The Nigerian working-class strategy is simple: cook on Sunday, survive until Friday. A massive pot of stew. A bowl of soup. A tray of rice. Stored in the fridge—or cooler, if NEPA is unreliable. Reheated daily. Eaten with diminishing enthusiasm until Thursday when you stare at the last portion with resentment. It's economical. It's practical. It's depressing. By Wednesday, the rice is hard. By Thursday, the stew tastes like regret. By Friday, you abandon ship and buy street food. But the Sunday cooking marathon is a ritual. The market run. The prep. The long hours in the kitchen. The satisfaction of a full fridge. And the gender politics! Women are expected to do this for families. Men who do it are "helping." The mental load of planning a week's meals is invisible labor that never gets thanked. Do you cook for the week? And what's your Sunday meal prep routine—or do you wing it daily?
