GOOD AMBASSADORS
Michael O. Ewetuga
When moving to the US I never thought I was going to have any problem with food, after
all there are foods we eat at home that we believe should be easily available in the
western world. You would have thought you will find meat pies, sausage rolls, Scot eggs
or whatever that is called, jollof rice, fried rice and stuff like that. I was lucky that when I
got to this country I ate my favorite food and I guess majority of people coming or going
to whatever foreign country will eat food from home since more often than not they will
be living with someone that is from the same cultures and backgrounds as they are or
who is familiar with their cultures and backgrounds, so mine wasn’t such a great
exception I believe.When I was in Indianapolis , there were times I didn’t feel like
cooking and wished there were restaurants that I could go to and eat something from
home, there were none, at least not to my knowledge. There was a Nigerian store where
you could go pick up some Nigerian food items on the west side of town, more than one
actually and if you’re living in the east side like I was you could go to the one off of 38th
street, I was later told of another one on 10th street.
I was more familiar with the one on 38th street and when I mentioned the idea of a
restaurant to the owner she informed me that she used to operate a Nigerian restaurant
but she wasn’t getting as much patronage as would have helped her to sustain the
eatery.Lack of such a restaurant in Indianapolis made Maryland my first point of contact
with such an establishment and I was so happy to be there I overfed myself, something
that became my hallmark anytime I find myself in an African restaurant.There was that
homely environment when I was taken to the Nigerian restaurant at Upper Marlboro by
my host, a Nigerian superstar in the field of chess, Oladapo Adu. We heard people
speaking the various Nigerian languages while we wait patiently and eagerly, at least on
my part, for our order. Needless to say, that was part of the highlights of my visit and I
look forward to visiting again so I can enjoy the flavor that is peculiar to some Nigerian
cuisine.
My next contact with Nigerian food in a commercial setting was on my visit to Chicago ,
IL when I went to visit my classmate Bayo Omisore. The one in Chicago was special
and I haven’t encountered anything like it since that time. It gives you the feeling of being
at Ojuelegba with Fela’s music blaring from some cars especially the cabs most of
which were brought by Nigerians. The unique thing about that restaurant is it was a
buffet! I was there with my friend, his son, my sister-in-law and my girlfriend, an
American Indian, as much as she would have loved to eat more the food was so spicy
she gave up after a few try, I didn’t mind the spice even though I’m not crazy about
spices, it was a good concept and it was a way of showing off my country food to my
friend. If the food wasn’t as hot as they made it, being buffet, other nationals wouldn’t
mind trying it out knowing that if they couldn’t stick the Nigerian food they can always go
for what they are familiar with.
What someone would eat with relish would make some other people puke and that is
why it is important that one be able to eat the kind of food one is familiar with. I met an
Indian man sometime ago in the course of my duty as a security guard then and he was
so very proud about his food he gave me the one he was supposed to eat, it was
tasteless to me, not awful, more like something without sufficient salt but since I was
willing to try it I put some salt on it and it tasted just right. The food was made with
beans, which is part of Nigerians’ menu and on close observation it tasted like it was
made in Nigeria .It is a fact that Dallas , Texas plays host to a good number of
Nigerians, I understand Houston host even a larger number. Most Nigerians in Dallas
are probably in Arlington , I am certain there must be a Nigerian restaurant somewhere
there. No one made mentioned of a Nigerian restaurant to me in Dallas , specifically N.
Dallas . Someone told me about a Nigerian store at the Junction of Walnut street and
Abrams, I went looking and in missing my way I found myself in a very exotic restaurant,
not having been in a Nigerian restaurant that classy I turned back and went looking for
the Nigerian store, unknown to me I just left a very classy, exotic Nigerian restaurant.
About 2-3 weeks ago I was moving from my old apartment into an office that I bought, I
was trying to cut cost by living in the office, turned out to be a crazy idea because it is not
just comfortable. I had spent the whole morning moving into this office and hunger
came calling somewhere around 4-4:30 pm. I went to the apartment’s office and turned
in my keys. I was barely out of the office when my phone rang and it was my friend Femi
Adeoye.Femi was at the Fiesta on Spring Valley Street, I believe, which was close to my
old apartment; he had a letter from me from the Washington State Bar Association and
was calling to see if I could come pick the letter up at the Fiesta.I told him I was hungry
and wished I could find a Nigerian Restaurant whereupon he informed me there’s one
on Walnut and Abrams. I retorted that I lived at Abrams and I never heard of any Nigerian
eatery there, I was however willing to find it if there’s one.I found it easy because I had
been there before. I went in and was given the menu by a very friendly Cameroonian
lady. I made my order and proceeded to the Nigerian store to get some stuff I could cook
within the confine of my office.
