Jollof rice is not complete without fried plantain. Argue with me.

I have watched this debate for years and I have kept quiet for too long. The Yoruba say, enu eni la n wo, bi a ba n jeun. But today I must speak my mind. Jollof rice without dodo is like a wedding without music. It is there, but something is missing.

When I was in the civil service, we would go for end of year parties. The caterers would serve jollof rice with chicken and salad. But the wise ones among us would wait for the side table where they kept the fried plantain. Those who understood went straight there. The young ones who rushed to the main table, they would finish their food and still be hungry. Not because the rice was not enough, but because the meal lacked balance.

My wife of 38 years knows this. She will never serve jollof without dodo. Even our grandchildren, when they visit, they ask for dodo before the rice. The other day my son who lives in Lagos called me and said, Baba, I met a girl who says jollof is complete without plantain. I told him, my son, run. That girl will bring you trouble. If she cannot see the necessity of dodo, what else will she miss in life?

I know some of you will say I am old fashioned. That jollof stands on its own. That plantain is a distraction. But I ask you, when you go to a party and they serve jollof without dodo, do you not feel small small disappointment? Do you not look around for the man selling plantain outside the gate? Exactly. So tell me, is jollof ever truly complete without fried plantain?