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Growing up, food was an important part of my family and Sunday dinner was a sacred time to bond and connect, But as the years went by my Dad’s job kept him busy most of the time and my mother worked even harder trying to make a name for herself after her switch from education to journalism.
I got caught up with chasing a career as an artist, my brother went off to college and gradually my family’s love for sharing food and laughter disappeared leaving behind only memories.
One of my favorite memories was my mother’s birthday dinner in 2020, Abuja was on lockdown as the Covid scare continued to shake the world, and my mother still had to work as journalism was considered an essential service.
We felt sorry for her and it was scary watching her going out every day even though the numbers of infected people were very low at the time.
As my mother’s big day drew closer we decided to plan a nice big dinner for everyone like we used to be able to have before work and life forced us to become too busy.
My father decided to make all of my mother’s favorites, my mom might be a good cook but her husband is gifted in the kitchen. We started with a fruit salad which my baby sisters were in charge of, then I and my dad got to work making Ekpang nkukwo a traditional dish from my hometown. My younger brother was put in charge of making Water yam Akara (Cakes made of grated water yam and deep fried ).
Before she left for work we wished her a happy birthday and gave her the presents we got for her without hinting at our plans for dinner, as soon as she left for work we got to work putting everything in place. Her favorite bottle of red wine, her favorite music, and her favorite pictures were put up.
My mom walked into utopia, she was so happy she couldn’t hold back the tears, the feeling of being responsible for her happiness surpasses every other feeling I’ve felt to date.
To be honest, the food wasn’t perfect, my brother burnt a lot of the water yam Akara and whilst my dad's Ekpang came out really tasty, we underestimated the appetite of the entire family and had to supplement our food supply with noodles. But the memory of the lovely conversation we shared about her day, about her boss who was making her work outside her job description. About my dad stealing her mother’s recipe when he lived with her after college. About the weird cravings, she had when she was pregnant with my baby sister Sarah.
That meal was one of the best meals I’ve had in my life, and sometimes when I’m down and alone eating cold fast food in Lagos I remember my family gathered around our table sharing love and Ekpang to celebrate my mother…I can’t wait to go home again.
