The first meal I made was not noodles or toast bread like most folks my age; it was dodo "fried plantain". No, I did not plan to do that. It happened that my mum got a call and she needed to be there as soon as possible. So I got called to the kitchen to monitor the plantain she had put in hot oil. I was a bit short to see what was sizzling in the pan, so I stood on an apoti, "a wooden stool usually used in most kitchens in southwestern Nigeria".
It was beautiful watching the yellow plantains turn golden brown and having to turn them onto the other side to let them fry. Before my mum left the house, she showed me how to remove the plantains and turn off the cooker, and she left, trusting that I would do all that she showed me.
So that was it. I had officially made my first meal, and it was a dodo. I have since learnt to cook other meals, but Dodo remains on my favourite foods list.
Tell me about the first meal you cooked. Did it burn? Did you overcook it? Was it perfect? Did you add too much pepper or salt? Share with me; I'd love to hear your first food tales.
Thank you. Have a beautiful day.
Originally published on 1/30/2020 at 5:23 PM.