"Hi. I'd like to order some snake soup and a Coke, please..."

February 7, 2011

Today I met Aki at Kafui’s shop (at Wli Waterfalls…super busy tourist spot). She sells our water sachet purses and we were taking her the new headbands the women are making.  We show her the headbands and she agrees to sell them and I pick her brain about batik making (she has been doing it for over 10 years; I was asking prices of the supplies for our batik group in Todome).  Aki and I of course shop because she has awesome stuff: batik, dresses, hats, bags, beads (tons!).  A tour bus arrives full of kids from Semester at Sea and they take over her shop.  So Aki and I play sales girls…it was fun!  We sold 4 of the 7 headbands we brought; and there were only 2 colors to pick from.  They bought some of the water sachet purses too.  Kick ass!

We’re sitting there and Kafui goes, “Oh, look they have got a snake.” Huh? So Aki and I go over to where these guys are stoking a fire and placing a 4 to 5 foot long boa or python (I can’t tell the difference) on the grill. They have chopped off its head and tail (they said the tail can be poisonous…I’ve never heard that…I’ll have to google) and are toasting it and scraping off the scales.  They said they were gonna make soup and would bring us some; apparently the meat is really sweet.  “Once you eat this, you will not take any other meat.  It is good.”  So we got back to Kafui’s and she had made banku and pepe for us.  Aki goes and buys us all a Coke and we sit and eat and discuss opening an on-line shop using Kafui’s products.  It was a great afternoon!   Koku, the carver next door, carves these cool leaf trays out of wood, so I told him I want to him to make me 1 big, 2 mediums and 2 smalls.  Some with the dark wood, some with the light, and some with the mahogany.  He’s cutting me a deal and charging me about $20 US for all of them.  He also sells hair combs made from wood with an elephant carved as the handle (it’s really a pick, not a comb) and it’s only $3.45 US.  So I tell him I’ll buy a comb next time (I spent all my money at Kafui’s) and that I would pick the leaves in August when my parents come so they can take it back to the U.S. for me (May to August is high tourist season so I wanted to make sure he knew to make some and hold them back for me).  As we’re hanging around Kafui’s I see a hat I like… 4 cedis.  “Ok, I’ll pick it next time, I’m out of money.”  “Oh, take it. It is for you.  For coming to see me today and doing business with me.”  I argue for a bit and then she just shoves it in my bag…she also shoves the one Aki’s been eyein’ in her bag. Geeze Kafui…you fed us, gave us each a free hat and pair of earrings… People here are so nice and giving.  I’m gonna have to take them some muffins next time I go.  And I really would like to work with her getting an internet shop set up when I head back to the U.S.

So around 3 Aki and I leave and the snake soup was not finished…so no snake for us.  I came back to Todome and told the women how fast the headbands sold and that they better be ready to start producing for here and the US…I already have a standing order for 15 headbands from my fam and we need to stock Kafui up before the May tourist season starts!  It was a fun and productive day…work days were never like this at home…

j