THE CUPCAKE DELICACY.

Some foods are usually taken occasionally; some people do not just eat anything at anytime. This can lay down to the cost of some of these meals. Some foods are very expensive and only eaten by a specific group of people in society. Foods such as pizza, ice cream, sausages, spring rolls and fried rice are seen as delicacies by some people.

Whilst some people will prefer tuo zaafi, fufu, banku or waakye others will just prefer a pudding. Some people eat cakes especially virtually every day.  I only take cakes occasionally, at weddings, birthday parties and other special occasions.

 I even dislike cakes if I am allowed to put it that way. Just for the mere fact that it is too sweet for my liking. The icing that is put around it sometimes even makes matters worse for me.

Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape. Determining whether a given food should be classified as bread, cake, or pastry can be difficult.

Modern cake, especially layer cakes, normally contain a combination of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter or oil, with some varieties also requiring liquid (typically milk or water) and leavening agents (such as yeast or baking powder).

A BIRTHDAY CAKE

 Flavorful ingredients like fruit purées, nuts, dried or candied fruit, or extracts are often added, and numerous substitutions for the primary ingredients are possible. Cakes are often filled with fruit preserves or dessert sauces (like pastry cream), iced with buttercream or other icings, and decorated with marzipan, piped borders or candied fruit.^[1]

Cake is often the dessert of choice for meals at ceremonial occasions, particularly weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. There are countless cake recipes; some are bread-like, some rich and elaborate, and many are centuries old.

 Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure; while at one time considerable labor went into cake making (particularly the whisking of egg foams), baking equipment and directions have been simplified so that even the most amateur cook may bake a cake.

A WEDDING CAKE

Some people eat cake every day however just for the fun  of  it. a friend of mine told me she will never use her money to buy  cake so she usually makes very good use of opportunities especially at weddings and other occasions.

Funny enough, some people do not even know what goes into what they eat. They do not know the ingredients that are used in preparing their meal neither do they know the outcome of their meals. i am usually interested in knowing what goes into my meals so i usually try to find out how my meals are cooked and so on.

It is just good to know what goes into your meals. at least your favourite meals just so that you can prepare it your self.

YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT GOES INTO YOUR MEALS.

Interestingly, people eat without knowing what their meals are made up off. Somebody eats a bowl of fufu and does not even know what goes into its preparation. The kind of vegetables that are used in preparing a meal makes its outcome great.  Vegetables are the edible parts of plants that can be eaten raw or with a little cooking.

Vegetables are most often consumed as salads or cooked in salty dishes. A vegetable such as tomatoes or garden eggs for instance is sometimes chewed by people. I for instance sometimes wonder why people chew these vegetables since I find it a bit strange. In some homes too it is cooked, grind and added to meals. Anyway culture is relative so it is understandable.

My mummy for instance just fancies to chew garden eggs. She most often chews a lot of them and right after that drinks water to get satisfied. I get perplexed when she does this because I usually find it strange to understand.  Vegetables are however very healthy and should be taken most often. Typical examples of vegetables include; cabbage, carrot, lettuce, cucumber just to mention but a few.

In as much as vegetables are very healthy, so are fruits. Fruits such as banana, mango, orange, strawberry, apples and pineapples are usually loved by all. Typical examples of fruits and vegetables are shown in the photographs below;

A LINE UP OF TOMATOES, ONIONS, GINGER, CUCUMBER AND OTHER VEGETABLES.

APPLES,WATERMELON,ORANGES, BANANAS AND STRAWBERRY.

I for once usually do not take fruits. This is because I just do not like fruits. If you ask me why, I guess I cannot tell. In the video below Selly tells us all she know about fruits.

Will also displays a bit of knowledge on the kinds of fruits he takes.

                                       

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY EAT WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE APPETITE?

Eating is a habit to some people; in fact some people are always seen eating. Every day, people eat any kind of food  at any point in time. But sometimes, I for once  do not have any apetite for food .  Some people take alcohol to boost their appetite to eat well and more. Alcoholic drinks such as whisky, kasapreko alomo bitters, choice and marfia are usually taken to stimulate people’s apetite.

Appetizers are also defined as finger foods usually served prior to a meal or in between meal time. Appetizers are sometimes called starters. They may range from the very simple to the very complex depending on the occasion.

Appetizers are usually accompaniments to cocktails served prior to a meal. Many restaurants of late feature a range of finger foods that are ordered just before the main meal as a first course. Appetizers can include; a plate of cheese and crackers, chopped vegetables, sliced small fruits and other small chops. Finger sandwiches and small sausages are also considered as appetizers.

