Bentsifi’s Tattle - A guy about town

As my friend Anne said the other day, “You can't buy happiness but you can buy food. Buy a ticket and meet me there.”

There, at the most unique and memorable culinary and oenology event of the year. An excellent social networking opportunity for the international and expatriate communities here in Ghana, where they get to interact with like-minded residents!

The event will feature international top chefs in a celebration of African cuisine from the continent and diaspora. It will also offer the opportunity to sample some of their signature dishes alongside the finest wine and spirits available in Ghana.

The expected chefs include Ghana’s Selassie Atadika of Midunu fame, United Kingdom- resident Ghanaian Antoinette Gilbert whose Ndudu by Fafa is all over social media, Renzo Miñan Guerrero from Lima, Peru, USA- resident Senegalese Pierre Thiam, Le Gran Dakar, author "Senegal" and Paris- resident Cameroonian and host of “Star Chef,” Christian Abegan.

It comes off tomorrow, February 13 at 7.00pm at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. As with how such high profile social events go, a portion of the tickets sold for this event will be dedicated for the benefit of the AccraPremium Foundation, a Ghanaian NGO dedicated to the promotion of culture, the arts and sciences, education and vocational training.

Children’s museum

Its inaugural project is a children's museum at the Ghana National Museums and Monuments compound. So let’s make it a date to meet at the 2016 African Chef Tour event, and contribute to a good cause.

Speaking of food, which is that aspect of your culture that is always connected with you wherever you are in the world, I bet the only thing that will be comforting for you would be the food you grew up with!

It is amazing how important it is, this business of food. It binds. It transcends. It takes us on amazing explorations, on incredible journeys, food! It is one of the aspects of travel that I love. You’ll be surprised what the aroma of a particular ingredient can do to arouse nostalgia.

Hattie’s views

From one journey to another, I’ve just met Hattie, an English girl from Britain. She’s been in town for some 10 days. Conversing with her, I get the sense she’s truly enjoying her Ghana experience. She’s here on volunteer assignment with an NGO. I asked her to share what it’s like to be in a different place from what she is used to. And it is amazing how she couched her expectations and experience so far. It gives a nice picture of how others see us and take from us, as we compare how we see them and take from them. Here’s Hattie’s story:

“From what I have seen in the last 10 days, everything here seems to be unlike what I’ve grown up with, from the architecture and infrastructure to the behaviour and lifestyles of the people.

“However, I’m already sure it will be a valuable experience in understanding other approaches to living life to its fullest, as learned from a polar opposite culture. I hope that upon completing my time in Accra, I can take home some of the better aspects with me and embrace life in the future with a fresh view on things.

“It’s been surreal experience, right from stepping off the plane in Accra. Having come here from freezing temperatures in the middle of a British winter, the relentless heat could not have been a bigger step away from what I had left behind!

Sprawling city

“Despite researching the city, it was hard to know what to expect and it must be said that I don’t think I could ever learn everything there is to know about this place - about the sprawling city itself or the culture that is so deep that I’ve barely even scratched the surface so far!

“Every day I have been told the meaning of certain words or hand gestures that mean nothing to me, but are of deep significance to those around me - which is a steep learning curve on how to not offend everyone!!!

“I am living with a host family who have been exposing me to their way of life. As a vegetarian, I was worried about what food I would be able to eat here. However, my host mother has been adapting all of the local dishes to allow me to eat Ghanaian food on a daily basis. It’s mostly been food that I haven’t tried before, but I have yet to find a meal I dislike!

“Last Friday night, we went to a bar. Whilst we often spend time socialising in venues with live music in the U.K., it’s generally more of an atmosphere where people sit and catch up, have a few drinks and maybe a boogie towards the end of the night when everyone is feeling a bit more relaxed!

It was interesting to see here that despite most people not drinking alcohol, there is a much bigger focus on dancing the night away than sitting and talking with your friends!

The differences became clear from the get-go when the Ghanaian members of our group instantly took to the dance floor in such a confident, uninhibited way.

“In comparison, the Brits were more interested in settling down for a chat and a drink, until reluctantly pulled to the dance floor to bop around in a self-conscious manner!”

Now, this would be eye-opening even for you too, would it not? Have a fabulous weekend. It’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday. Do something nice with your lover.