"SLC26-W1 | Street Business Diaries: Street Food and Snacks."
Street food is more than just a quick bite on a busy day, it’s a taste of our culture, a lifeline for many families, and a reminder that the best flavors often come from the simplest places.
From the smoky aroma of roasted corn and suya by the roadside to the exciting sound of akara in hot oil, these foods carry stories of survival and tradition. In every bite, you could feel a little piece of someone’s hard work, history, and a whole lot of heart felt emotions.
At the corner of Bariga market, there’s a woman known as Mama Ife. She sells roasted and boiled corn under a small umbrella that offers little protection from the sun. Her table is an old wooden bench, and next to it is a rusty drum cut in half, filled with charcoal for cooking her corn.
Every morning, she ties her wrapper tightly, puts a large pot of corn on to boil, and begins to arrange fresh corn for roasting for her daughter. The first thing that attracts you is the smell, the smoky sweetness of the roasting corn blending with the steam from the pot.
Mama Ife’s life has been tough. She once told me, while turning corn with her hands, “I started this business when my husband lost his job. We couldn’t afford rent, so we moved into a small room. Selling corn was the only option I had that required little money.” She began with just ten pieces of corn; now, she buys entire sacks from the farm. However, when the season ends, my children and I have to find something else to do.
 | Mama Ife selling corn to a customer |
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| Mama Ife arranging her daily sells |  |
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Even now, her earnings are modest. Sometimes rain spoils her day, leaving her corn unsold. Other times, the price of charcoal rises, forcing her to choose between buying fuel or more corn. Still, she always greets her customers with a smile.
I enjoy her boiled corn because it’s soft and sweet, and she only adds salt if asked. The bus drivers and conductors prefer the roasted corn, best enjoyed with coconut. She serves everyone with the same friendliness, chatting about local news or advising young boys not to waste their money. Most people like to eat the cooked corn with roasted native pear, which is quite pricey now.
In the evenings, when her pot is empty and the charcoal fire has gone out, she sits quietly, counting her earnings. It’s never a lot, but it’s enough to feed her children and keep them in school.
One day, I asked her if she ever considered quitting. She looked at me, shook her head, and replied, “No matter how small, this fire feeds my family. And as long as the fire dey hot, I dey here.”
Her roasted corn isn’t just food, it’s survival served with a smile.
What kind of street food is available in your city or area?
| Cooked groundnut |  |
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 | Roasted corn |
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There are thousand and one street food and snacks in my area people can just eat to satisfy hunger. We have;
• Cooked groundnuts
• Akara ball (fried bean cake)
• Suya
• Roasted corn
• Fries (plantain & yam)
• Fried burns
• Baked meat pie
• Drink and water etc... You know the food isn't complete without water.
These foods are available at every corner or street in Lagos. Lagos is a place where we have more of the street foods to eateries because lagosians prefer those simple street foods to any serious food, they say it helps them stay active and energized during the day.
Have you eaten these foods yourself? Show their taste and price in pictures+videos.
 | Enjoying some street snacks at home |
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 | Suya spot |
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 | Purchasing suya with some steemit friends |
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I eat these foods/snacks on daily basis especially the seasonal ones because they are not always available so I eat them when I see them.
Cooked corn is something I enjoy eating a lot because of its softness. It gives me a good communication with nature and helps me relax. Theses foods/snacks are not so expensive,with little amount of money, you can purchase them.
As we all know, these foods have no price tag or opening hours, since the sellers are the CEOs, they decide when to open and close, what price to sell their goods and who they sell to.
| Some foods/snacks | Price# | Steem price |
|---|---|---|
| • Cooked corn | 300 | 1.5 steem |
| • A cup of cooked groundnut | 200 | 1 steem |
| • Fried burns | 100 | 0.5 steem |
| • Baked meat pie | 500 | 2.5 steem |
| • Fried bean cake | 100 | 0.5 steem |
| • Fries | 100 | 0.5 steem |
| • A stick of suya | 500 | 2.5 steem |
What did you learn about the shopkeeper's struggle?
From Mama Ife, I discovered that street food vendors offer more than just food, they bring strength, patience, and hope every day. Looking and studying them, I realized that hard work doesn’t always equate to a lot of money, but it can mean survival. Even when profits are low, she continues to work because she knows her children rely on her.
I also learned that happiness can sometimes be a choice. Mama Ife laughs and jokes with her customers, even when the rain disrupts her day or prices rise. She decides to make people feel welcome, as that kindness might be the only bright spot in someone’s day.
Most importantly, I learned that persistence is a form of wealth. Whether the fire is strong or weak, she keeps roasting, keeps boiling, and keeps showing up. It’s a subtle lesson that you don’t need to be wealthy to be strong, you just need to keep moving forward.
What do you think about the importance of these small street food businesses in our society?
Street food plays a bigger role in society than most people realize because of it's affordable food for everyone. Street food gives people, especially those with low income, access to cheap food without spending much.
It creates employment and survival pitch for many sellers, like Mama Ife. Street food is a lifeline, it’s a small business that doesn’t need huge capital but can still feed a family, pay school fees, and cover rent. With it's cultural identity, every roasted plantain, suya stick, or akara ball tells a story of tradition. Street food carries local flavors and cooking methods that keep our heritage alive.
Street food brings social connections among people who stop to chat, laugh, and share news while waiting for their snacks. They bring neighbors and strangers together in simple ways.
Steem Atlas location #steematlas [//]:# (!steematlas 6.5358125 lat 3.3921875 long Bariga market d3scr)
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