Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

_This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, this week's subjects: Embracing Elegance, Copypaste copy paste, the treasures of our heritages, and Spaghetti, Indomie and ramen _

Embracing Elegance: June Fashion Trends in West Africa: June ushers in a wave of vibrant colors, lively patterns, and rich cultural expressions in West African fashion. The region's sartorial offerings are a kaleidoscope of tradition and modernity, blending ancient techniques with contemporary designs to create a unique style that captivates onlookers worldwide. Let's delve into the exciting world of June fashion in West Africa, where every garment tells a story and every accessory adds a touch of elegance. The Influence of Tradition: In West Africa, traditional fabrics like Ankara, Kente, and Adire continue to hold a special place in the hearts of fashion enthusiasts. These fabrics are not mere pieces of cloth; they represent centuries of cultural heritage and craftsmanship. In June, you'll find these fabrics adorning garments in a myriad of styles, from flowing maxi dresses to tailored suits, each design reflecting a deep respect for tradition while embracing the innovative spirit of contemporary fashion.

Copy paste copy paste, the treasures of our heritages. In blog nr. 93, 29th March 2024, I mentioned that foreigners, for lack of their own original fashion ideas, are now massively copying our African designs, and our traditional cultural expressions, and incorporating them into their own fashion offers to their customers, unfortunately without even giving any acknowledgment as to the origin. You've probably heard about Sirigu village near Bolga where Mama Melanie Kasise tries to preserve the old art (Bambolse) of using natural paints to decorate their clay houses. This was done by the women, and a properly decorated house was a sign of a good housewife. Max Mara has at least stolen our colors, see the dress on the left. Go and argue. So our local designers should make a maximum effort to get their stuff out there and labeled as made in Africa so that we get our due and our financial returns.

Spaghetti, Indomie and ramen. They appear to be virtually the same but there are some interesting differences. Spaghetti is part of the very large pasta family and is made from milled wheat and water, eggs can be added, and sometimes it is enriched with vitamins and minerals. Italian spaghetti is typically made from durum wheat. Here is the first indication of quality differences, hence price differences. This pasta comes in various thicknesses, spaghettoni is a thicker form while spaghettini is thinner. Capellini is a very thin spaghetti, while vermicelli refers to intermediate widths, Originally, spaghetti was about 2-3 feet long, but today 25–30 cm (1 foot) length is more common. A huge variety of pasta dishes are based on it, most popular are tomato sauce, meat, or vegetables. Indomie is a (now) popular brand name for a certain type of noodles, a Chinese variant on spaghetti, and there are about 1,200 types of noodles in China, made from wheat flour and grains such as millet, sorghum, and oats, even rice flour and mung bean starch. And then there is ramen, made of wheat flour, salt, water, and a type of alkaline mineral water containing sodium carbonate, and this gives it its distinct appearance, it has a more springy chewier texture. Amongst all this, Italian pasta is my biggest interest, maybe because I sometimes socialize with some of them, Italians have been around in Ghana since the Akosombo dam was built. The number of pasta types seems almost infinite. Some types of pasta make great vehicles for carrying rich and hearty sauces, while others are best suited for soups and salads. Angel Hair Pasta: The long, delicate strands of angel hair pasta (a.k.a capellini) are best served in light or creamy sauces. The thin strands can go M.I.A. in chunky, meaty sauces. Fettuccine Pasta: is an egg pasta cut into long, narrow ribbons. It is often served with cream sauces, as in the classic Fettuccine Alfredo. You can use fettuccine in any recipe that calls for linguine or spaghetti. Gnocchi: These chewy little pasta dumplings traditionally made from potatoes are usually boiled and served with rich sauces. Tomato-based or herb and butter sauces also work well. Lasagna: The name for this long, wide noodle is also the name for the dish. Lasagna (the noodle) can be both flat or with curly edges. Macaroni: A small, tube-shaped pasta, macaroni is terrific in creamy casseroles (like macaroni and cheese) or salads (like macaroni salad). Why? Because the creamy sauce flows into the cooked tubes, giving you flavor in every bite. Ravioli: These little stuffed pillows of pasta dough are packed with finely ground or chopped fillings, from cheese to meat to puréed veggies. Serve ravioli with sauce, in soups, or just drizzled with olive oil. Tagliatelle Pasta: A long, flat, thin noodle, similar to fettuccine. The classical pairing is with meat sauces, but you can use it with light sauces as well. Vermicelli Pasta: These long strands of pasta are thinner than spaghetti but thicker than angel hair. And there is more, much much more like Bow Tie (Farfalle), Bucatini, Ditalini, Egg Noodles, Fusilli, Gemilli, Linguine, Manicotti, Orecchiette, Orzo, Penne, Radiatore, Rigatoni, Rotelle, Rotini, Tortellini, Shells Pasta to mention but a few. Thus, there is more than just spaghetti under the Italian sun, and noodles and ramen are chapters on their own as well. But all these dishes are starch-based, so if you have diabetes in your family you should take it easy on such dishes. To be continued.

Lydia...

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