West Meets West

I hope this post meets you well. It's well over due, but with dumsor dumsor (Light on light off) and the melting heat I've been unable to catch a good time or day to blog. It's been two weeks since I arrived in Ghana but it already feels like I've been here a month. I guess time goes fast when you're having so much fun.

Team Ghana is awesome and we've all bonded so well over the first week which sadly ended when we left to work within our businesses which of course is why I'm here.

But let me take you on a short Journey of how I left my humble abode in West Norwood to volunteer in West Africa.

Week 1

On the 24th January, I left for Ghana to volunteer as a Junior Consultant with a small to medium sized enterprise. I must say on arrival, apart from the hustle and bustle at the airport, we were pleasantly surprised when we reached our host home and met our Ghanaian counterparts.

The first week involved learning about business, finance, SMEs in Ghana, Marketing, Consulting  and about our roles within the business. As someone with a background in Law it was great to learn about other disciplines and how they would be implemented into my business over the next 8 weeks. I particularly enjoyed learning about finance which has come to great use within my business.The marketing lecture was also great fun thanks to Mr. Kwesi Dei who gave some 'creative' tips on how to best market our products.

University of Ghana, Team Ghana 

Marketing Workshop

However, the week was not 'all work and no play' and during the week we had a tro tro tour of some key sites in Accra. We visited Osu Castle, Independence square, kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and the Arts Market.

Tro Tro bus ride

Makola Arts Market

Independence Square (Black Star Ark)

On the weekend we visited Labadi beach where part two of the hustle began . Unfortunately, looking like a Ghanaian but sounding British did not make me exempt  from being identified as an Obruni (white/foreign person).

Fizz and myself

Change the world

Food

I actually almost forgot to write this section. I know such a surprise. The food in Ghana has been overall really nice and I've learnt that at the University of Accra 'tea' is a meal on its own, as awkward as it may sound. The other option was white koko which is made from maize , but after having a little taste I figured I wasn't missing out on much.

Nonetheless, I've had a fair share of interesting dishes here are a few :

Fufu with light soup

Banku and shito with pepper and Tilapia 

Chicken, rice, pepper and plantain

KFC

Rice Pudding 

On Sunday, some of us decided to end the week at church with our host uncle, Uncle John. The service was refreshing and ended and started my week perfectly.

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God' Hebrews 12:15

Do we waste too much food?

I just came across an article entitled 'Five expired foods you can still eat'. I  slowly reminisced over my warm plain bagel with cream cheese and a drizzle of honey I ate the other night. This is something I don't usually do but the bagel had not a mold in site. I thought what a complete waste it would be to throw away four perfectly looking bagels so instead I ate them. Now some of you may think eww, 'how can you eat them past the expiry date', but trust me when I say it tasted as it always did, not at all stale. Maybe they had the wrong date on them? Well one can dream.

In the UK, I do believe that so much food is wasted in a year from fruit and veg that don't 'grow properly' to supermarkets throwing away so much every day.   Having worked in a supermarket, I have seen so much food hit the big red bin and I must say it's a little disturbing when so many people are hungry across the world. According to Wrap (Waste & Resources Action Programme) we throw away 24 million slices of bread a year. Now, that's something to ponder on.

I think its so important to reduce waste and there are extremely simple ways of doing this i.e. freezing products such as bread on the day of purchase. Not only will this save you from wasting money but produce such as bread last much longer.

 Five expired foods you can still eat.:

Image taken from BBC website

1. Tortilla Chips - Supposedly won't make you sick after a month although they may be stale. However, putting them in the oven and adding a little oil will re-crisp them getting rid of the stale taste. Storing them in a sealed container will also extend their life by keeping the moisture out.
2. Chocolate - A white coating  known as 'bloom' usually appears' making them unattractive to the eye when chocolate is exposed to air. This happens when some of the crystalline melts and rises to the top. This is fine! It's not mold and it's fine to eat.
3. Eggs -  I have personally ate eggs past the expiry date and they've been fine. It is said that eggs can in fact last 3-5 weeks.  But they should be kept at a temperature below 5C to prevent the potential growth of Salmonella.
4. Milk - 'Will smell or taste bad long before it makes you sick' says Labuza.  Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pass on this one. One thing I wont be trying is expired milk. My senses are too alert to handle the smell or taste of bad food. My feelings aside, milk comes in at number 4. If you've tried this please share your views.
5. Yogurt - Is said to last beyond six weeks, one person said they often scraped off the mold and no problem with the rest .

If you have any particular foods that you eat past the expiry date why not share your views.

For more information on edible expired food checkout 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-24305902

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29701768?ocid=socialflow_facebook

Roosters Piri Piri

A few weeks ago I had a taste of this new joint in Streatham Hill. It reminds me of  Nandos but the prices are much cheaper and the food has a lovely presentation. I've been twice and on both occasions I've not been disappointed!

For £5.49 I ordered the Gourmet Beef Burger with potato wedges

I also had the lemon and herb tender flame - grilled chicken wrap with wedges unfortunately I think I was too hungry on the day to capture the moment.

My Verdict: I loved this place. It does what it does well and its very affordable. The burger was filling and the wedges were nice and crispy with a fluffy middle. The chicken wrap was very well done and I loved the lemon seasoning, the chicken was tender and very flavorsome.

Overall: I would give Piri Piri 4/5 stars.
A nice spot for a little catch up or sit alone quick meal.