons). To my horror, on this trip I have found myself sliding into extensive use of TwEnglish. 

A hallmark of TwEnglish is the disposal of articles as they don't exist in Twi. Examples:

• I am getting car...not I am getting the car
• Here have soup...not here have some soup
• Go get shoes...not go get your shoes

Another example is the use of the word 'small' to indicate the quality of not a lot of something or something abbreviated. For example:

• I am going to nap small...not I am going to take a short nap
• I am eating small...not I am just going to have a snack

Then there is the use of the suffix "oo" (pronounced O though drawn out) to indicate emphasis to adjectives. Like:

• That soup was really tasty-oo...for that soup tasted really good
• That train was so late-oo...for that train was very, very late 

And like, like all languages, there are lots of distinctive 'fillers' to fit into conversations while you think of the next thing to say such as:

• 'Ehn' this is done in an extended, nasal tone, dropping of at the end. It is often used at the end of a sentence to indicate the other can talk though it is also used by the person you are talking to to affirm what they've heard
• Speaker One - I have to go to the Golden Tulip for a meeting ehhhnnn
• Speaker Two - Ehhhnnn
  

I will try to clean my act up by the time I get back to New Mexico

More Ghana Food

It might seem from my posts that all I am doing is culinary stuff this trip. Actually, the work on getting us primed to raise capital is going hot and heavy. I have just determined that I need to do some personal stuff too this trip. Two more dishes to report on.

 Kokonte with Groundnut Soup with Chicken and Smoked Catfish

The Kokonte is one of the many carbohydrate rich dishes of the region. It is made from dried cassava and is pounded until smooth.

 Groundnut Soup is flavored with a combination of tomato and peanut paste along with the usual onion, garlic and ginger

Jollof Rice is served all through West Africa and is one of those dishes that evokes passion and controversy with each family, cook, region, country claiming their's is the best.

 

Jollof, at least as made by my teacher, is a flavorful stew of tomato, meat, onion, garlic and ginger that has rice cooked it it until it becomes a rice dish.

There is a lot of mediocre Jollof served in restaurants. But this version was packed with flavor and I ate seconds. Only great will power kept me for thirds.

What Constitues 'Food'

I had a couple of my Ghanaian cohorts working on a presentation at my apartment and offered to serve up lunch. I had some things already cooked up - meatballs and sauteed mushrooms - so I heated them up and served them. One of the feistier of the group made a sarcastic remark (all in fun mind you) that where was the meal? I looked a bit bewildered and then I realized where I had fallen short. I had not included any carbohydrate. I was given a quick education that if you don't have a starch with the meal, it is not a meal, it is a snack. (I seem to remember this being true in Asia now that I think about it.)

When you go to a local restaurant in Ghana and ask what is on the menu, the first thing they will announce is the available Carbs. "Oh today we have fu fu, banku, kenke, yam, rice ball, jollof (a type of rice). Then you will be told the soups or sauces that are available. "Light soup, groundnut soup, okra stew, egg stew, palava sauce, etc." Lastly they will ask you what protein you want with the dish. "Goat, cow (not beef), lamb, chicken, smoked fish, tilapia, etc.

This of course is totally opposite what we do in the U.S. where if you ask what's on the menu you are told all the meats, then maybe the pastas and salads. The side carbs are secondary.

Ode To The Tough Bird

 Some of the iconic preparations of poultry were designed to take a tough old bird and render it into something sumptuous. For example Coq au Vin, which was supposed to tenderize a rangy, tough cock into tender goodness. Sadly today, in civilized America it is very, very difficult to find an old bird. Chicken are raised to be uber tender things that go to maturity in months rather than years which sadly as an effect on its flavor.

Fast forward to Accra, Ghana June 2021. Your trusty blogger and aspiring gastronome (can one still be aspiring in one's 70's?) however has noted over the years coming to Ghana that the meat here has a distinct NON-western feel...as in tough leather. I think I may have commented on my few forays out of town on how the little goats and sheep of the area more resemble street thugs than cute animals. So I theorized, if I could put my hands on one of these 'authentic' type birds, what would some of my classic preparations such as said coq au vin or chicken fricassee. 

