I can only eat amala lafun prepared by my mum – Jide Kosoko

What food do you love the most?

My favourite dish is a combination of rice, dodo and fresh fish. I also like amala and fresh fish.

Are you a good cook?

Of course, I cook a lot. As a matter of fact, every Boxing Day (December 26), I cook for my family.

Are you concerned about your daily calorie intake when choosing what to eat?

Of course, I have to be concerned. I am diabetic and I have been managing the condition. Being aware of my calorie intake is part of the management.

Do you eat three squares meal daily?

Not really. In the morning, I usually take coffee. Around noon, I take my lunch and my dinner comes around 6:30pm. I eat minimally. At times, I eat five times but I must be sure of what I eat and that it doesn’t contain many calories.

What is your favourite drink?

My favourite drink is water. I used to take soft drinks but I stopped and occasionally, I take little red wine, especially when I am at an occasion. But generally, I’m not a fan of alcohol.

How often do you take fruits and vegetables?

Vegetable is my food. Almost all my meals contain vegetables.

Do you prefer Nigerian meals to that of other countries?

Definitely, I prefer my country. Even as a Yoruba man, I prefer Yoruba’s apon to Igbo’s ogbonna.

What is your favourite fruit?

Garden egg. I take a lot of garden egg and ginger.

Do you have any food allergy?

I don’t have any. I only abstain from taking some foods, I am not allergic to any food.

What is the strangest food you’ve eaten?

I have forgotten the name but I was given in India. I almost vomited.

Is there any food that brings back special memories to you?

There are quite a number of foods that bring back memories. When I was much younger, my mum used to cook ishakpa. Ishakpa is a type of vegetable that looks like a flower and the protein that comes with it is called konko. I used to enjoy it. In those days, we took it with amala lafun (yam flour). Apart from my mum, I don’t trust anybody to prepare it for me.

What is your favourite dessert?

Fruit salad.

If you were to select fruits to make a salad, what fruits would you select?

Definitely, carrot is going to be part of it and apple. I watch my intake of sugar, so I eat the fruits occasionally.

How often do you shop for food?

That is my wife’s job but occasionally, when I travel, I buy fruits such as apples, pineapples and oranges. The shopping is my wife’s responsibility. My own is to eat and be sure there is food. There must be food at home.

If you were to organise a dinner for your birthday, which is today, what kind of food would you serve your guests?

If are organise a dinner, there would be variety of foods that people like such as rice, amala, yam porridge, beans and others.