GIFTS

Through the kiosk window was a heap of rice and beans, the rice coloured by the black-eyed beans, mounted in a wide metal bowl. The heap of rice on top was about the same amount in the white bowl, shielded by a thick, clear plastic bag . The sticky nature of the rice allows a smooth mound to be formed.

Next to the rice, were pieces of chicken, tasty looking, crisp looking, slightly darkened from frying.

Beside the fried chicken, was some ‘greens’. Thinly shredded lettuce and carrots, always added to the dish to take away some guilt.

What I did not see that normally completes the dish are boiled eggs, peeled nicely.

The local, grainy dish that is sprinkled on the plate of rice is dried, roasted cocoyam, milled into grains. It is sometimes colouresd with oil that makes it look like cous-cous.

The sauce that that completes the dish has cubes of tough meat that have been boiled, fried and braised served in the oily tomato sauce. On occasions there is fried red fish.

This is a sight at the corner of the road on my trip at 6.45am on Weekdays.