At the Nigerian store were the owner and about three gentlemen chitchatting. When I
was in Nigeria people assumed I was Igbo, so I forgave the gentlemen for thinking I
was, my best friend whom people claimed we look like twins is Igbo so maybe I do look
like one. I bought what I needed and proceeded to the check out counter when this
particular gentleman asked me if I had been to the Nigerian restaurant, I told him I came
from there and would be going back to get my order. The owner of the Nigerian store at
that point informed me he was the owner. Since I’m always interested in any Nigerian
that is doing something good I asked if I could take pictures of the place and he said
sure. The gentleman’s name, from his complimentary card is E. Murphy, and the name
of his establishment is MURPHY’S PLACE DALLAS . Nigeria , a country known for scam
letters and internet fraud, is in need of good ambassadors. I refused to believe
everything about Nigeria is negative and I am dedicated to promoting the positive aspect
of our country in order to educate the people that Nigeria is much more than scam and
that those who are engaged in such nefarious activities are in the minority.
MURPHY’S PLACE is a very neat and exotic restaurant, it is a place you can go to after
work and chill out after the day’s job, one you can take your wife and children to if you are
married with children, if you are single and have a girlfriend, regardless of her
nationality, it is a place you can take them to and be proud as a Nigerian.Coming into
the restaurant you are confronted with a kind of waterfall built inside some sort of glass,
only the manufacturer can tell you how it was made but you can see the waterfall, the
chairs are made of black leather, very comfortable and the bar is well stocked.There are
TVs around the restaurant and some of them are tuned to Nigerian Television Stations,
close to the door is a neat Nigerian flag. The setting generally gives you pride as a
Nigerian.
On the weekend, if you’re the type that loves to relax in a club atmosphere you can also
go there and chill out, the security guard looks effective in terms of managing security
issues and he is very polite and welcoming. If you had a hat on like I did he is sure to
inform you in a friendly but firm manner that you are not allowed to wear hat at the club.
You can see pictures of the restaurant at www.minoritiesinterests.com/people-events.
html, you can also go to the restaurant’s website, www.murphysplacedallas.com
Michael O. Ewetuga
When moving to the US I never thought I was going to have any problem with food, after
all there are foods we eat at home that we believe should be easily available in the
western world. You would have thought you will find meat pies, sausage rolls, Scot eggs
or whatever that is called, jollof rice, fried rice and stuff like that. I was lucky that when I
got to this country I ate my favorite food and I guess majority of people coming or going
to whatever foreign country will eat food from home since more often than not they will
be living with someone that is from the same cultures and backgrounds as they are or
who is familiar with their cultures and backgrounds, so mine wasn’t such a great
exception I believe.When I was in Indianapolis , there were times I didn’t feel like
cooking and wished there were restaurants that I could go to and eat something from
home, there were none, at least not to my knowledge. There was a Nigerian store where
you could go pick up some Nigerian food items on the west side of town, more than one
actually and if you’re living in the east side like I was you could go to the one off of 38th
street, I was later told of another one on 10th street.
I was more familiar with the one on 38th street and when I mentioned the idea of a
restaurant to the owner she informed me that she used to operate a Nigerian restaurant
but she wasn’t getting as much patronage as would have helped her to sustain the
eatery.Lack of such a restaurant in Indianapolis made Maryland my first point of contact
with such an establishment and I was so happy to be there I overfed myself, something
that became my hallmark anytime I find myself in an African restaurant.There was that
homely environment when I was taken to the Nigerian restaurant at Upper Marlboro by
my host, a Nigerian superstar in the field of chess, Oladapo Adu. We heard people
speaking the various Nigerian languages while we wait patiently and eagerly, at least on
my part, for our order. Needless to say, that was part of the highlights of my visit and I
look forward to visiting again so I can enjoy the flavor that is peculiar to some Nigerian
cuisine.
My next contact with Nigerian food in a commercial setting was on my visit to Chicago ,
IL when I went to visit my classmate Bayo Omisore. The one in Chicago was special
and I haven’t encountered anything like it since that time. It gives you the feeling of being
at Ojuelegba with Fela’s music blaring from some cars especially the cabs most of
which were brought by Nigerians. The unique thing about that restaurant is it was a
buffet! I was there with my friend, his son, my sister-in-law and my girlfriend, an
American Indian, as much as she would have loved to eat more the food was so spicy
she gave up after a few try, I didn’t mind the spice even though I’m not crazy about
spices, it was a good concept and it was a way of showing off my country food to my
friend. If the food wasn’t as hot as they made it, being buffet, other nationals wouldn’t
mind trying it out knowing that if they couldn’t stick the Nigerian food they can always go
for what they are familiar with.
