Christiana Okere

Nigeria

Food Escapades in Egypt

As soon as my eyes met the abomination in front of me, my appetite quickly receded into the background. Why would anyone in their right mind combine okra soup with rice?

Even more deplorable was that the okra was cut into big chunks! The chef or whoever had concocted this “ritual” must have meant the okra chunks to serve as meat! My non-vegetarian being could not fathom why anyone would consider replacing meat with okra chunks, of all things!

Knowing that I could not bear the risk of going to bed hungry, I picked up my spoon and dug into the unknown. As soon as the food touched my tongue, I waited for it… Any unfamiliar taste, followed by spewing. But to my surprise, there was none of that.

Still, I continued to chew slowly and cautiously, investigating with my tongue for any vile after-taste. By the time I’d reached my fifth spoon, any feelings of disgust had been replaced by savory relish!

Aside from the nutritional benefits that this meal provided, it was also a teachable moment. It taught me to be open-minded and nonjudgmental. To take the time to understand other cultures and to be accepting of differences.