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By Ozoz Sokoh For when you can’t eat. Two pains I cannot fathom or explain – heartbreak and toothache. Are they really necessary for life, growth, healing? I wonder. I had an impacted wisdom tooth extracted last Monday. It’s not something I’d like to repeat. Or wish on my worst enemy. Now I understand what my friend Joy told me once, when I was much younger about being hurt and hurting.

She said ‘…because I know how much it hurts to be treated like this, I don’t want even my worst enemy to go through it (the same kind of pain) so I’ll never ‘revenge’ or do the same back.’ That shocked me. I’d have thought that you’d want your enemy or friend-turned-enemy to go through the pain, to feel the hurt so they could understand just how they’d rocked your world. But… no…..she said. Her reasoning made absolute sense. Makes absolute sense. Still. All these years on. I can’t say how many times its pushed me to forgiveness but its caused me ‘pause’, times without number. I wouldn’t wish the toothache I had on anyone. It gets to your very core, touches your nerves. And in my case, stops you from eating solid food. Enter this smoothie. Made with a variety of beta-carotene rich fruits and vegetables, all in season and a wonderful companion at breakfasts and lunches all week. What goes in varies. Sometimes, it’s the not so-sweet ends of pineapples…

Isn’t it cool that the heads are fashioned into ‘flowers’?

Other times, its watermelons. Purchased from my ‘customers’. Who see no harm in ‘posing’ for a photo or two. Trust. That’s what these photos are about.

I marvel at their stall – how it changes throughout the year depending on what is in season.

How their creature comforts are nestled in the midst of their wares. The transistor radio, which keeps them linked to the world, while they remain fixed for hours on end, all day and everyday.

I like that I can get almost everything I need from them, in one go. I like how beauty and order too is important to them. In how they display the fruit. Though I never buy cut-up fruit because I’m not sure of where and how it’s been prepared, I still admire it greatly.

All I need for my smoothie. A smoothie that can be whipped up in mere minutes and satisfies my cravings for fresh and smooth and easy-to-eat- food.

FRONT ROW – L TO R; PAPAYA/PAWPAW, GREEN GUAVA, GINGER; BACK ROW – L TO R: CARROTS, AGAVE SYRUP

I treat it like gazpacho. Like a soup. I need the feeling of ‘being full’. It is not the time to suck on a straw any way so scooping spoonfuls from bowl or cup to mouth is exactly what is required. Smoothies are not an exact science – they are a personal thing, from the flavour combination to the final texture – you call the shots. I like mine thick and cold but not watered down.

FRONT ROW – L TO R; GREEN GUAVA, GINGER, JAR FULL OF PASSION FRUIT SEEDS; BACK ROW – L TO R: CARROTS, AGAVE SYRUP

And so I freeze left-over pawpaw, papaya and use them as ice cubes. Fruit cubes.

CARROTS, WEDGES OF GUAVA, FRESHLY PEELED GINGER, PASSION FRUIT SEEDS, PAPAYA/PAWPAW

I like a bit of sweetness, so I drizzle in some agave nectar. Just enough to enhance the natural sugars in the carrots. And other fruits.

I don’t mind…in fact I like the crunch from the broken up passion fruit seeds, and so I don’t bother extracting the passion fruit essence before I make the smoothie.

I could go on and on but I don’t need to.

This is my sustenance till chewing gets back to normal.

And I’m fine with it.

For now.

Sigh. And much love. X X X And if you need a recipe, here is my rough guide: 1 cup papaya/pawpaw (preferably frozen), 1 cup chopped carrots, 1/2 a cup guava chunks, 1 – 2 tablespoons of agave nectar, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger chunks and 1/4 cup water. Peace.

About the author: Ozoz Sokoh is Nigerian-born, Liverpool-schooled (in part) and now living and working in Nigeria. For more information and posts visit: http://www.kitchenbutterfly.com/