It took me almost two years of living in Sweden to realize that I wasn’t raised on cream-based sauces.
Over the last two weeks, I’ve been feverishly shopping for anything that could be used in a pot of African stew. I’ve traversed Stockholm hitting some of my pseudo-African/Ethnic joints to pick up yams, ripe plantains, dried fish, and tomato paste. I even sent my husband once on a quest around town in search of goat meat.
Growing up in Nigeria, a meal wasn’t really a meal without some form of fowl, red meat, exotic wildlife, or freshwater fish embedded in it. Daily treks were made to the local open air market to pick through tied-up bunches of giant African snails, live chickens, dripping red cow flesh, dried fish called kpanla, wriggly giant catfish, and the occasional guinea fowl or bush meat.
If it once used to swim, crawl, jump, scurry, or fly, it was eligible for consumption.
Our meals centered around the soup of the day – usually thick, savory concoctions filled with leafy vegetables, blended tomatoes, a healthy dose of palm oil, and of course, a variety of assorted meals – shaki (beef tripe), kpomo (cow skin), cow legs, and chunks of beef.
As a child growing up in Lagos – the country’s pulsating capital at the time, I would stand on my tippy toes with my head barely reaching the kitchen counter top, watching in anticipation as my mom spooned red spicy tomato stew atop a mound of white rice. The climax was finally watching her add my piece of meat like a star on a Christmas tree on top the pile.
I wonder why this sudden craving.
After all, I also lived in the US for roughly 16 years and interspersed my American diet with solid Nigerian food from family, friends, and random parties and weddings we happened to crash – a culturally acceptable act, by the way.
Maybe my sister’s witty Facebook status updates about ground level life in Lagos – from food to billboard signs – fuel my craving. I’m not sure.
Maybe it’s the fact that my future child/children’s first culture and language will be Swedish and I’m grabbing onto everything I can to preserve mine and pass it on to them. I’m not sure.
But I do wonder what my future child would anticipate as it stands on its tippy toes, head barely reaching the kitchen counter top. Swedish meatballs? Waffles? Herring?
I want it to feel the same excitement I do about a simple plate of Nigerian rice and tomato stew too.
@Kemi – Thanks for connecting and for your thoughts! Love your nickname “dodo” 🙂 Funny, I found that Italians, Spaniards, and other Latin people can down Nigerian food better than Scandinavians. We share a lot of the same palate for spicy foods which Swedes in particular don’t. Even rice and stew is difficult for my husband to eat, though he will eat it without complaining 🙂
Great post. I’m glad l found this blog. I had a similar upbringing, naija born, the boarding school. My nickname growing up was “dodo” . Apparently that fixed everything. I am now married to an Italian , and when we visited Nigeria, guess who ate the amala, eba, fufu, etc.. Not me, never liked them, never will. I stuck with my rice, beans and of course plantain, which thankfully l can get here. Your kids will eat it all.
@Tope – You’re right. Will definitely do so.
@Nkosazana – Thanks for stopping by and great to connect with a fellow African also married to a Swede. Thanks for the tips as well!
Oh nice blog you got here!
Fellow African married to a swede here 🙂 (five years this summer yay)
Ah you will have very cute kids I’m sure! Don’t worry about the language part I’d focus on swedish and your native first. That’s what I’m doing atleast.. They mixes up the word a little bit but they are doing well for one year olds.. If they want to learn afrikaans later I’ll help them with that and I think I’ll skip english because they get such a good education in it at school anyway.
I think the key is to catch them young before their taste buds are set by introducing them to both vareities…maybe meatballs on monday, efo riro on tuesday…u catch my drift…as long as they can eat it, they can always build up the excitement later with multiple visits to Nigeria…
@Neha – Thanks! I think I just might do a post on Nigerian food.
@Seyi – Thanks for connecting. I definitely agree. Growing up there, boarding school and all is such a strong part of my life that I’d never lose. LOL at stinky fish.
@mitzie – African food can be quite delicious though it does take a bit of getting used to. The flavors are very strong and…different.
@Amanda – Haha! Love it. For those of us in cross-cultural relationships, it adds another layer of cultural richness in the lives of our future offspring. I just hope I don’t confuse the poor things with all three languages and cultures when they’re growing up!
@Felicia – Thanks! I certainly hope so.
Your future children will look on in anticipation at anything their parents prepare with love and care. The rest is up to them.
Beautifully written, Lola.
Your future kids will love your Nigerian culture because you’ll make it so exciting for them – I wouldn’t worry! It’s more than enough that you’ve already thought about it. And they’ll have three cultures to draw on with Nigerian, American and Swedish – lucky things! My little boy certainly gets plenty of doses of both Aussie and German culture and I hope (and am quietly confident) that when his head does reach up to the counter top he’ll be equally excited by Aussie Anzac biscuits and German Lebkuchen.
Your post made me hungry! Haven’t tried African food before. =)
Awww Lola, this is so touching. Its almost like you know what the answer is, but you’re desperately trying to hold on to what used to be. There is just something so different about childhood in Naija that can never be compared with occassional visits. I see them salivating about your kanelbular and stinky fish and would probably never relate to your snails, suya , real pounded yam and ogbono etc. Hold on to whatever memories you have, dont hold your breath about it being theirs…….lol
Beautiful post lola. I find the food descriptions very interesting – how about giving us a Nigerian food post? Also kids with claims to multiple cultures are, in my opinion, the luckiest! They have twice the fun 🙂