…. UNCLE BOB AND THE LOST ART OF GOOD LIVING I’m in Benin, a guest of the Oshodins. Well, it’s not the first time I’ve been here and while here, I’ve always had a rollicking time as some of you can attest. But today is special. One man made that difference – Uncle Bob, my Dearest Mimie’s husband. The last time I was here, which was earlier in the year, he was away on business. But this time, we flew in on the same early evening flight from Abuja and immediately we stepped into his grand abode in Benin, it was super enjoyment galore. Our friends know that the food and care is always first class with the Filipino masters and the Great Mimie controlling affairs at the ‘headquarters’ (for the uninitiated, that is Mimie’s kitchen). But, let me not start listing all I ate, not only because I’m a bushman not very good with the epicurean expertise of describing gourmets, but also because I was lost in a culinary maze that had me munching spellbindingly for almost an hour – an hour of good luncheon with good people you wouldn’t get anywhere (Kenn licks his lips again and endearingly rubs his Rotund Wonder). Now, in ordinary circumstance, the Oshodins’ abode is a hidden tourist attraction with its vintage architecture, cars and extensive display of intricate artworks of various kinds. In fact, I have never seen a Nigerian home with more exquisite wood art than the Oshodins. Yet two of Uncle Bob’s biggest passions are wines and classical music. I’ve been to a few wine cellars in Nigeria, but suffice to say the Bob Oshodin’s wine cellar is a unique out-of-body experience. The smell of the ancient bottles and their flyblown casings and the feeling of just being in the presence of great history give a combination of fear, awe and reverence that gets you unconsciously tiptoeing around the place and in a hush. If there is a St Bottles Cathedral, it is Uncle Bob’s cellar. Yeah, it’s that reverential. You step into this cellar from a bar that looks like something from a 1950 film set and step back in there when you’re finished. As Uncle Bob expertly mixed a Kahlúa coffee rum for us to ‘step down’, I began to feel the weight of the whole experience being lifted. But the night’s enjoyment was just beginning! As I sat, sipping Uncle Bob’s little doses of wisdom welling up to a stream as the night beautifully wore on, Mimie sneaks in and out as she conducts the culinary ins and outs as the champagne flows. But the greatest conductor of the occasion came in the form of Uncle Bob when, after he’d taken me up to view his intimidating library and collection of classical music, he lit up the whole place with the music from the best masters of all time, picked up his baton and then conducted expertly for almost 20 minutes, leaving me rooted in my seat in amazement! I was knocked out for six! I didn’t see it coming! His interpretation of the music (recorded on video by Mimie as he carried on oblivious of all around him) was an enchanting experiencing. I told him at the end that it was the interpretation of a rebellious king, a man in control, a man who would not allow time or environment to define him. I was in the presence of a great Nigerian, the multitalented Uncle Bob. As I sat there, luxuriating in it all, I understood what Mimie meant when she once told me that she creates the peace she needs at home. Hmm….I’ve made a great discovery. Here at last is the lost art of good living. Refreshing. ….
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 01:32:35 +0000
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