Alcoholic Appetizers

A line up of alcohol

A line of champagnes

In our Ghanaian society, most people take alcohol as appetizers. It is only in few cases that cheese balls or sausages may be taken. This will however happen when such individuals go for weddings or parties. At a wedding or a party if there is an extended   period between the time guests will arrive and when the meal is  eaten. Tomato bruschetta or deviled eggs could be served with the purpose of sustaining guests during the wait; in the same way, drinks could also be served.

 Funny enough, sometimes at wedding receptions, cocktail parties and other occasions, appetizers can be served with no main meal afterwards. Most often, when I am in school, there are sometimes when I feel hungry but I do not eat at all. You will see me taking a bottle of malt. After this, when I get the chance to eat food, I really eat my heart out. I am usually surprised at the rate at which I masticate the food, especially after taking my chilled bottle of  malt. 

Whilst some people take alcohol as their appetizer, others take fruits, dough nuts or sausages. Others however prefer soft drinks.Funny enough, some people take water to boost their moral to eat well.  William tells us in the video below why he and his mother take appetizers and why they prefer that particular type.

 

Kwaku also throws more light on the kind of appetizers he takes.

Be it water, alcohol or soft drink, you take as your appetizer, it is just nice to take something that will aid you eat well. When I am sick for instance, I prefer to take kenkey or banku with pepper or any other peperish food d. this whets my appetite for food and keeps me going. What about you?

SWEET AFTER MEALS.

Usually, right after eating I always want to eat more. This time around not food but then anything edible but not heavy.  I do not know if everyone feels this way anyway. Even when I am very much satisfied, I still always want to eat. Sometimes, I either take a drink chew some biscuits or take some fruits. How I hate fruits! Anyway, I only take the fruits when indeed I have no option.

It is funny how people eat a lot of foods but do not even know what they are called. Foods that are usually taken as sweet course and conclude a meal are called desserts. Desserts in western cultures usually include; cakes, cookies, biscuits, pastries, ice creams, pies, puddings and candies.  However because of the natural sweetness of fruits, they are commonly found as dessert courses. Desserts are constantly changing with the new techniques and ingredients available at the time or in the area.

biscuits

pie and rock barns

Desserts have now changed from natural candies and nuts to multi layered cakes. They mostly contain sugar or a sweetening agent. A friend disclosed to me that she chews gum right after eating and wanted to know if it was a dessert. I didn’t have an answer for her anyway. But since chewing gum is sweet and is chewed by her after eating, maybe it can be considered. But well, who am I to say?

bananas

 What do you consider as desserts? Angela Boahen a lady who sells drinks and pastries at Kanda when asked what she sells told me she sold snacks. Well, it is not wrong at all. After all, drinks and pies are considered as snacks. However, these are also desserts. Having spent about three years on the campus of Ghana Institute of Journalism (G.I.J), it has come to my realization that some students just eat anything at any time.

When some people are eating, the ladies especially and do not take drinks along side, I was told by a friend the food does not digest. Interesting isn’t it? Journalists now turned doctors. “As for me, when I am eating and I do not drink alvaro along side, I do not feel” Stella boldly told me. In this case will the alvaro be considered as a dessert or part of the meal?

The kind of desserts we take however and the reasons why we take them are best known to our selves.  Mostly in Ghana, the common desserts that are taken are mostly fruits . Popular among them are oranges, water melons , pineapples and bananas.

Drinks and pastries funny enough are taken by some people as main meals. After that is eaten, these individuals then drink water. In this case, is water the dessert? Interesting enough, the desserts that some individuals take in some countries are far richer than what we take in Ghana as our main meals. Imagine a dessert of baked custard, strawberry ice cream, chocolate chips cookies and German chocolate cake. Yummy right?

Drina in the video below tells us about her favorite dessert.

Sebastian also tells us the dessert he loves most

 All’s well that ends well. Its yet another time to take a breather. Catch you.. do not forget to constantly take desserts . Am out!

EAT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

Many people have different eating habits. Whilst some people eat three times a day, others eat  more than that and some others even eat just once. That is how unfair the world is sometimes. Some of my friends are always seen eating. I mean every time, they eat.Some people eat before meals , others eat after meals  and some others in betweeen meals.  A portion of food that is often smaller than a regular meal and  eaten before the main meal is taken is  referred to as snacks.

Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged and processed foods and items made from fresh ingredients at home.

Some examples of snacks include biscuits such as digestive biscuits, short bread, jack and jill biscuits and drinks such as fanta, coke, frutelli and don simon. Sand wiches, nuts and fruits are considered as snacks. With the spread of convenience stores, packaged snack foods are now a significant business.