The women who are the participants in my program have taken a while to learn that I am pretty serious about my statements when it comes to food. So it is only this trip that I got one of them to bring me some honest to goodness, 'local' chickens from the market. These are live birds that are killed and prepared on the spot. (I was actually spared the going to the market and seeing this). However I did get two fresh killed local birds, still warm, complete with feet, heads, unborn eggs (just like my Grandmother had in her chicken soup!). One of these was put in the freezer, the other was prepared via Chicken Fricassee method.

As might be expected, the cooking transpired differently. It took two and a half times longer for the chicken to cook to tenderness. It had much less liquid in it so I had to add some during cooking which is never the case with production chicken. I cooked it the day before (always a good thing to do with braises and stews) and there was hardly any fat on top compared to the thick layer that would have come from a grocery store bird.

But the final test, the taste...was fantastic. I had my shopping benefactor over to share the results. She was quite impressed. Especially with how tender it came out. In Ghana, time is short and cooking is often done with one temperature/speed - high and fast - leading to not so tender result. 

I am very anxious to try the second one in a Coq au Vin...and I will try to remember to take some pictures.

Update on Joy of International Travel Pandemic Version

After the ordeal of getting the mandated African CDC QR code for my uploaded Covid test, said code was now checked exactly...

            ...Zero times!

Getting on the plane to go to Ghana...Nope...they said you needed it when you get there.

When I arrived in Ghana?...Nope...could have cared less. They are testing you when you arrive and they assume the airline did all the checking of the pre-arrival test checking.

YET...

...There was no way they were going to let me check-in without it. So there you go.

The Joys Of International Travel In The Pandemic Era

 I am again headed off to Ghana. We have a lot to do...a lot of exciting things to do if we are to get our act together for our financing search. 

Getting to Ghana requires Covid testing before you go, when you arrive and to return to the U.S. before you return. You have to show you have paid for your arrival Covid test in advance or you can't board the plane. You are supposed to input your personal health data ahead of time too for when you arrive in Ghana. For my trip in April, I had everything together the way it should have been and I sailed through with no problems.

I figured it was the same for this trip and again, I had done all that was required. I arrive at Chicago O'Hare to check into Delta for the first of my two flights to get to Ghana and I am pretty confident. But NO! There is something new. Evidently you are supposed to upload your Covid test to a site run by the African CDC and get a QR code that your test is 'official'. Only trying to get to that site and figure out exactly how to do that upload is insanely difficult. 

The powers that be had mercy on this poor Covid protocol sinner's soul. The Delta counter was deserted so the young lady manning my session spent a good 20 minutes with me figuring out where the website was and helping me navigate it on my phone until we were finally able to upload the test result and get the QR code. After which she checked me into my flight. What a lovely young woman to have such patience with me!

I still have to show this code one more time here in New York where I am changing to the final plane to Ghana. Hopefully no more problems.

Pumped

 It is a strange feeling at this late stage in life to feel so pumped, excited, jacked, you choose the term, about a venture. However, the shift described in my last post in the direction of Theodora and our decision to seek serious investment to grow it has caused my state of mind to shift as well.  

It has brought back a lot of the emotions from my very early days in investment banking when a good part of the work enjoyment was the thrill of the chase and the excitement of working with big numbers (of money). Only this time, it is not for someone else, it is for me...well not exactly but for my concept that will benefit the (hopefully) large number of women. I don't know if this is going to work but it won't be for lack of trying. I talk to a lot of people who I was approaching a year ago when we were just starting. They can't believe the progress our little group of test subjects has made in such a short time period. That gets me pumped too. 

Then there is the new Rotary Club I moved to, The Rotary Club to End Human Trafficking. Don't remember if I've talked about this before. But, it is a virtual and cause based club (an innovation in the Rotary world) with members from 11 states and 6 countries (including two of my participants in Ghana!). It has a very ambitious strategic plan and a lot of very capable motivated people. And I am getting in on the ground floor. That's exciting too.

Who'd have thunk this would be happening in my mid-70's. Truly a statement of not retiring but transitioning one's life.