Have you ever walked quite a distance to your favourite food vendor with hopes of filling your stomach to the brim just to be disappointed on an early morning? Trust me, you don’t know pain. One way or the other we find ourselves attached to certain dishes to the extent that walking to the absence of the food vendor can leave one frustrated throughout the day. Yes, that’s how attached some people are to their food. It’s unfathomable!
Some dishes have been tagged as ‘survival food’ in major parts of Accra and beyond by the youth and old alike because of their tendency to sustain one for almost the entire day. Cooked beans, garnished with a top layer of gari and palm oil and topped up with fried plantain popularly known as ‘Gobɛ’ is undeniably that one dish you’re likely to choose over other dishes when thinking of what to eat to sustain your energy the entire day.
The craze for the delicacy in the streets of Accra is quite evident many mornings because of the long queues that come with it. Surprisingly, the majority of those who line up to get this meal in any part of the day constitutes guys and the rest, ladies. This brings us to the questions, “Is the love for gobɛ only found among guys?” “Or do ladies fancy it just as much?”
Many ladies often give off the vibe that they are indifferent about it and consider it as normal as any other dish. But is that entirely true? Rough data gathered from offices, schools and other settings indicate that the love for this food is the same among ladies. The only difference is, that they mostly don’t join long queues but rather, prefer to lean on the men who go out to purchase the food. That way, they can relax in their own environment and savour every bit of the dish without being shy or thinking someone might look at them through a ‘glutton- lens’. The verdict is rock-solid and it is that our young queens enjoy gobɛ just as much as our young kings. But why won’t they?
Gari and beans with fried plantain has a lot of nutritional benefits. It has carbohydrates, protein and let’s not forget its vitamin composition as well. It’s considered a balanced and healthy diet by all standards. So, ladies and gentlemen, what are we eating this morning? Is it our English breakfast or our undefeated gobɛ?