One of the things I like about our new school is that instead of a cafeteria we have a “food court.” Since classes started this week I’ve been getting my lunch from the Indian food stand. They sell saffron rice, somozas, paratha rolls, and chicken lollipops. Yesterday lunch was fried rice and chicken suya, a popular Nigeria streetfood, and boy was it spicy. For a change I decided to have roast chicken and cheese on panini sandwich, and it was yummy and went well with the fresh fruits that our cook packed for me.

Now our cook is terrific, too. We only eat lunch at the cafeteria cause we want to observe the students. But after school we can’t wait to check what the cook has prepared for dinner. We certainly enjoyed her chili, baked fish, beef suya, and chicken curry. And she’s not bad with baked goodies either. My personal favorite are the tortilla that she cuts and bakes into chips with lots of garlic. I didn’t even need to dip these in the salsa sauce she also prepares. Today she had cinnamon rolls waiting for us when we got home.

I cn’t wait to see what else she’d make. It seems we can continue to enjoy the same dishes and some new ones here in Lagos. She always has a fresh bowl of salad and fruits in the fridge. The fruits here are actually sweet. James ate two bananas one night, when he used to only take a nibble or two. He also enjoys sucking and chewing pineapple bits. I love green apples but usually don’t have much after Brian picks the fruit bowl first. It’s that good.

We finally had a chance to check out the commisary yesterday, and it was disappointingly smaller and nt as well stocked as the one in Islamabad. Of course the one in Lagos is for consulate personnel only, and the one in Islamabad is part of the embassy compound. So I think we’ll be spending most of our grocery money on the local groceries, supermarkets, and wet markets. Fortunately there seems to be several to choose from, and they don’t necessarily carry the same brands. Our favorite is actually a 5-minute walk from our flats, the “Try N’ Carry” mini-mart. It reminds us of Harold’s in Islamabad, and their prices are more reasonable. So we’re not going to worry too much if I decide to cook and need some spices or rice.

I stumbled on this wonderful portal, http://www.paknamweb.com, to many good websites about Thailand and all things Thai (food, language, photos, blogs, etc.) while searching for the recipe for tom yum gong. I wish I knew about this site when I was new to Thailand. One particular site, http://enjoythaifood.com makes me wish I could go back there again and eat all the dishes featured in the picture menu, videos, and blog. I guess I’ll have to settle for the one day of stopover we have flying to and from Islamabad this summer.

Tags: Thailand, Thai, recipes, food

One of the things I enjoy about living in PSU campus is checking out the food in the various restaurants, a good number of which are just within 1-2 blocks from our dorm. Just across the street is a Lebanese restaurant. There are also Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Mexican just around the corner, not to mention McDonalds down the street. College students must always be in a hurry though because most places offer meals to go or in smaller portions, so it’s no wonder that all four pizzerias we’ve been to sell pizzas in slices. Our favorite of all is Pizzicato, where we eat almost everyday. Can’t help it, as I love crispy thin crust pizza and they have the best. I also enjoy their spinach salad.