One meal I once deprived myself of, was fried rice. It was on a Sunday and we just got back from church. My mom made fried rice that afternoon and I was so excited to eat it. I'm a huge fan of the Nigerian fried rice because one, it's fried rice. Two, I love the carrots, spring onion, green peppers, corns and the little chunks of meat (non-liver), that comes with each serving of the meal. So that day, I ate my beloved fried rice and it didn't settle down like it should have. I ate it and ended up very sick. It was actually a bacterial infection but the way it made me feel, was something I dreaded reoccurring for years. And since the last meal I ate before it was fried rice, our relationship became strained.
About five years later...
My mom made fried rice again and this time, it looked so irresistible. My sibling taunted me with how tasty it was and there I was, thinking of something else to eat while the rest of the family ate. Like I said, the rice looked so tasty that I started nurturing the thought of taking a spoon to see if it was as wonderful as it looked. You see, I could not control myself. I tasted it and it was everything and more fried rice ever was to me. And that was how my love for fried rice was rekindled. Well, guess what? I and fried rice are still together till this day.
There are few reasons why I would stay away from a food I love, for a very long time. One of the reasons being that the last time I ate it, I had a bad experience after eating and so, for fear of another reoccurrence, I stay away from that particular food. Like my experience with fried rice. One other reason is that I like the food in a particular way or made by a special person and I haven't come across it prepared just the way I like it. The most mundane reason though, is circumstances. I might love a particular food but it's probably one that is made with seasonal ingredients or my location does not allow for foods like that.
One food that I haven't eaten in a while, is Peppersoup. I have no idea why that is because I'm a huge lover of this soup, eaten with rice, bread, yam or swallow. The last time I ate the soup was about three years ago. It was made by my mom, on a particular rainy day.
If you've eaten pepper soup before, you know that it is best eaten on a rainy day. The spice, the seasoning, the slurps and the final taste of the chicken or the catfish used to prepare the soup, everything is better during or after a heavy rainfall. If there was a word for eating pepper soup while it rained, it would be 'enjoyment' itself. I can't believe three rainy seasons have passed and I haven't eaten peppersoup.
I think the main reason for my staying away, is because pepper soup is not something I get around my school and I've not even thought of making it for myself all this while. I remember going to so many restaurants around the area one particular day, in search of pepper soup but I didn't find any. It's probably not in high demand here and during my trips back home, pepper soup hasn't been in the list of meals they've prepared when I'm around. It's only when I'm in school, they'll proudly tell me they made peppersoup for the day and they wished they could give me my share all the way in school.
In all, one thing I'm convinced about right now, is that I miss pepper soup. On rainy days, pepper soup. Festive days, pepper soup. Regular but not sunny days, pepper soup. I love pepper soup a lot and writing this has convinced me that I can't go a long time anymore without taking pepper soup. So, with this, I look forward to my trip back home where my pepper soup opportunities are unlimited.
Dear pepper soup, stay loyal and stop accepting your cheating exes back - rice especially. I'll see you soon.
Xoxo.
This is my entry to the inleo prompt day 14
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