What someone would eat with relish would make some other people puke and that is
why it is important that one be able to eat the kind of food one is familiar with. I met an
Indian man sometime ago in the course of my duty as a security guard then and he was
so very proud about his food he gave me the one he was supposed to eat, it was
tasteless to me, not awful, more like something without sufficient salt but since I was
willing to try it I put some salt on it and it tasted just right. The food was made with
beans, which is part of Nigerians’ menu and on close observation it tasted like it was
made in Nigeria .It is a fact that Dallas , Texas plays host to a good number of
Nigerians, I understand Houston host even a larger number. Most Nigerians in Dallas
are probably in Arlington , I am certain there must be a Nigerian restaurant somewhere
there. No one made mentioned of a Nigerian restaurant to me in Dallas , specifically N.
Dallas . Someone told me about a Nigerian store at the Junction of Walnut street and
Abrams, I went looking and in missing my way I found myself in a very exotic restaurant,
not having been in a Nigerian restaurant that classy I turned back and went looking for
the Nigerian store, unknown to me I just left a very classy, exotic Nigerian restaurant.
About 2-3 weeks ago I was moving from my old apartment into an office that I bought, I
was trying to cut cost by living in the office, turned out to be a crazy idea because it is not
just comfortable. I had spent the whole morning moving into this office and hunger
came calling somewhere around 4-4:30 pm. I went to the apartment’s office and turned
in my keys. I was barely out of the office when my phone rang and it was my friend Femi
Adeoye.Femi was at the Fiesta on Spring Valley Street, I believe, which was close to my
old apartment; he had a letter from me from the Washington State Bar Association and
was calling to see if I could come pick the letter up at the Fiesta.I told him I was hungry
and wished I could find a Nigerian Restaurant whereupon he informed me there’s one
on Walnut and Abrams. I retorted that I lived at Abrams and I never heard of any Nigerian
eatery there, I was however willing to find it if there’s one.I found it easy because I had
been there before. I went in and was given the menu by a very friendly Cameroonian
lady. I made my order and proceeded to the Nigerian store to get some stuff I could cook
within the confine of my office.
At the Nigerian store were the owner and about three gentlemen chitchatting. When I
was in Nigeria people assumed I was Igbo, so I forgave the gentlemen for thinking I
was, my best friend whom people claimed we look like twins is Igbo so maybe I do look
like one. I bought what I needed and proceeded to the check out counter when this
particular gentleman asked me if I had been to the Nigerian restaurant, I told him I came
from there and would be going back to get my order. The owner of the Nigerian store at
that point informed me he was the owner. Since I’m always interested in any Nigerian
that is doing something good I asked if I could take pictures of the place and he said
sure. The gentleman’s name, from his complimentary card is E. Murphy, and the name
of his establishment is MURPHY’S PLACE DALLAS . Nigeria , a country known for scam
letters and internet fraud, is in need of good ambassadors. I refused to believe
everything about Nigeria is negative and I am dedicated to promoting the positive aspect
of our country in order to educate the people that Nigeria is much more than scam and
that those who are engaged in such nefarious activities are in the minority.
MURPHY’S PLACE is a very neat and exotic restaurant, it is a place you can go to after
work and chill out after the day’s job, one you can take your wife and children to if you are
married with children, if you are single and have a girlfriend, regardless of her
nationality, it is a place you can take them to and be proud as a Nigerian.Coming into
the restaurant you are confronted with a kind of waterfall built inside some sort of glass,
only the manufacturer can tell you how it was made but you can see the waterfall, the
chairs are made of black leather, very comfortable and the bar is well stocked.There are
TVs around the restaurant and some of them are tuned to Nigerian Television Stations,
close to the door is a neat Nigerian flag. The setting generally gives you pride as a
Nigerian.
On the weekend, if you’re the type that loves to relax in a club atmosphere you can also
go there and chill out, the security guard looks effective in terms of managing security
issues and he is very polite and welcoming. If you had a hat on like I did he is sure to
inform you in a friendly but firm manner that you are not allowed to wear hat at the club.
You can see pictures of the restaurant at www.minoritiesinterests.com/people-events.
html, you can also go to the restaurant’s website, www.murphysplacedallas.com
Minorities Interests
Knowledge, Culture, Social
Meet And Share
Knowledge, Culture, Social
Meet And Share
