Lagos: the new Dubai or simply dubious?

Among the honours conveyed upon countries, Dutch courage, French cuisine, German precision, Nigerian fraud is among the least endearing. The airport in Nigeria’s financial capital Lagos, where immigration is sub-divided into twenty needless interventions, interspersed by hours of queues, does little to re-endear the visitor. Numerous opportunities to accelerate one's passage with bribes only serves to reinforce Nigeria's swindling reputation. 

The drive between the mainland and Victoria Island however, provides a glimpse of Lagos’ potential; mangroves, shallow azure sea, wooden fishing boats, busy locals and a new marina. In the evening from the hotel, looking across the water towards the yachts and mansions of the few, I was reminded of the Florida Keys (the local beer may have played some part in this!) 

Dubai today

Lagos today

Forty years ago Dubai comprised a few scruffy buildings, a lot of sand, some sea and far too much heat. Mineral wealth and visionary leadership transformed Dubai into the desirable megalith it is today. Nigeria has the mineral wealth, more striking and diverse natural beauty and is arguably already further forward than the Dubai of forty years ago. Will Nigeria’s leadership grasp this opportunity, as the Emiratis did, or remain hamstrung by their dubious honour?

The big issue of ihram instability

Among the five big rules which govern the lives of Muslims is the requirement to visit Mecca once in a lifetime. There are get-out clauses for the poor (just as well in view of the visa prices) or infirm but generally a visit is to be bagged in the quest for paradise. Pilgrims follow strict rules including the requirement for men to wear ihram, a white rectangle wrapped (no stitching, no knotting) around the male person without the fettering of undergarments.

Despite clear demonstrations on u-tube showing tried and tested wrapping and fixing techniques, the majority of British pilgrims take a cavalier attitude to ihram stability. As a result, having run the gauntlet of the aircraft steps at Heathrow, all is in disarray by the time they reach seat 48B. If like me your employer requires you to regularly make the trip from Heathrow to Jeddah (the nearest airport to Mecca), I recommend facing forward, head motionless. Remember, eyes are nether-height when seated on an aircraft!

 

I once made an exception when a group of sporty, olive skinned students from Bradford joined me on the flight; only good manners to acknowledge and assist fellow countrymen on their holy endeavors!

The spiritualism of the sweet chestnut

Wait until they are brown and fallen from the tree

The transition from Superbrand to a twelve month 

Choose the fat, dark ones

sabbatical is underway. To kick start my stress-free, altruistic, spiritual*, organic existence, this afternoon’s task was to embrace the sweet chestnut. Our region of the Charente (see September 2013 – Back to 2002 and now full circle) is famous for sweet chestnuts which grow absolutely everywhere, I have learned (today) due to the granite adjoining the ‘cold lands’ of the neighboring Limousin region. Groups of cane-wielding locals can be seen foraging and filling their baskets daily in the autumn so I set out to follow them and despite lack of cane (whose purpose I was unable to deduce), I soon had a bagful. 

Ready for some cooking

Regarding the challenge of peeling the little blighters, I need not have feared; the preferred local method (reluctantly shared with a foreigner like me) is to cut a cross in the shell, plunge in cold water, bring to the boil for three minutes then remove. To my immense surprise, the peel came off each chestnut in one piece and a bowl of  energy rich, gluten free, low calorie, mineral abundant goodies sat atop the counter in minutes.

The healthy cookery possibilities are endless from chestnut and chocolate cake, through chestnut with venison or pork to soup, and all this abundance for no cost at all just outside the back door. I see Delia Smith recommends buying them vacuum packed; tish pish to Delia I say, not spiritual at all!

* in the context of the opposite of materialistic