CERES AND EVEN

Digestive biscuit, Ceres, Minute Maid and Don Simon

A line of snacks

Biscuits

Snack foods are typically designed to be portable, quick and satisfying. Processed snack foods are designed to be less perishable, more durable, and more portable than prepared foods.

They often contain substantial amounts of sweeteners, preservatives, and appealing ingredients such as chocolate, peanuts, and specially-designed flavors (such as flavored potato chips). A snack eaten shortly before going to bed or during the night may be called a midnight snack.

Snack foods are often subjectively classified as junk food because they typically have little or no nutritional value, and are not seen as contributing towards general health and nutrition. With growing concerns for diet, weight control and general health, government bodies like Health Canada are recommending that people make a conscious effort to eat more healthy, natural snacks – such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and cereal grains – while avoiding high-calorie, low-nutrient junk food.

The question we should however be asking our selves is  are snacks necessary at all? Why at all should humans take snacks? Teddy tells us in the video below why he loves to take snacks;

Patience also has this to say about her favourite snacks in the video below;

As an individual why do you take in snacks?  what then will we term the drinks that people drink along side their meals? In the Ghana Institute of Journalism (G.I.J) cafeteria for instance a lot of students especially the ladies are seen eating and taking drinks alongside. The boys sometimes claim the ladies do that to show off. Well reasons are best known to the individuals themselves.

Most often when these drinks are taken, they  are not able to take in water anymore. but to the best of my knowledge, water is supposed to be consumed to aid in digestion.  does digestion take place then? If yes, does digestion take place well? Well this is just a food for thought.

All in all it is good to eat snacks at least once in a while . Like i always do, at least three bottles of malt  a day just makes me go" gaa gaaa"  If not for anything, just for the fun of it i guess.

DRINKS; A WANT OR A NECESSITY?

Most often, after eating when I do not take water I still feel hungry. I sometimes wonder if this happens only to me or others as well. Many a times, after eating I still feel for a drink even after taking water. A drink can be defined as a liquid that can be swallowed as refreshment or nourishment. A drink is also said to be a kind of liquid which is specifically prepared for human consumption.

There are many types of drinks which can be sub divided into various groups such as plain water, alcohol, non- alcoholic drinks, soft drinks (carbonated drinks), fruit or vegetable juices and hot juices. Most drinks aside fulfilling our basic needs form part of the culture of human society.

Alcoholic drinks are drinks that contain ethanol commonly known as alcohol. When an individual consumes excess alcohol, it eventually gets the person drunk. Some people however take alcohol for many reasons. Whilst some take it to release stress, others just take it for the fun of it. Some people too drink occasionally whilst others are seen drinking every day.

 In our Ghanaian society for instance, people who take in alcohol excessively and usually get drunk are not respected at all. Beer has however been a part of human culture for about eight thousand years now. In many countries drinking alcoholic beverages in a local bar or pub is a cultural tradition. In Ghana for instance, local alcoholic drinks are mainly “pito” and “palm wine”. 

Though they usually have a sweet taste, too much of it when taken usually gets the individual drunk.

 It is a normal thing to see men drink in Ghana but when women drink, it raises eyebrows. Why should this be the case? Below are photographs of alcoholic drinks:

 

Alcoholic drinks

 

Hunters and Guinness

Moving further, non-alcoholic drinks are drinks that contain little or no alcohol. Soft drinks such as malt, coke, fanta are typical examples. Beverages such as soda pop, lemonade, milk, tea, tap water and energy drinks are examples of soft drinks.

 

Soft Drinks

When some people are eating, they prefer to take soft drinks along side, whilst others may prefer alcohol or just water. Medically, individuals are advised not to drink water immediately after eating but can however take in water thirty minutes after.

It is funny how I most often feel very thirsty right after eating; I sometimes find it strange though.  Interestingly, some people drink in between meals.  Why then do we take drinks and when do we take them?

In the video below, Francisca tells us what drink she prefers and why she prefers it;

Edem also shares his views with us below;

 

All in all, it is very important to take drinks at least once in a while be it alcoholic or non alcoholic. It is however interesting that it is written on bottles “18+” meaning the individual before taking the drink should be eighteen years and above.

Aside that, individuals are cautioned to drink responsibly but some still turn a deaf ear to it and drink to stupor. Meanwhile at our bars and pubs when people are seen drinking beyond their limit, they should be stopped immediately. Thumbs up to the bars that ask of the ages of

individuals before they sell alcoholic drinks to them especially when they feel they are not up to age. 

Some substances such as butter milk, soup and yoghurt may be defined as either food or drink and accordingly may be eaten with a spoon or drunk depending on their thickness and solutes. Hence not all drinks are alike. Be sure you know the alcohol content of you drink before you take it.