Enjoy your meal in PCC
The world is full of questions, but one of the most important questions posed in many households is a very simple one: “What shall we eat today?”.
This, of course, is also the case in a very large household like PCC’s. It is three times a day that all 140 residents and caregivers are excitedly looking forward to what will be served during their next meal.
Throughout the years the menu in PCC has been changed quite a bit and according to us it has become more varied and tasty and of a better quality.
But still: “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. Each day critical eaters are queuing to either feast on the meal served to them or show their reluctance to dig in – sometimes in silence and sometimes in loud aversion.
For example James refused for a very long time not to eat anything else than rice. When his favourite food was not put in front of him, he would make his discontent clear with loud weeping and sometimes by throwing his unwelcome plate onto the ground.
There used to be corn porridge for breakfast most of the time, but nowadays there is a larger choice. A favourite is “tea”, which is a fried egg on a tasty slice of bread and cocoa. That is why an enthusiastic “tea, tea, tea” is usually coming thick and fast during the morning walk!
But also “Tom Brown”, porridge made of soy flour and ground peanuts, is very popular (and tasty!), just like a ball of dough made of baked bean flour – “Koose” or “beans cake” – is. It is a kind of dumpling, but better and more nutritious! This “ball” is served as an extra to the morning porridge and is given to the children with great aplomb by Janet. Theresa will not start eating her porridge if she hasn’t been given her Koose first and if there is no Koose, then she’ll wait for a good slice of bread!
Dinner usually consists of one of the well-known Ghanaian dishes.
Throughout the years the menu in PCC has been changed quite a bit and according to us it has become more varied and tasty and of a better quality.
But still: “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. Each day critical eaters are queuing to either feast on the meal served to them or show their reluctance to dig in – sometimes in silence and sometimes in loud aversion.
For example James refused for a very long time not to eat anything else than rice. When his favourite food was not put in front of him, he would make his discontent clear with loud weeping and sometimes by throwing his unwelcome plate onto the ground.
There used to be corn porridge for breakfast most of the time, but nowadays there is a larger choice. A favourite is “tea”, which is a fried egg on a tasty slice of bread and cocoa. That is why an enthusiastic “tea, tea, tea” is usually coming thick and fast during the morning walk!
But also “Tom Brown”, porridge made of soy flour and ground peanuts, is very popular (and tasty!), just like a ball of dough made of baked bean flour – “Koose” or “beans cake” – is. It is a kind of dumpling, but better and more nutritious! This “ball” is served as an extra to the morning porridge and is given to the children with great aplomb by Janet. Theresa will not start eating her porridge if she hasn’t been given her Koose first and if there is no Koose, then she’ll wait for a good slice of bread!
Dinner usually consists of one of the well-known Ghanaian dishes.
Of course, it is a good thing when you are a fan of these meals and fortunately most residents of PCC are. Ghana has a large variety of typical dishes, for example Ampesi, Banku, Omo Tuo, Tee set, Kenkey, Waakye, Gari, cooked, baked or Jollof rice and my personal favourite, is name as well as in taste: Kontomire served with Palava sauce!
All these dishes are also prepared in Janet’s kitchen, some more often than others. So there is a variety in meals, although some dishes are served weekly on a set weekday. To this variety of dishes also a side dish of different kinds of greens is served.
On the whole lunches are a light version of one of the aforementioned dishes. In between meals the children also get some fruit.
Of course, the favourite meal of many Ghanaians is Fufu, especially very good because of the soup (= more sauce than soup), which goes with it, e.g. groundnut or light soup. Each Sunday afternoon caregivers and the young adult residents like Latif are treading cassava and yam or plantain for hours on end to make fufu (a heavy task!), but everybody likes it a lot and so it is worth all the exertion.
Well, it all sounds very tasty, but there is no meal in Ghana like a meal with meat or something similar in it. And our children are mad about meat, fish or a boiled egg with their meals. Some of them put for instance a chicken drumstick or a piece of goat meat (butchered in the morning and eaten in the evening …..) in their pocket to be able to enjoy it a while longer and to proudly show it!
All these tasty daily meals make that nearly all of PCC’s children look good and healthy and we would like to thank everybody who has contributed to this in one way or another (e.g. as a sponsor, a donor or a hard working kitchen attendant) heartily.
Finally, we would like to say to our readers and to all residents of PCC after having written this column: ”Enjoy your meal!!”.