Let’s play a game named: Live, Ditch, and Travel.
In this game, you are given three states in a country. From these states, you select one you would like to live in, another you would rather ditch, and one you would love to travel to.
Are you ready?
Let’s pick three renowned states in Nigeria; Port Harcourt, Lagos, and Abuja.
Before you make your selection, I’ll tell you mine. But, because nothing can top the scale of excitement when it comes to exploring new things, I’ll give one fact about the state I would travel to.
After a 10-Hour Road Trip to Port Harcourt, the state was still unknown with her own cultural system, social preference, tourist sites, and local delicacies to explore.
I was excited to see what Port Harcourt had up its sleeves and one discovery that would take me back there anytime is actually what the state is most popular for.
There are certain things that are regarded as facts in life like how you’ll die if you didn’t breathe or the knowledge that the sun is scorching. This is one of them: the best Bole is found in Port Harcourt.
Hear me out, prior to my experiencing the orgasmic taste of Port Harcourt’s bole and fish combination, I was largely indifferent to it.
Bole is a ripe or semi-ripe plantain that has been roasted on a metal mesh suspended over hot charcoal until it is well cooked on the inside and tan on the outside. Growing up, in Benin city, bole was sold by food merchants on the roadside with toasted groundnut. Although it is a nice combination, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
In Port Harcourt, Bole is like a standalone meal and sold in restaurants as part of the menu. It is usually served with spicy tomato and pepper sauce fried in palm oil giving it a unique taste loaded with spices alongside juicy and savory roasted fish. Together, the sweetness of the bole, the juiciness of the roasted fish, and the spiciness of the tomato sauce balance one another to give a sublime taste.
I can’t tell if it is because the tomato sauce is made with palm oil or this taste can only be unlocked in Port Harcourt because Bole anywhere else doesn’t taste like the variety I had in Port Harcourt.
Port Harcourt’s Bole and Fish delicacy are so popular there is a festival called The Bole Festival- a food celebration created in 2016 in dedication to this delicacy.
There is no better hangout than one crowned with food.
To celebrate the rich culture and heritage of the land, The Bole Festival is unrivaled in its scenic arrangement where people of all ages and social classes are joined for a day in laughter and sampling of culture through food.
The best bonds are created over food and shared experiences, and it is an experience to have once in your lifetime. Even better with a group of friends to point out all you miss on this unforgettable trip.
That been said, I would Live in Abuja (why not? The delights here also need a movie creation of its own), Ditch Lagos (No offense to this state that never sleeps), and Travel to Port Hartcourt.
What State would you Live in, Ditch, or Travel to?
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