A team of four boys on Thursday defeated a female team of 11 girls in a cooking competition organised by the Holy Family School in Lagos.
The boys’ team was adjudged the winner against the girls’ team after the judges had tasted the dishes prepared by the teams.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the teams prepared fried rice, fried fish and locally prepared ‘Eve’ drink.
However, the girls’ team emerged the winner in the preparation of cassava flake (a.k.a. Eba) and Ogbonno soup, Jollof rice alongside the local drink, Zobo.
The leader of the boys’ team, Edward Akugbe told NAN that the current economic situation had compelled most boys to acquire the cooking skills and other domestic chores.
“My mum told me that it is cheaper that I cook for myself than employing a house assistant or eating foods outside when I become independent,” he said.
According to him, my mother made it compulsory that we sat by her and understudied her whenever she was in the kitchen or doing the house chores.
Also, Favour Noris,16, won the award for being the best dressed and organised cook.
He told NAN that despite being the last born of his parents, his mother included him in the family cooking roaster.
“My mum prepared a cooking roaster that included the boys; and that forced me to learn so much about kitchen management which I applied to my team,” he said.
However, Tope Oladunjoye, 12, and leader of the female team, told NAN that her team lost because they prepared local dishes.
She said that preparing local dishes required more ingredients, techniques and activities.
“We had to grate okra fruits, pumpkin leaves and also blended our tomatoes and pepper with the grinding stone.
“We want to promote our cultural meal, teach ourselves how to prepare it and that made us to miss the first position,” she told NAN.
Meanwhile, the youngest female participant, Esther Orji,9, told NAN that she learnt different cooking methods from her mother.
“Before now, I only knew my mum’s cooking methods and the ones my teacher taught us in school.
“But, the competition has even taught me how to add `Hot dog’ in fried rice preparation,” she said.
The teacher-in-charge of the competition, Mrs Peace Umeorah said the competition had made more positive impacts on the children.
She said that the children came forward willingly to participate because it was a competition where winners would emerge.
“We shall be improving on our employable youths if this exercise is extended to more schools because we shall be producing more chefs,” she said.
The school’s chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association, (PTA), Mrs Ethel Orji, said the exercise had economic gains for the country.
“This type of competition has both economic and social advantage for our children as it will bring about more domestic independence among our youths in future,” she told NAN.
NAN reports that each member of the winning team went away with various gift items while the girls got kitchen utensils. (NAN)