Guests For Dinner

Archbishop Gregory, Rick and Mmathuba came for dinner here on Tuesday. And, among the stories told, we learned from the Archbishop that Jim's unpopular regulation of making all patients wait their turn before being seen by him in the clinic (hospital staff are notorious for squeezing into the schedule a variety of relatives and friends) was even in place 30 years ago when Jim was working in the Upper Region West. At that time, Gregory was Bishop of the Wa diocese. He was having a problem with his ears and had heard about the new young doctor up in Jirapa. When Gregory arrived, the Ghanaians were thrilled to have their Bishop visiting and swiftly brought him right over to be examined by Jim. And then, - "the rule" went into effect. To the utter dismay of the hospital staff, the good Bishop was made to wait his turn like everyone else. Evidently, the incident did no damage to the relationship because they've both kept in touch throughout the years.
For the meal, Godwin outdid himself in the kitchen and a combination of Ghanaian and American cuisine was enjoyed by all. I tried to contribute a salad made with "peelable" produce - cucumbers, avocado and sliced onion - but ended up with just the cucumbers. The avocado was spoiled, and the "sweet" onions I thought I bought at the market were so strong that I was afraid people would hesitate to even open their mouths to talk after eating them. Nonetheless, the dinner was a success and included mashed yams with a vegetable cream sauce, and boiled plantains with palava sauce (a mixture of spinach-like greens and local beans). Cordials of Takai and Amarula topped off the evening.