Not a foodie

I am not a foodie, but I do like food and eating and reading about food and cooking. And even watching food programmes on TV! Yet, I will eat most of what is put in front of me, without fussing too much – unless it is absolutely spoiled, or too much salt or too much pepper…

I like baking, and cooking non-everyday meals. So there is the sweet and the savoury. And I like both, but then I have to deal with the likes and dislikes of those living with me. R is fine. Even since he’s been ill he’s been pretty much able to eat almost anything we give him, as long as it doesn’t require too much chewing. That does bother him, even with his new teeth! And he does have a very sweet tooth, and will eat lots of cakes and other nice things, with anything to drink – again preferably sweet. Sometimes he does ask about coffee, but most of the time he doesn’t remember.

Last Sunday I made a new cake recipe – sent to me by Z, K’s girlfriend. I think K said it was sort of adapted from a recipe in Joy of cooking which it is, but it was OK just doing part of it. The plain yellow cake went down pretty well with everyone, though I misgauged the oven again! That was just the small one with the leftover. But the main one was the hot yellow cake, drenched with a mixture of milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk, and then put in the freezer for a couple of hours. It should have gone into the fridge, but there was no room…It was very sweet and moist. Next time I think I will put less sugar in the main cake though. The sad thing is that most of the hordes didn’t really like it, apart from R and Ro – both of whom will eat anything sweet. So next time, I guess I will make it for those of us who like such things, and keep the plain one for the rest.

I bought some fresh coriander outside Saagar in Osu. It does have a wonderful smell, and makes salads taste special. I really do like it. Gives a kind of middle Eastern tang to a salad...

Accra Shopping Mall

The Accra Shopping Mall was finally officially opened last Friday - even though there are still several spaces that are covered by the construction companies labels, but Accra has been and will continue to be patient. I guess the shops are being "dripped" to us the consumers one by one - sometimes there are tantalizing notices advertising the coming of one or another retail store, but sometimes not. So every weekend is in theory a discovery of something new?



From what I hear the rents are fairly high - at least for Accra - which has rather limited the local companies. And I do wonder how some of them are going to cover their costs, as there don't seem to be that many customers around - at least when I am there! But maybe they come in their numbers at other times... It will be interesting to see what happens over the next year or so.



I do wish that the movie theatre would be completed sometime. I guess it is the thought of being able to see a movie on a large screen that is tantalizing, instead of watching stuff on DVD (usually a pirate) or on satellite TV.



The other beef - shared by many I suspect - is the traffic control, and getting in and out of the Mall by car. I've learned my lessons the hard way; I refuse to hit the Mall after 11am on a Saturday or noon on a Sunday. Having spent nearly an hour and a half in total gridlock trying to get out twice, that was it. No more. I go there mid-morning on Saturdays... Combined with the chaos on the Spintex Road, with a not exactly wonderfully designed interchange, one does have to plan one's exit times. Will anything change or be improved? Well, we will see...

VAT receipts?

Last week I bought a service, and as it was not from the market, I asked for a receipt. And what I was given really shocked me. The receipt looked like something anyone could buy from a roadside stationery shop, with no stamp on it, and nothing to indicate that the service I had bought came from a particular company. I asked for a VAT receipt, and surprisingly got quite a confusing comment back about how much the receipt would be for, and how much service credit I would receive. I was torn, I admit it. Should I go for the cheap option, which obviously meant that my transaction did not go through that part of the accounting books that are seen by or submitted to the VAT service? No, I decided to stick it out, and after waiting for another 20 minutes got my VAT receipt.

But the experience did make me wonder, as it is not the first time that a similar type of incident has happened. How many times are people offered a choice: I can give you an ordinary receipt for x amount, or a VAT receipt, but you will have to pay an extra 15% or 3% (depending on what the rating is, or maybe which receipt book the company has)...

Yes I understand that the business environment isn't easy here, but nor is it for those of us who earn salaries and have taxes deducted at source...

Getting internet access at home

Even though I have access to the internet at work, for a while I have wished that I could also have it at home. Tried one of the local ISPs - OneTouch - with a wireless modem, but I think my laptop is getting a bit old, and the connection with the USB port seemed not to work most of the time.

Saw a good deal with iBurstAfrica who have recently come onto the scene here in Accra, and am seeing how that works out. I don't want to say anything really, apart from "I am keeping my fingers crossed", "touching wood" and all those kinds of things. I know I shouldn't be so superstitious, but in such matters I am.

Maybe this will inspire me to express myself a bit more online?