Milestones

Yesterday my mom directed me in cooking my first pot of okra soup, and to me, it was quite monumental.  And it was very spur of the moment too. She had just came back from the African food store and was in a hurry to go out again so she was like, "Ok, since you already know how to cook everything else, it's time for you to learn how to prepare a simple soup." She didn't know it was already on my to-do list, so that was pretty amazing :)

The soup, complete with smoked turkey and fish turned out great. I was nervous because she had to leave before the soup was done, but everything went well. Guess the Naija side of me is coming up ehn!  Hahahahah....

I can cook almost anything I put my mind to, when it comes to American-style cuisine, from different styles of chicken and fish to beef, potatoes, pasta, and stir-fry. Except don't ask me to make macaroni and cheese cause I've never gotten that down, and don't really try, probably cause I don't really care for the stuff. Lol

When it comes to Naija food, I've got jollof rice, fried rice, rice and stew, and meatpies, down. I'm alright on moin-moin, mainly need more practice. Throw in some meat, plantain and some vegetables (gotta add something healthy) and you've got a meal! But I couldn't be fully proud of my knowledge of Naija food until I learn how to make some soups. So I got okra down now. On to egusi! Lol.... The pounded yam or garri that goes with is is a no-brainer :)

I guess I'm just now learning to make these soups now because for years, I would not eat them. It was strange because when I was little, my mom said I ate them all the time. But for some reason, around age 5 I stopped, even though my parents always made it. It was like that with all of my sisters too. Maybe it was due to exposure of American foods at school and coming home with a different attitude to traditional Nigerian food. Or something like that.  Only a few years ago did I start eating egusi and other soups every now and then. It's not that often though. Still, it's good to know how to make these traditional foods. Gotta keep the culture alive in me so I can pass down as much as possible!

Oh and, if you're looking for pictures of all the tasty food I just mentioned, you might as well stop your search. I don't take pictures when I cook because, well, I'm very practical when it comes to cooking. I'm usually in a hurry to fill empty stomachs when I cook, no time to be snapping away. Food is meant to be eaten, not photographed. Unless you're advertising it, like I did with The MeatPie Girl. Lol. But seriously; I roll my eyes whenever some chicks on Facebook make statuses about what they're cooking and/or post pictures of it. I'm thinking "Woo hoo! Good for you! You can cook huh? Clap for yourself!" Hahahaha.....!