Day 8: I Am An O'Broni

Today Brandi and I were up at 6:30 am (2:30 am in the U.S./edt) for our eighth day in Ghana.  As we have interviewed Ghanans about their food opinions, we always ask for their favorite Ghanaian restaurant.  In this way we have compiled a list which we plan to visit.  On the top of the list today, because of its location near the national archives, we headed to the Asanka restaurant in Adabraka.  On the way from where the taxi dropped us off we passed by the Coco Board.  Here we met two coco farmers from the eastern region of Ghana who were very gracious to meet with us for almost an hour to discuss how coco is grown, exported, and how the government hinders the farmer's success with their attempts to be helpful.  These men invited us to visit their farm so we invited them to lunch.  They accepted our invitation and offered us a ride to Asanka.  As we arrived they received a phone call from someone at the Coco Board office attempting to meet with them.  They had to drop us off at Asanka and hurry back.

Once inside Asanka we found a small, covered but open air restaurant with about ten tables for four.  We were able to choose our seat and then we were attended by a young waitress who gave us the menu orally and who took our order without writing anything.  Together, Brandi and I chose banku with talapia along with fufu.  This was our first time to try the fufu.  In Ghana you are supposed to dip it out of the soup with your fingers and eat with your hands.  If you use a spoon then you are an O'Broni which means foreigner.  The coco farmer had said, "If you haven't eaten fufu then you haven't eaten."  He said he eats it every day, morning, noon, and night. The portions were large so Brandi and I were unable to eat it all.  And we decided we like the banku better than the fufu.  Brandi doesn't like eating with her hands.  We paid 31 ceti (about $10) for our meal and then walked to the archives.  Along the way, we saw many children coming from school.  Some of them called me an O'Broni.  Brandi thought this was funny since she was thinking, surely, they would not think of her as an O'Broni.  Then, sure as Asante Kotoko, further down the street, the children started calling Brandi O'Broni.  Bam!  I have not laughed as much since yesterday.