We had the pleasure of celebrating a neighborhood child’s tenth birthday this evening. We enjoyed our visit and were surprised to discover that the party included traditional Cameroon dishes. My favorite was the soya, which is a kind of barbecued kebab, in this case made with beef. I also liked the fufu which our hostess made from finely ground cornmeal. The fufu is dipped in vegetables or served with soups.
I found this description of fufu on today.com/food:
“Like many traditional West African
ingredients and dishes, fufu has immense health benefits: Not only is it low in
cholesterol, it is rich in fiber, potassium and resistant starch, which feeds
the beneficial bacteria in your gut and may help reduce inflammation and
promote digestive health, and contains vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin and
niacin. In other words, fufu is a one-stop carb shop that does so much good
while filling you up.”
I did not know that we were supposed to
eat it with our fingers and dip it in soup or vegetables. I ate it with the
soya and was happy – one-half of a fufu was very filling.
In addition to the food, we enjoyed meeting the family’s friend who is
also from Cameroon and visiting with another family on the block who were able
to make the party. We are blessed to have generous neighbors who are making us
feel welcomed.
Late this morning the doorbell rang, and it was a neighborhood child
who brought us two chocolate chip muffins baked by her mom. Joe had eaten his
muffin by the time I got a photo.
Today we received a new net for our basketball hoop in the driveway. We
also purchased two basketballs. The neighborhood children have been invited to play
anytime they wish. Joe placed the balls in an outdoor storage box next to the
garage and let the kids know all he asks is they put the balls back in the box
when they finish so that other kids have access to them.
Today was also Alto’s fourteenth birthday. She was napping on the futon,
and I asked her if I could take a birthday photo. You can see from the result
that she decided to humor me.
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