so grateful

I am enjoying the bits of Ghanaian cuisine that I’ve had so far but even the most “mild” dishes tend to burn my oesophagus and leave my mouth on fire for days following - so I’m trying to break in slowly.  Not quite ready to attempt the raw veggie scene (though I did successfully mow down 2 delicious bunches of green beans I found at the market without tummy troubles), eating well has been a bit of a challenge here for me.  Most of the dishes are made up of meat and rice, or another Ghanaian starch like banku or fufu; sub out the meat in any dish you’re usually left with… well, a starch on its own.  Not so ideal for vegetarians.

This weekend we took a road trip out to Basua, about a half hour from Takoradi – it was so beautiful.  We ordered lunch from a man, Nana, that we met, but again, the only vegetarian option was rice.    

After we finished our lunch, a small boy who could not speak came to our table naked except for a dirty, ripped t-shirt.  He started silently grabbing single grains of rice off our table that we’d spilled and devouring them like they would somehow disappear if he didn’t get them fast enough.

Spotting a woman with a box of treats balanced on her head, we decided to buy as many donuts as we could for the kids that started to surround our table.  When I gave the boy his donut, he made me keep it in my hand and eat it as I held it as if it was too risky to have in his own hands.  The other kids laughed at this, but I found nothing but heartbreak about having a child literally eat from my palm.  The boy then grabbed onto me and walked me down the street pointing at food.  The locals said he could hear but not speak.  A woman dished out some rice and sauce for him and she took him behind the houses to eat it away from the other children.  I paid the woman and thanked her and we left. 

I am grateful that boy showed just after I let myself be frustrated at the thought of only eating rice again for my meal.  I am so thankful for him for reminding me that every grain of rice truly is a gift and I know that I will never, ever take for granted a meal that I am so fortunate to have.  I will think of that boy often and I hope somehow that he knows what a lesson in gratitude he shared with us all that afternoon.