Dear you,
I spent most of my Christmas watching videos of different Santa Clauses around the world. In some parts of Nigeria, they are called Father Christmas. It was interesting to see how people adjusted their version of Santa Claus to fit their environment, to truly enjoy his presence. It made me think about food.
how?
I really enjoy shawarma, especially the one from Chicken Capitol, Abuja. Every time I visit Abuja, I don’t miss it. When I moved to Lagos, the shawarma was a little different, but I found places I could live with. This also applies to Suya (a northern grilled meat delicacy). Interestingly, I was benchmarking my experience based on the one I really enjoyed. When I travelled outside Nigeria, I was curious to taste the shawarma from the people who owned the dish, Lebanese shawarma. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It was too different, too far from the shawarma I liked. Then I realized - oh! The Nigerian shawarma is prepared with Nigerian spices, I recognized, so it’s easier to love and enjoy what feels familiar. Maybe that’s why we love Nigerian Jollof over Senegalese Jollof. Nigerian shawarma over Lebanese shawarma. Nigerian Chinese food over authentic Chinese food (I know it sounds weird, but I have seen someone tweet this, and they are not wrong). Your palette expands and develops with exposure, but some things taste better because they taste like home.
bringing this back to Santa Claus
The Nigerian Santas I watched on Twitter were entertaining; they didn’t have big gifts to offer, but they provided the gift of entertainment. Watch this and this. It cemented something I have always believed - every advice you get; you need to apply to your own context. This actually goes beyond advice, even the things you consume. Think about it as ingredients for you to create your own recipe in a way that gives you the most satisfaction and results. You don’t have to do it the way everyone else does. You can also apply this to how we use social media. Every idea is a tool. Social media is a tool. Advice is a tool. How we use it and execute it makes all the difference. Always ask yourself, how can I apply this to my own context and get it to work for me?
I curated a goal-setting workbook (you can get it here), and I have seen people use it in the best way that works for them every year. It’s just an ingredient. It’s up to you to transform it into something you’ll enjoy. And I hope this offers you a new and improved perspective as you navigate 2023.
With Love,
Blessing Abeng