Next, we stopped by the Medina Market to get some ingredients for a local dish, fufu with peanut butter soup. Suzi walked in with a clear mission, and there wasn't much time for us to fully absorb the colors, smells and delights of the market, for we were just trying to not lose sight of her in the labyrinth of stalls!
The constant stream of women with large bowls on their heads are those same women who provide a Walmart experience while at traffic lights. They go to Medina Market, load up, and resale at a higher price to the cars waiting at the red lights.
There were loud preachers at every turn in the market. I asked what church they were from, and Suzi responded, "Their own, one-man, church. They feel they are called of God." Boy are they zealous! One agreed to have his picture taken.
Next we headed to Suzi's home where she was giving us a cooking lesson. Here is her market basket...
We spent two hours in her "white person" kitchen, melting drip by drip from the heat, learning to make peanut soup. Suzi is full of sass. She is bossy and commanding and fun. We told her she was a queen bee. When we explained what that meant, she laughed and said proudly, "Yes, I am definitely the Queen Bee!"
Lizzie had the job of preparing the cassava root for fufu.
Ceci and Adele had the job of entertaining her baby.
Since the kitchen stove was occupied with several pots, the cassava cooked outside.
Once cooked, the cassava and some cooked plantain was pounded until very sticky, in a starchy way. Ceci took a turn pounding. It was serious work!
We had been told by quite a few people that fufu was disgusting, but Suzi is a caterer (in addition to making water), and she convinced us we would like her fufu. This was our best chance at giving a local dish a try.
One has a ball of fufu, pours stew over it (including the chicken) and eats it with one's fingers. It was messy. I never quite got the "scooping" down, but did eat most of the dish. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't choose to eat it again. Adele didn't care for it, but did a great job eating quite a bit. Ceci didn't care for it either, but somehow she was seen as the most appreciative eater and became Suzi's favorite!
After a late lunch we went to Suzi's salon where the girls got their hair braided. It took 2.5 hours! $4 each.
The ladies (customers) at the salon were out of a movie. They laughed and chatted and shared their secrets. It was really entertaining and delightful.
And lastly, Suzi took us to her seamstress to get measured. Another day she is going to take us to a fabric store where we'll pick out fabrics to have skirts and shorts made. Suzi is treating us right.
We came home pretty pooped out! But getting a real glimpse of a Ghanaian day was memorable and full of new experiences!
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