The Dairy Game 10/10/2024 The Garri Frying Chronicles 😌🤗🔥

Hello, good evening! I hope you all had a wonderful day. I woke up extra early today because it was garri frying day. When I got up, I found that my uncle had already split firewood.

He also cleared out the ashes from the fire pit, creating a deeper space for the firewood to catch and burn more freely.

After that, he dug up some mud and mixed it, which we used to build the fire side. Constructing the fire pit in this way helps prevent excess heat from reaching the person frying the garri, while also trapping heat so the pan gets hotter, allowing the garri to cook more efficiently.

While my uncle worked on building the fire pit, I hurried off to get the red oil we would use for frying.

By the time I returned, he had placed the pan over the fire, and we began breaking the garri into smooth particles. When garri is tied up to remove excess water, it forms thick lumps that need to be broken apart before frying.

My uncle started frying the garri, adding red oil to the pan and stirring constantly until it was dry. If garri is removed from the fire too early, without drying properly, it won’t last long and will spoil easily unless it's regularly sun-dried.

As my uncle continued frying, I kept scattering the lumps. Then, I heard my neighbor’s child crying and distracting his mother. To calm him down, I took a lump of garri and went over to him, asking if he could help me.

You know how kids can be! He stood there crying, watching me. I cut a piece of garri and placed it in his hand, then sat next to him and started scattering the garri. In no time, he stopped crying! He even bent down and began copying what I was doing, and just like that, the crying stopped.

I asked him to follow me back to where I was working, and he took my hand. Though he isn't talking yet, he understands his mother's language. Since we live in the same compound, I arranged a chair for him, and we got busy.

One moment, he was helping me, and the next, he was building little structures with the garri lumps. He even started throwing some on the ground! I had to ask him to stop, but it was still fun working with him. Children can be so absorbed in their own little worlds! 😂 I thanked him for coming.

After he left, I continued working while my uncle kept frying. When a batch was ready, I would take it out of the kitchen to air it.And when it has aired enough I will remove and put in a bag.

This was our routine until we finished around 7 p.m. We successfully fried one bag and will continue with the rest tomorrow.

I took a bath soon after. It was a hectic day, and I’m so grateful my uncle was around to help. I don’t know what I would have done without him. That’s it for today! Good night, everyone, until my next diary entry.