Agbado Matters
Agbado Matters
by ‘Kunle Ojeleye
You guys take many things too seriously, and unnecessarily.
Because I wrote “return to mind my business and eating Agbado or whatever is served”, some thought it was a joke taken too far.
There are myriads of things many folks in this space do not know about me.
This is an extract from my father’s autobiography.
“It may interest you to note that my father gave me a portion of land near home (‘Oko Etile’) in 1954. In March of the year, I cultivated the land, and I planted it with maize. The land was fertile. The maize I have harvested was sold. The money realised formed part of my first term school fees when I entered Oduduwa College Ile-Ife in September 1954. It may also interest you to know that since June 1966 when I had my University Degree and I started my career as teacher up till the time of my retirement in1996, I rarely bought maize or yam for consumption. I used to produce enough for food and even surplus maize for sale.”
As such, despite my parents being teachers, I grew up growing corn (and other crops) on a large scale for many years.
From the yearly harvest, we would eat fresh boiled or roasted corn every evening for weeks, give as gift to casual visitors, and store dried ones from which we make Ogi (pap) throughout the year. When the harvest of the dry corn is about to take place the next season, we sell the leftover from our preserved and shelled corn to women who make Eko for sale.
In my house, apart from drinking Gaari with groundnut soaked in chilled water (even in winter), one of my favourites, which my children have taken to, is boiled or roasted corn when I close my eyes to the exorbitant price in the supermarket.
So, to those of you who felt my writing about eating Agbado is a curse, e maa binu o. I was not cursing you.
I pray that you will never experience having to eat Agbado and drinking water on top of it, instead of sleeping with an empty rumbling and grumbling stomach.
Picture credit to mccormick.it
Facebook Post: 2023-03-01 T22:59:02