Daytrips to the heart of Yorubaland - Osogbo, Ado Ekiti - a tale of food and palmwine

Just got home from a visit to my job in Ogun State and upon unpacking my bag found: three guavas, a pawpaw, two grapefruits, one pineapple, a salad with dressing, three pairs of costume earrings...guess I'm really in the mood for fruits...turned on the inverter so I could use my laptop to tell you that, "washed my hands" euphemistically speaking, and chugged some palmwine.

In the past few days, I've done two short trips to Oshogbo and then Ekiti.  I still have one wrap of aadun left from Ekiti and one 50cl bottle of palmwine.  Bought the pammie on the road, sipped some on the 4.5 hour trip.  Got back in town and went straight for some pounded yam and edikaikong at my usual poundo joint.  Sipped a little more after. 

The aadun from Ekiti is, as usual, wonderful.  It's better than the one I bought in Oshogbo that was wrapped in  cellophane instead of whatever mysterious leaves, and ran with palm oil instead of holding it together. I don't love beans, but I love aadun which is made from beans, corn...

The best thing I ate on either trip was a breakfast in Ado of "dodo oniyeri" - basically fried plantains  embedded in a fat egg omelette.  It was served with a (shredded) fish stew.  Lovely.

Not sure where one can get good aadun in Lagos; or palmwine (although there's decent, bottled palmwine abroad), or dodo Ikire.  Dodo oniyeri seems really easy to make at home though. 

Foods:
- Dodo Ikire is sold at Ikire.  Maybe next time I'll fall in love with it.  Recipes - stylish, ghetto options.

Dodo Ikire

- Dodo Oniyeri - An awesome invention.  Yummy.  Recipe?

- Aadun - Not sweet, but excellent and super-nutritious.  Recipe.  Aadun must contain red beans, don't listen to those who say it's made primarily of corn; they don't know what they're talking about.  

Pictures:
I attended the Osun Osogbo festival for the first time ever.  Good times.  Great town. 

Talking drums; drummers

Priestess?

Palace art depicts this most important festival

Arugba on the left, drummer by the door

Chiefs or royalty?

Powerful clique

Serelu Agbo, Agbara agbo, l'osun fi n wo omo re ki dokita o to de

Man clutches god

The face of a drum

Arugba in top right of this picture

Arugba in center of this photo

Arugba this year is a short girl

More music

More people; now within the grove, nearing the river

White is the colour of Osun

Near the grove entrance

Grove entrance - World Heritage Site

Dance dance dance - je ka jo

Guy set up a little ring-throwing game - it's like a carnival

You know it's Ekiti when there are hills all around:
 

The tussle over love

Source
NIGERIA AND STUPIDITY. WE SAY KILL A GAY FOR HIS SEXUAL IMMORALITY
BUT WE LEGALISED POLYGAMMY WHICH IS ALSO A SEXUAL IMMORALITY,
COMMIT FORNICATION,ADULTERY,MASTURBATION,
DO WIFE INHERITANCE,
INDECENT DRESSING,
WATCH PORNOGRAPHIES IN SECRET,
READ ROMANCE NOVELS AND PORNOGRAPHIC MAGAZINES,
PLAY IMMORAL MUSIC LIKE DISCO,POP,
VISIT PROSTITUTES,
EXPORT PROSTITUTES TO ITALY
AND FINALLY
LEGALISED PAEDOPHILIA.
WHAT A COUNTRY OF MORALISTS.
THE ONLY THING IN NIGERIA IS HYPOCRISY. ALL THESE THINGS ARE DEFENDED BECAUSE IT OS OUR RELIGION OR CULTURE. WHEN DID SIN AGAINST JESUS CHRIST BECOME RELIGION OR CULTURE.
THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST IS CLEAR ON SEXUAL SINS.HE SAID,NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU,GO AND SIN NO MORE. POPULAR OPINION DOES NOT NECESSARILY ME THE RIGHT OPINION.
THE POPULAR OPINION IS NIGERIA IS KILL A GAY,JAIL A GAY, BUT AWARD CHIEFTAINCY TITLES TO NATIONAL LOOTERS AD CRIMINAL POLITICIANS.
MEANWHILE WE HAVE EMBELLISHED OUR OWN IMMORALITIES AND CALLED THEM CULTURE AND TRADTION AND RELIGION AND ONLY TARGETED THE IMMORALITY OF SODOMITES AND GOMORITES.
JESUS CHRIST DID NEVER PREACH THAT A GAY SHOULD BE KILLED OR IMPROSONED BUT ALL INVOLVED IN IMMORALITY SHOULD COME BACK TO HIM IN REPENTANCE ,INCLUDING THOSE WHO COMMIT THERE'S IN THEIR HEARTS. THAT IS THE POSITION OF THE POPE AND THE PLAIN TRUTH NIGERIANS DONT WANT TO HEAR BECAUSE THEY ARE HYPOCRITES WHO THOUGHT THEIR OWN IMMORALITIES IS LESSER THAN HOMOSEXUALITY AND GAYISM.

How to learn Arabic

To learn Arabic for the first time, I recommend the following steps:

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STEP ONE: Alphabet
Work through the following fantastic book slowly and thoroughly:The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read and Write It by N. Awde and P. Samano
Then do the whole book again.
By now you have a vocabulary of 100+ words, and you know how to transliterate anything.

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STEP TWO: Intermediate
To increase vocabulary and learn proper pronunciation, I met with a native Arabic speaker for study (roughly two hours per week for twenty weeks.)  With his guidance, I started to read short paragraphs in Arabic. 
I also did some exercises in Alif Baa by K. Brustad et al (book with audio CD, writing exercises, and listening exercises.) I didn't find this book very useful, but it's better than nothing.
For the next year-and-a-half, I didn't study any Arabic, but I hoped for an opportunity to visit the Middle East.

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STEP THREE: Immersion
I attended an Arabic language immersion program in the Middle East. After one month of studying Arabic in Yemen, I could write short essays and hold simple conversations with native speakers.

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STEP FOUR: Keeping it going
To learn some more grammar, I plan to study Standard Arabic: An Elementary-Intermediate Course by E. Schulz et al.
In addition, I intend to find opportunities to practice conversing with native speakers. It may also be helpful play the Alif Baa CD, or Arab music in the background at home while doing other things so I can keep learning.
I'll try to read some children's stories online at the International Children's Digital Library.
And of course, I hope to return to the Middle East. 

Bakkar Loves School

NOTE: This post is from my (old Caltech page) archive.  I first wrote it in 2006.  I still highly recommend these fun and easy steps.  For Step Two find audio and video material on youtube, piratebay e.g. "arabic language", "pimsleur")