Eden Life Diaries: Week 1
**record scratch** **freeze frame**
Yup, this is me now. You’re probably wondering how I ended up here. Well, what had happened was… I wanted expense my Eden Life subscription for the month and my boss, Folly, said the only way she’d approve is if I created Eden Life content.
So, yeah, expect this from me every week (I hope).
First, what is Eden Life?
In their words…
Easy. We're bringing the convenience of room service to homes across Africa – but starting with Lagos. Home tasks are routine activities that should be outsourced, so you can focus on the things with the most impact in your life. It could be making time for work that matters, or for enjoyment. You deserve to live well without the extra effort.
Some people call us the Concierge of Comfort – they're correct.
Eden has multiple configurations with respect to food, but I do 5 meals per week delivered on Saturdays. It’s like meal prepping but i do absolutely nothing which is amazing.
Monday
Asun with Stir Fry Bulgur & Fried Plantain
The Eden app shows you the calorie count for each meal, which is perfect if you’re calorie counting or looking to be shamed into eating properly. The latter is what happened to me here and I ended up with bulgur not the Jollof rice I originally had in mind. The bulgur is a bit “dry” and halfway in, I’d have killed for “pepper stew” on top of it.
Tuesday
Snail Stew with Jollof Macaroni & Fried Plantain
Yes, that’s plantain with macaroni.
I actually had to ask Nad, one of the Eden co-founders, on the Open Africa podcast (listen to the episode HERE). Apparently, Nigerians LOVE plantain. Before Eden started “configuring” the meals, users could pick and choose whatever they wanted. Eden users kept adding plantain to everything and here we are.
The macaroni reminds me of secondary school. This is exactly how Sunday afternoon macaroni used to hit in Loyola.
Wednesday
Asun with Jollof Rice & Fried Plantain
Remember what I said about about bulgur and healthy?
Yeah, that’s out the window. Went with tried and true Jollof. One thing I’ve noticed about Eden so far is how “neutral” the meals are. By neutral, I mean there’s no pepper. I’m going to go ahead an assume that’s what makes it accessible for everyone and why there’s an option to add pepper sauce to everything. Next time, I’m doing that.
Thursday
Snail Stew with Fried Plantain & Sautéed Ugwu
Sautéed Ugwu used to be a staple in Heels In The Kitchen lunches back in the day. Firi Adoki, Eden’s head of food production, worked with Chef Imoteda back in the day also. I’m going to assume this is an import from that era.
As for lunch, I hit plantain fatigue. Didn’t enjoy this one off the strength of that. Nothing on Eden, but it’s just too much plantain for me.
Friday
Snail Stew with Roast Potato & Fried Plantain
This was my favorite of the lot. Probably because I ditched the microwave this time and put the potato + plantain in the air fryer. On a related note, an air fryer might be the best investment I made in the pandemic. Comes through clutch ALL THE TIME.