SLC26-W1 | Street Business Diaries: Street Food and Snacks

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•	The street food in my city

The street is blessed to have Eka junior as she is fondly called, she puts in all efforts to make a popular street food for people in the street. There are many street food stalls and stands selling different foods like grilled chicken and plantain, yams and sauce, and so on.

Eka junior's food is different; this is a special treat taken by almost every Nigerian family in the morning before they begin their day. Akara and Pap is a locally made food that most people love. Akara, which is globally known as bean balls, is made from beans. After different processing, it is fried into bean balls. Pap, on the other hand, is similar to custard; it is made from corn. My mom produces pap when we have a lot of corn.

When we were kids, we used to see Akara and pap sellers hawking this food about in the street, with happiness, we would call them to come in while my father made a purchase.

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Akara

Akara is made by grinding beans to powder form, but since water is added gradually, it won't have that powder feel. It is then introduced to a mortar, where a second stage grinding will take place to remove or break down crumbs and also mix with other ingredients like;

• salt
• onions
• pepper

Since it will be fried, your vegetable oil should be hot. The secret to making your Akara have that round, smooth surface is by using a deep pot, which will make the "Beans mix" float while it dries. Akara has vast nutritional values like proteins and fats/oils, which are much required by the body for healthy living.

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Pap

This is very commendable to eat every morning, it provides us with the required Starch. It is made from maize/corn, which is ground in the same way as the bean balls. After grinding, you will gradually introduce water to it and sieve out the shaft, then you will gradually remove water from the residue by pressing for several hours or days.

It is served with Beans, Akara, and bread. You can add sugar and milk to taste better.

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•	How I enjoyed this meal

I was very determined to go visit this small street food stall, as we moved early around 8am, my brother and I got there and we asked for the price of each item. I was shocked to know how pocket-friendly it was, you wouldn't spend more than 4 Steems and you're already filled. The frying was in process while the pap was already made in a cooler to keep it hot.

Akara is a very tasty snack, a bit crunchy on the top and soft inside, I took a good bite off it. The pap, on the other hand, is a bit sour. Of course, it slaps; that's why sugar is added. You can enjoy it with only sugar, but I love to add milk most times, which gives it a soothing and sweet taste.

You can enjoy your Akara with bread, or with pap,/custard, or even both. I tried both. For your pap, you can take it with a break, snacks, beans, and so on. You're not limited to what you can eat with this street food. I was very satisfied with the food, it was a 10 for me.

I looked in the stall and I found people in there ordering this food. Fried bean balls were already out of stock, so they had to fry more. We made our order and sat outside. The stall is just an option for people who can't comfortably eat in an open space.

I saw people coming in groups to purchase both the pap and the bean balls. I saw people with different professions, I saw bikers, government workers, tailors, and so on getting to this street food point before leaving for work. Truly, this street food gives energy to the people.

To start their day, they have to get that morning energy. The comforting part is that this meal can satisfy you for hours before you could even think of eating again. You will save yourself cool cash while eating to your satisfaction.

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•	Prices

	Pap per plate	N300/ 1.5 Steems

	Akara	N100/0.5 Steems for each

•	Additionals

	Choco (N200/1 Steems	bread(N100/ 0.5 Steems

Can you believe I was able to get this meal for me and my brother for a very small amount? The total price for the whole food is;

• N1200 Naira
• 6 steems

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•	The Shopkeepers Struggle

Waking up every morning as early as 3am to being disturbed by the buzzing sound from the grinding machine, they line up to get their beans ground so they can prepare this meal for workers who will be leaving early. The struggles from not enjoying their full sleep to turning the bean crumbs into mortar.

Another thing I noticed is how the woman frying was adjusting at intervals; she was scorched by the heat and flames from the fire, while the smoke was choking her. This is the same heat engineers working close to flares' faces, which makes them take milk most of the time. The exposure to this heat is not good and she's risking her health to this.

Another thing I was able to notice was how customer-friendly they were. She has two sons who give her all the support she needs. She was frying while the sons were attending to the customers. He made sure he attended to everyone.

While performing different tasks, like making the pap, listening to people's orders, and also serving them, they still satisfied their customers' needs at the moment. More people were still coming, and she was out of Akara already. She had to plead with them to make more the next day, and they should also come early.

I learnt a lot already from their struggles in the business in that small moment.

• Humility: One of the customers yelled, but her response was very professional; she said Sorry, sir, but in a wider scenario, she's older than the man, she was just showing humility and class in her business.

• Diligence: She was very determined to work; she would wake up as early as 3am to start preparing, and she is committed to her work. If I can be diligent in whatever I'm doing, I would probably see progress.

• Perseverance: They might have been setbacks that tried to draw her back, but she's always looking at the bigger picture.

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•	Importance of these street businesses

Street food is so important in society, as it is a quickly made food that you can purchase at a low cost.

• Low cost: street foods are not sold at high prices compared to foods in cafes, which is important in society because you can eat a meal for a low amount.

• Quick preparation: street foods are quickly done and fresh

These small street businesses are cherished in the street, and people are always ready to patronize what you sell, depending on how well you present it.

We should always appreciate the efforts of small street food businesses, who put in all their time and effort to ensure that we have a good taste of food.