In countless peopled crannies in the City of Accra, sheet wood and cardboard stalls defy realty regulations, and stand pretty prismatic; painted in red, yellow and white. Attending aft the counter is a boy or two or four (never a girl), sometimes completely bandaged with chef civvies – high hat, apron and all. He’s slightly obscured in sight and sound by all the frizzling, sizzling and smouldering.
A disorderly throng (never a quiescent queue) lays swinish siege to the kitchen kiosk, shouting three different orders in befuddling price variations (the fare is never more than three, what d’you think this is, a royalty restaurant?) The cooks will never muddle an order, a dazzling piece of magic.
The food is hot and generally safe. A quick and easy business for otherwise unemployed young men. A curious question though: why don’t women do check-check?
check-check...!
ReplyDeletehmmmmmmmmmmmmm...makes me sober!
i remember when i was first forced to consume this stuff on a visit to K'si some time back in the yr 2000/2001 with a friend 'cos it was late in the night...we just had to eat something!
well it saved the hungry stomach...but never spirit! makes me guilty! i ask for forgiveness without prompting!
as much as possible i avoid! and if I had my way, i would be telling people who call for the ban of good and natural non-iodized salt to rather agitate for this danger and slow poison to be kicked out of the system...
and i know they almost make a fashion lot with a massive hype...they also serve as some little luxury for some folks...
and if i could paint i would have done a collour of two about them already...and i feel the creation in this piece...i do..BUT...for preservation sake...this is not food for human consumption! it is poison...it kills slowly...
the point is what are the constituents of this 'thing' (i did not say food, i'm being careful) and what are their sources? natural, artificial? or even polythene?
check list:
--the oil is not safe- so called cooking oil...and then further fried to a poisonous degrees celcious!
--the rice is not safe- so polished and overly polished-now we have a so called perfume being added...perfume rice...huh!
--the chicken is not safe- what's their feed...? they don't even have taste!
--well, i hardly see what's in there thats ok...not the ketchup, not the mayonnaise...
but man can't go hungry! no! but man too must not weaken his immune system before the attach of the likes of the 'myth' called aids! and yes i said myth but that's another dissertation!
peace to man!
Yes, Novisi, maybe I should take back what I said about the safety of Check-Check.
ReplyDeleteI have no grouse with Check-Check food vendors. Yes the food may be unhealthy, but is it any better than that in a five star hotel?Will we ever know? I prefer to see young men gainfully employed, rather than umemployed and as you would put it engaging in the acts of" Ali Baba and the forty thieves".
ReplyDeleteWell put, Coffie. Beautifully put, actually. Welcome to my blog. I'll be sure to check out yours. The picture is already intriquing me!
ReplyDelete