I'm still in Ghana. Today, I mostly worked (again!). I'm reading a book about soldiers so that I can make a better class for when I go to teach some soldiers about how they should related to people who aren't soldiers. That will be during the time that you're here with Grammy and Grampy - but the school for soldiers is near the beach! So I'll meet you there afterwards. But I took a break to go down to the mall to get a faster modem for the flat, and they had flour at the store! I've been looking for a while - some times getting things you need here is a little like a puzzle.
And I've been collecting the pieces for cookies!
COOKIES TO SHARE
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| From Where in the World is Dad? |
1. Arrive at your flat to find a brand-new gas cooker, but not gas.
2. Point out to the university that they are supposed to provide you gas.
3. They will tell you there is a fuel shortage. This is true. But it is also code for "you are on your own for gas."
4. Note that the other Fulbright's dept. got him gas. Sigh. Ask the driver you know to fill your fuel tank when he finds gas.
5. Have gas. But no matches. And no fuel hose to connect the gas to the cooker.
6. Borrow matches from the other Fulbrighters... who have gas, but a broken cooker. Find out that the registry has your hose, for some reason.
7. Let the gas cooker sit for a bit, because you have an electric hot plate on loan, and gas is a little scary.
8. Look everywhere for flour. Everyone carries bread, but no one has flour. Hunh.
9. Hook up the cooker. It works, even though it makes an intimidating "foomp" when you light it.
10. Find flour! But no chocolate chips. Buy a chocolate bar to break up. Resolve to make cookies. Get some baking powder to split with your colleague, because it comes in a large tin.
11. Cream 1/2c butter and 3/4c sugar together.
12. Combine 1 1/8c flour, 1/2t baking soda and 1/2t salt. Be glad you bought both soda and powder, because you really thought cookies took baking powder. What takes baking powder, then? Maybe biscuits. Or corn bread.
13. Light oven by poking a match into a tiny hole that hisses with gas. Carefully.... "foomp."
14. So... no temp gauge. Only "lots of fire" and "not so much fire after all." Wing it.
15. Beat one egg into butter and sugar. Add dry ingredients.
16. Break up one chocolate bar. Eat two squares, stir the rest in.
17. Make into small balls and place on cookie sheet.
18. Put in oven.
19. Come in to check on cookies. They're not done yet. Realize that you remember the cooker guide advising you not to run the hose behind the cooker, which you did.
20. Resolve to fix it later. In the meanwhile, since the hose is getting a little hot, try to loop it so it's a bit further away from the back of the cooker than it is.
21. Accidentally disconnect hose from cooker, spraying pressurized propane around wildly. [Say words not repeatable in a blog for your daughter.]
22. Quickly turn gas tank regulator knob to "off" position.
23. Gas does not turn off!
24. In desperation, twiddle knob furiously.
25. Discover that the manual for the regulator completely reverses the "on" and "off" positions (not labeled on the regulator itself). Safe!
26. Hope that not too much gas has been previously leaking into your kitchen, since at least all the oven burner knobs were off.
27. Hey, cookies are pretty much done!
28. Let cool.
29. Bring a couple over to the nice people who live across the hall.
30. Hand one more to the prof who lives down the other hall, who you don't see much, but who stops by when you're talking through your window to the woman from across the hall, who came by to thank you.
31. Check again for no gas smell in the kitchen.
32. Breathe a sigh of relief.
33. Go back to reading about soldiers.
you must *really* like cookies to go to all that trouble. If you are unsure about a gas connection check for leak with soapy water not a match! Check to see if you have pilot lights as if so light or turn off. I hear we will have a kitchen at our apartment? Mom is busy making things nice at home for M & R. Love, dad
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