Chronicles of Sebastian: 8 Things I Learnt in Nigeria About FOOD!

A few years ago I read a small book called 'A Meal with Jesus' by Tim Chester. I wish I could say it changed my life, or to be specific, my non-existing cooking habits. It did not - most often I still rely on my University’s canteen food, invitations after church and things like that. But what the book did was it gave me a new perspective on food, meals and hospitality: If you pay close attention to the gospel texts you will notice that Jesus ate A LOT. There are so many allegorical and real banquets, shared meals, invitations, teachings on food & fasting etc in the Bible. The author did an excellent job pointing out some lessons, which I will steal for this post (forgive me Tim!). However, since I’ve had many great 'food encounters' in Nigeria, I will 'Nigerianize' some points and add some other random observations:

1. Meals are great opportunities for fellowship. There’s something special about sitting with someone or a group, talking over a meal and enjoying life together. It’s so ordinary and yet so significant. In Nigeria, I’ve shared lots of meals in restaurants, conferences and homes. I still have vivid memories of people eating with me: whether it was my English class and me enjoying Eba after a tough exam or people from the village offering me all they had: I’ve experienced so much genuine joy and care through the talks and laughs around meals that I’ve realized how good meals are, to get to know someone, to reduce distance and to express togetherness. 

With a few of the many lovely people I got to fellowship with over nice food!

2. Hospitality opens doors and hearts. I’ll never forget the many Nigerians who have been so kind and hospitable towards me. Friends, CEOs, priests, dignitaries and even talkative Keke-drivers invited me into their homes. This way I got to know the country in a special way: their hospitality helped me to see Nigeria as a country comprising many individuals living their own distinct lives, in various families and places. As many white people don’t even know their neighbour, I genuinely appreciated the peeks I got into the lives of others.
It didn’t really matter whether they offered me pure water or a Malt drink: it’s the gesture that counts - a transparent host anticipating and meeting the needs of his guests.

3. Meals are about association. Jesus was accused of eating with obvious sinners like Zacchaeus, because back in his day, meals were a way to express who was included and who wasn’t. Pharisees didn’t eat with Prostitutes - no way!!! But Jesus did. He went into their homes and dined with them. He did not just preach, distribute some tracts and go on with the big guys. Part of his grace was that he actually cared about simple people like you and me, that he created intimacy by sitting around rusty tables with rough and broken people.
In Nigeria, some people tried to give me special treatment: I remember going to a Bible conference where some staff members almost insisted that I should not get beans (like everyone else) but something better. I tried to politely refuse these offers since I made it one of my goals to reduce as many cultural barriers as I can. I ate swallow with my hands and instead of Eva-bottles I was fine with pure water. Although I enjoyed some special restaurant invitations, most often I ate in dim and rough places that served lukewarm drinks since their gens stopped working. 

Where there is food, there are happy people :-D               

4. Pepe-Soup is hot. Hot as in spicy. O my goodness the first time someone gave me Pepe-Soup my throat was burning so much, I almost started praying my last prayer! A lot of Nigerian dishes are quite pepperish for my German stomach, but after a while I got used to it without using too much flagyl… lol Well anyway the various local dishes made me appreciate the diverse country - Afang in the South-South, Sugar Cane in the Middle Belt, and Indomie everywhere… :)

Delicious Sugar Cane

                     

Ola and I with her Indomie pen in Germany! (Indomie found it's way here too, lol)

5. Nigerians have some different habits for feasts. In Germany, you usually sit around the table and start eating together (either after a prayer or some general greeting). In Nigeria, there was no need waiting - people around me started chopping as soon as food was available :D. Even around Christmas, people just got their food, moved around and started talking here and there. In most German homes it is considered polite to turn off the TV in order to focus on the meal and the conservations, yet in Nigeria it was the exact opposite - hosts turned it on as I entered the room! The advantage of this rather 'freestyle eating' is that you don’t really need to wait for anyone and are more free to leave or change conversation partners, but I have to admit that I sometimes missed proper 'table conversations' and a more solemn atmosphere during special occasions.

6. Food production seems more tangible in Nigeria. Nigeria was a great opportunity to look behind the scenes, for instance, how meat actually lands on your plate. In my Nigerian home the guards regularly slaughtered goats, rams and cows and the cooking ladies usually processed the food and cut it into small pieces. I admired their lack of hesitance doing these things: Girls telling me how they killed animals made me seriously question my masculinity lol. Besides annoying mosquitoes and other insects I’ve never properly slaughtered an animal - in Germany you usually just buy pre-packaged food in supermarkets. It was nice to see these different steps of food production in real life; it makes the whole process appear more tangible and natural. The mass-production of food items in Europe causes many people to become Vegetarians (people not eating meat), a term that is probably not very common in Nigeria…

Poor Ram. I think I can guess what it's fate would be shortly

7. Fasting is tough. While attending a revival conference in Port Harcourt, the whole camp was forced to fast. I’ve never properly fasted in Germany, it’s not a common thing to do here. So I prayed fervently to God to help me through that painful day lol
In my short stay I’ve realized how many Nigerians fast quite regularly, for example for exams, special decisions or outreaches. Although I sincerely admire this willingness to sacrifice, it felt a bit odd in some cases. A girl told me how she 'fasts for success' in order to get better grades, others seemed to compete with one another who can fast longer. I believe fasting is a great idea, however you need to be careful not to make it appear like an automatism (do A, get B) or a sacrifice to boast about. Despite these words of caution, I’m grateful having been (re)introduced to this great and often forgotten concept. 

I had to forego all of this good stuff for a period when fasting! lol

8. Food reminds us of our dependency. Food is an equalizer - no matter how rich or poor you are, everyone needs to eat and drink in order to survive. Food is a good reminder that we are small creatures in need of His daily bread. White people have this stereotype of poor African children with big bellies having nothing to eat, which I have not met often in real life. Nonetheless, the truth is, no matter your colour or background, we are all like children in need. So the next time you eat, pause for a second and be grateful for the provision and the friends and family members around you. :)

That's all folks! :-D

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Anyone who knows me can testify to my love for food, I am a proud foodie *wide grin*.. Now I see where I get that from - I am only trying to be more like my Jesus (thanks for that enlightenment Sebs :-))

I love the reminder that when Jesus was here on earth, he never discriminated on who he ate or interacted with. He was friend to ALL. It's food for thought indeed to consider how we relate with others from various social strata. Do we make an effort to meet everyone on their level or do we ensure that we make it clear that we are 'different' and should be treated so. Even through the mundane act of eating, it's possible to be an extension of the love of Jesus to others.

"When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some." - 1Corinthians 9:22

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For all previous Chronicles of Sebastian posts, please click HERE.. Join Sabba again next week Wednesday..I look forward to what he will be sharing with us!
Please visit Sebastian's blog http://seb2nigeria.wordpress.com/ It's in German but you can use 'Google translate' if English translation is required - Lovely lovely blog!

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