I was in Lagos for a brief training before my NYSC, and there was this guy who kept asking me to join him for lunch. He was so persistent, and I granted his wish one fateful afternoon.
Immediately, we stepped out of the training center, and he started asking what I wanted for lunch. He suggested pie, pizza, ice cream, and others, which made me laugh uncontrollably.
I asked where we could get local meals, and he said there was a place around Ojota, so we went immediately. I teased him about his previous suggestions, and he was like, Why would a tiny lady like me love local foods?" He was expecting me to choose burgers and other junk food, but they are not my food.
I ordered two small wraps of pounded yam and big fish with cold water. Without exaggerating, my host spent more than 15 minutes staring at me while I emptied my plate. I get that weird reaction from people whenever I request local meals outside, and it still baffles me why.
If asked a million times, I will always choose proper food over junk. I am not against junk food because I eat it as well, especially when I don't have options for proper food, but it's not often.
Why do I choose proper food over junk?
My mom is a nurse, and she always complains about junk food. She would quarrel with my dad for buying junk and prevent us from eating it, as we would have done. I remembered when I was new to my monthly flow, the cramps always felt like the whole world was against me, and Mom would blame me for doing junk.
I gradually desisted from junk, and getting mature just turned off my interest in junk. I preferred cooked or homemade meals, and they would always be my first choice.
The health implications of eating junk food are terrible, and they include obesity and many other diseases. Although eating junk didn't help me add weight but what if it's doing some other damage? I do tell slim people who consume junk food that just because nothing would make them fat doesn't mean junk is healthy for us.
Eating junk is not healthy, and we must be very careful about the things we eat. We may seem fine now, but we don't know what the future will look like.
All the food images belong to me.
Junk food may seem like fast food, and we don't have to go through any stress for it, but we are paying more than normal for it. Do you know what the cost of a big pack of pizza is in Nigeria?
I can still make a decent meal for three with that money, so how is junk cheaper when it takes more from us?
Finally, junk can be very addictive, and I get it when people express how difficult it can be for them to quit permanently. It takes discipline and determination to let go, or else health complications will force us to quit one day.
Despite being tired after a stressful day at school, I still made eba for my leftover soup. Homemade or proper food will always be the best.
