Goodybest's Diary Friday 28th June 2024: Shopping Fresh Seafood and The Seaside (Ifiayong Market)

Dear Diary,

Friday was amazing 🤩 I took a trip with my elder Sis, younger bro, and his wife @blessedbee to the seaside Ifiayong market to purchase some fresh seafood for dinner. It was a beautiful bright day, I got up early and prepared my kids for school. We took Rice and stew with chicken pepper soup for breakfast and when my kids left I announced my contest winners and initiated a new contest too.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, my brother and his wife came around 10 in the morning, I got prepared and we left at 10:30 AM the sky was blue, and a warm sun beaming down on my face.

We drove down and picked up my Sis who waited for us, I was excited to get to the market and see what was available, you know the seafood at the seaside market is the freshest and most delicious.

With my baby	With my Sis in love

Unfortunately, my excitement was short-lived. As it started raining as soon as we arrived at the market, the sky turned dark and ominous, My brother took my Princess and his baby back to the car, while my sister and I continued with our plan. The truth is that we couldn't resist The thought of fresh seafood for dinner, it was too tempting, coupled with the fact that our old-time family friend would visit us in the evening, and we intended to welcome them with a delicious seafood soup So, we pulled up our hood and braved the rain.

The market was a crowded and bustling place, even in the rain. The market women were calling out to customers, advertising their catches of the day. The smell of saltwater and freshly caught fish filled the air. My Sis and I made our way through the throngs of people, dodging puddles and trying to find the best deals on seafood.

Curl snail	crab 🦀

The first Seller we visited had a beautiful site of Crap, curl snails 🐌 and periwinkles, Both the crabs and snails were still alive, moving around in their baskets a sign that they were fresh. We picked out some and paid the seller.

Next, we headed to the stall that sells clams it was a little more expensive than usual, we were told that it was not its season but it was worth it. The vendor picked out a few dozen of the biggest and freshest clams for us and packed them up carefully.

As we continued our search for fresh seafood, the rain started to subside. We bought Fresh Peppers and hot leaves we will be using for cooking too.

The next vendor had a variety of fish on offer. But we went for a very big jumbo catfish, this species of catfish is known for its distinct delicious taste, the fish was still breathing, a sign that it's not been long since it was caught, and this was the most expensive, we were told that the ocean water is becoming bigger because of heavy rainfall, and fishes are scarce now, that is why they are costly. We negotiated the price and reached a conscientious agreement. She cut the fish into pieces for us and we paid her.

Finally, we made our way to the vendor that sold snails. We couldn't simply resist buying some, because it would add to the special treat we were planning, they were still alive and crawling, so we paid for them and finally left.

By this point, the rain had stopped, and we made our way back to the car, which was parked a few blocks away, my brother and his wife were waiting for us. As we got into the car, we felt a sense of relief. We had made it through the rain and had all the seafood we needed for dinner.

^{Ifiayong river}

On the ride home, my sister requested we drive down to her workplace, she needed to pick up a bag of Rice, on my part I couldn't stop thinking about the amazing meal I was going to eat for dinner.

Selfie with my siblings	Alone while at the hospital

Leaving there we drove down to my kid's school to pick them up because it was past 3 in the afternoon, reaching home I relaxed a bit and we all ate and showered and then moved to my elder Sis place, yeah which was where the cooking took place, she dropped on the way while coming back from the hospital to go prepare the meal.

^{On our way}

It was night when we got there, and the food was ready! It was a classic seafood boil, with catfish, clams, curl snails, periwinkles, snails, and okra! The hot leaves that were added to them bring out their natural flavor. It started to rain again, but we were not disturbed because we were safe, warm, and dry inside the house, with the delicious smells of seafood filling my sister's kitchen and the sound of rain lulling me into a state of peace and contentment.

We sat down together and ate the meal, our visitors really enjoyed it too, I felt grateful for the bounty of the sea and the simple pleasures of a delicious home-cooked meal on a rainy day. We were discussing how that particular species of catfish was so delicious 🤤, after eating we were discussing till Midnight before I retired for the day.

Well, though the rain makes it a bit difficult to go to the seaside market to buy the seafood, it is totally worth the effort and inconvenience, I'm grateful to God almighty who made the seafood for us to enjoy! It was an adventure on its own that culminated in a delicious meal with my family. Thanks for reading me!