on fufu

after three months in ghana, i confidently can say that i have learned to eat fufu properly. fufu is more than a food, it is an experience and i'll do my best to explain. although it is eaten all across ghana, fufu is the dish of the ashanti people. the ashanti make fufu with cassava and plantain, while others use yams and cocoa yams. ashanti fufu is made by boiling the cassava and plantains in a large pot. the cooked starches are then placed in a mortar by the 'turner'. pounding fufu is usually a two person job and the turner is most commonly a female. she sits in a stool next to the big wooden mortar and after each drive of the pestle, the turner sneaks her hand into the mortar to expose a different section of ingredients. the pounder is usually a man and they stand with a large wooden pestle (about 5 or 6 feet tall). the pair work together to soften the mixture of starches until they reach a soft, doughy consistency. fufu comes either soft or hard depending on how long it is pounded for. the turner then shapes the gooey concoction into a ball--usually between the size of a softball and a muskmelon if it is one serving--and places it into a bowl. one of three types of hot (temperature) soups is then poured on top of the fufu ball - groundnut soup (peanut), palm nut soup, or light soup (egg plant, which is known as garden egg); light soup is my favorite. a meat, either cow, chicken, goat, or fish, commonly accompanies soup. fufu can only be properly eaten after taking apateshi. apateshi, the local alcohol made from palm wine, increases one's apatite and two shots are frequently taken before one begins chopping (what ghanaians call eating) fufu. at restaurants fufu is always served in individual bowls, however, when one eats fufu with family or friends, it is usually served together in one bowl. before eating, one must wash your right hand in a bowl of water that is always provided. when eating fufu, you use your index and middle finger as scissors to cut off a piece of the ball. you then use your entire hand to form the cut off piece into a ball and to soak in in the soup. fufu, like most ghanaian foods, is a vehicle for transporting the soup. the ball is then placed in the mouth and swallowed, never chewed.after the fufu is finished, the eater can cup their hand to scoop the soup into their mouth. by the end of a fufu session, the eater's entire right hand (sometimes up to the elbow) will be dripping with soup; and the eater's fingers will be pruned like when you exit a hot tube after three hours. the right hand is again washed to end the meal. my mother in accra said that you can only eat fufu on sunday and then you must walk around the block and go to bed. for an ashanti, however, it's not uncommon to eat fufu everyday; many claim to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, everyday! there is nothing polite, sanitary, or attractive about eating fufu, but i have grown to think it is delicious!

in other news.... this past week i continued to make the commute to frank's studio. his studio is in a village called adankwame, which is about an hour north of kumasi. there i have been throwing pots, digging clay, chopping wood, and firing kilns. i will be loading a kiln this week and staying over at the studio on wednesday to fire the kiln through the night.

today i went to the otomfuo tenth anniversary celebration. otomfuo is the ashanti king and he has held the golden stool since 1999. the celebration was held in the soccer stadium and every sub chief in the region gathered around the field to pay their respects to the king. the king gave a speech (actually is was his linguist who did the speaking for him), as well as the current president john atta mills, and the former president jj rowling. after the speeches and greetings, the king was carried into the streets and paraded back to the palace, it was crazy! there were so many people dancing and cheering in the streets and shooting guns into the air (ghanaian fireworks). it kind of reminded me of the parade after the red sox won the world series.

i hope final studies are going well for everyone, i'll be home in about a month!

love, dane