Angela Boaitey
ESL 100
march 3, 2019
                                                            Family Dishes
           The are a lot dishes in Ghana, but some particular ones are delicious to me. when I imagine sitting on a floor mat, eating fufu, eto, or palm nut soup my fingers, it makes me enjoy food so much. I was born and raised Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, where all kinds of ingredients and the right tools used to prepare these dishes are available. My favorite food that I used to enjoyed in Ghana, is stressful to  come its right ingredients and tools in Chicago. The ingredients and the tools are not expensive Ghana. It is tough to get them when  they imported into the U.S, and sometimes they aren't available.
             Fufu is one of the most local dishes in Ghana, my family and I usually prepare for dinner. Fufu is prepared with boiled cassava and  plantain mashed together. It usually takes two people to prepare, so is tedious with the preparation. The  substitute fufu I found in Chicago is powdered form, but is expensive, so only eat fufu occasionally. This food is part of my culture, so everybody in my tribe knows how to eat it. Even if I can prepare this food in Chicago, I don't have any family here to help me. This family food entails a lot of assembly.
             Moreover, eto is a very delicious food I always crave, especially when I'm sick or pregnant. It gives me an appetite. This food is easy to prepare , because it takes only twenty minutes. It is available in any restaurant in Ghana. It is prepare with ripe plantain and vegetables mashed together. Even with a toothache still is enjoyable, because there is no need to chew. I sometimes get the ingredients in Chicago, but the tools for preparing this food is not available in various African stores I Chicago. Anytime I want to enjoy this food, I have to get from an African restaurant. However this dish from restaurant doesn't taste good to me , because I 'm an expect cook, besides the African restaurant is too from my house. In Ghana, my family and I always cook everyday, but in Chicago for some reason, I don't have access to my favorite foods. I have no option except to buy it from the African restaurant.
                     In addition, palm nut is prepared during palm Sunday.  During this occasion , I usually join my family gatherings. In Ghana,  palm Sunday and the following Monday are holiday, so family reunion parties are organized. Soups such as palm nut soup are served as an appetizer. This soup also helps lactating and nursing mothers to get plenty breast milk. I never had the chance to benefit from this soup when I was breastfeeding my babies in Chicago. The palm nut fruit substitute I found in Chicago is in cans, which I don't prefer .
              I love to enjoy most of my family dishes in Chicago, but I no longer get the right ingredients or the tools to prepare them, because the ingredients and the tools are very expensive when they are imported into Chicago. My eating habit has totally changed, since I came to Chicago. I have started adapting American eating habits, but still I don't get satisfied. I sometimes miss my family dishes, but I have to bear with the situation, because I have decided to dwell in Chicago. I  mingle with Americans so I have to adapt to their dishes. I know that , I will able to enjoy my family dishes when I go to vacation in Ghana