Desperately seeking cassava puffs

Hi Everyone, I was planning to hopefully recreate a treat I’d eaten a few times from a snack lady while at secondary school. However, what I created was far removed from what I was expecting.

Let me take you back.

One fine morning when the bell rang at 10.15, my classmates and I, along with the rest of the school for that matter, headed in various directions – to the canteen, to the shop across the road, to the vendors outside the school gates and to the school caretaker’s wife who had her stall set up within the compound. The caretaker’s wife made the best cassava balls and eggs balls. And the sour was wicked. On that particular morning, in addition to the regular fare, I noticed that she had something in one of her clear plastic containers.  It had the same colour of the cassava and egg balls but it was shaped differently – oblong, broad and a little thick. When we enquired she told us it was cassava puff. My friend Sandra and I looked at each other (should we try it?).

20130119cynthia“How much is it?” asked Sandra, the lady looked up, “one dollar”. Sandra and I looked at each other again (what should we do? Blow the money we have on 1 cassava puff each or go for the usual – 2 cassava balls and still have some change?). We bought the cassava puffs.

We watched as the puffs were removed from the