Contest: I Am What I Eat

Good day everyone out here, how are you all doing here?, Welcome to my blog as I will be participating in this contest titled I Am What I Eat by @sahmie.

It is true that we are what we eat both eating and what we let get into us like instructions or doctrines, but today, food is the context, however our life goes is a total dependent on what we eat, it is true that sometimes, even the food we eat can kill us or keep us healthy depending on which one we choose to take in.

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Personally, I will say the kind of food we eat speaks more volume of who we are than how we would say it. For instance, in Nigeria, it is very easy to distinguish an Akwa Ibomites/Cross Riverian from the rest of the tribes because of the kind of food we eat. If you are an Akwa Ibomites or Cross Riverian, You mostly be seen eating food like ekpang nkukwo, editan soup, Afang soup, edikan ikong soup and atama soup, these are the distinctive delicacies that makes Akwa Ibomites uniquely known.

Also, people will only know I am a smoker if they get to see me with a pack of cigarettes or a wrap of weeds/marijuana, these elements of food makes me easily identify me as a smoker. Same as being diabetic where I will be see with food of less carbohydrates and sugar then more of protein.

Ofcourse yes, infact this happens almost everyday. Let's take for instance, if I take tea in the morning and then gets to the shop, I will barely do anything as I won't be fit enough, but if I combine Afang soup with fufu as breakfast and leave for work, I could work throughout the day without even realizing sometimes that I haven't taken lunch.

Same goes to taking pap with bread or bean came (akara), throughout that morning, I will be very dull, dizzy and sometimes getting tired without engaging in any activities but if I get to take rice or soup as well as Porridge, I will be very active throughout the day.

If I was to create a dish that represents me then I will create mashed potatoes with plantain. Potato contains high amount of carbohydrate and plantain contains iron, so this two combination would a strong energy meal, I am a strong person, I have been thinking and this combination matches my energy, I mean it will give me the energy I need for my every day job. So the ingredients I will use are;

• Potatoes

• Yam

• Salt

• Seasoning Cubes

• Palm Oil

• Crayfish

• Beef

• Perewinkle

• Pepper

• Vegetables leaf (pumpkin leaf)

• Water

There are lots of of my traditional foods that are important to me and my identity just as I said earlier. For example, anybody around Nigeria can easily know I am an Akwa Ibomite immediately he sees me eating food in the likes of Mkpafere soup, Afang soup, editan soup, atama soup, ekpang nkukwo and edikan ikong soup, you just can't take these delicacies away from us, I don't think any foreigner can prepare them as much as we do over here, these delicious are the pride of AkwaCross people.

Also, the above listed foods are seen in big ceremonies in AkwaCross such as funerals, wedding/traditional marriages and even coronation of kings. Infact, if edita iwa and the rest of the local foods are not presented in a tradition marriage, that means, there will be no blessings from the groom family to the new couple, this goes to show how we value our local delicacies.

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To me, I choose eating and staying healthy as top priority over having good treats. More of a reason I don't visit restaurants often. I eat more of home cooked food,atleast I know the ingredients I used in preparing my food other than eating from places that may add some spices that maybe allergic to my health.

However, having a good treat is not a crime if one has the resources to fund it but it should be done wisely, it is not just to eat tasty food but be sure you eat what benefits your body system not what will in the long run cause one health issue or the other.

Permit me to invite @unyime23, @wirngo and @emily08 to participate in this contest.