Kola Nuts
I read about kola nuts in the travel guide. They were described as a
mild narcotic that tends to be chewed by people in the predominantly
Muslim areas of northern Ghana since alcohol is forbidden. When I did
some further research on it, it turns out that they contain a good
amount of caffeine as well. So when I saw kola nuts in the market, I
picked a couple up at 20 pesowas each.
When I got home that evening, I carefully examined the kola nut. I took
a deep breath, bit into it and chewed. And I nearly threw up in my
mouth. Kola nut is undoubtedly the most bitter thing I have ever put in
my mouth. This is supposed to be the traditional gift presented to kings
(in addition to schnapps)? And who, upon tasting this, would make a
DRINK out of this? (Coca-Cola)
I quickly took a drink of water and swallowed the kola nut pieces in my
mouth. Most people would have stopped here, but no, determined that I
would acquire a taste for it, I took another bite and chewed. I
scrunched up my face. The bitterness was simply too much and I spat it
out. No euphoric effect either. I spoke to another Canadian yesterday
who had a similar experience, lots of bitterness, no euphoria.
I’ll have to stick to the mass quantities of Fanta I have been consuming
since arriving in Ghana.
April 6th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Jason, I’m so glad you did the research for me. I always wondered what kola nuts tasted like…now I know to stay away from them! Your comment about the Fanta reminded me of this article I read in Utne a month or so ago about a man and his girlfriend who went to Senegal and he found himself living off of Fanta and Laughing Cow cheese instead of booze and porn. If you get bored and need a chuckle, check it out:
http://www.utne.com/GreatWriting/The-Boil.aspx
April 7th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Nice effort! At least you can’t say you didn’t try!!!