Atoto bibi!

This is the most commonly used Ewe phrase in the homebase. It means 'pineapple is delicious' and alludes to the almost never-ending supply of fresh pineapple that is laid out for us - and really is delicious. As is nearly everything that we are served. Our diet, you might have picked up, is a little unvaried but probably one of the most healthy and balanced I have eaten for ages.

The lunch and dinner menu (there is no distinction) consists of:
Beans - nearly always
Chicken - nearly always, sometimes substituted with beef or grasscutter (a large rodent) all of which I have eaten without asking too many questions (the level of shock you experience may depend on how well you know me).
Fried plantain = often
Yams or potatoes - often
Pasta - occasionally
Rice - usually
pineapple - always
Watermelon - sometimes
Apples - never :o(

This last ingredient is possibly the only thing I miss - I have not seen an apple in Hohoe yet, although we did stock up on our way through Accra last weekend.

So there is an exhaustive list of what we eat. It is of course possible to buy other safe (packaged and tinned) food and even sweets if you look hard, which I do. There are no large food stores locally but there are market type stalls and small grocery shops - packed from floor to ceiling with an assortment of convenience food. One of these stores is called 'affordable', ironic considering that while prices in Ghana are normally very low, here you can pay the equivalent of twice as much as you would pay at home for a few familiar groceries.

On the whole, Ghanaian food is something to be wary of, mainly due to its preparation. The regular sickness is understandable when you see food sitting in the sun all day or the meat, a distinctly rotten looking kind of blue, waiting to be added to the grill. The food at the homebase can be entirely trusted (John has to be the most vigilant cook going) but we are advised not to eat out unless a restaurant has a good track record. The safest option is probably vegetarian (if cooked) - more rice and beans then!