Jollof on the Small Screen

Jollof on the Small Screen

1Kemi propped her tablet against the flour jar so Grandpa Femi could see the stove. On the screen, his kitchen was bright with afternoon sun, even though Kemi's window showed only dark evening sky. "Is the pepper sauce bubbling?" he asked.

2Kemi stirred the pot of tomatoes, peppers and onions. "It's bubbling," she said. "But I'm scared I'll ruin it. Mom's birthday dinner is tomorrow, and this is your recipe."

3"Recipes are not glass," Grandpa said. "They don't break. Now add the rice and let it drink up the sauce."

4Kemi poured in the washed rice and covered the pot. They waited. Grandpa told her about cooking with his own mother over an outdoor fire, and Kemi forgot to watch the clock.

5Suddenly she smelled something smoky. She yanked off the lid. The bottom layer of rice had turned crispy and brown.

6"I burned it!" Kemi cried.

7Grandpa leaned so close to his camera that his face filled the whole screen. "Taste it," he said. Kemi scraped up a crunchy bit. It was smoky and rich.

8"In our family," Grandpa said with a smile, "that crispy bottom is the best part. Save some for your mother."

Film Notes: The Same Scene in the Animated Film

1PICTURE: The screen splits down the middle. On the left, Grandpa's kitchen glows yellow with sunshine. On the right, Kemi's kitchen is deep blue with night.

2SOUND: Soft drums and a gentle guitar play under the scene. The pot bubbles, blub, blub, blub, in time with the drums.

3PICTURE: As Grandpa tells his story, the line between the two halves slowly fades. Smoke from his mother's outdoor fire drifts across into Kemi's blue kitchen.

4SOUND: The music stops all at once. A sharp hiss comes from the pot.

5PICTURE: The camera zooms in on Kemi's wide eyes, then on the brown, crispy rice.

6SOUND: Silence, then one loud crunch as Kemi takes a taste.

7PICTURE: The line down the middle disappears completely. Grandpa and Kemi seem to sit in one warm, golden kitchen, laughing together. The drums return, louder and faster.