I want cheese!!

mmmm...

Ghanaian food includes several dishes that are very accessible to newcomers.  My favorite so far is red red, a dish comprising spicy tomatoes and beans served with fried plantains.  Jollof rice, a simple fried rice dish, is also very easy to like.  Beyond prepared dishes, a variety of very good tropical fruits and vegetables are cheap and easy to find on the streets, including mangoes, papaya, pineapples, bananas, and avocados.

 
However, as is common when adjusting to a new diet, I am having cravings for a number of odd things, among them, tortilla chips, cherry pie, sweet and sour chicken, parmesan cheese, ice cream, and anything dairy—there is very little dairy here.  I have heard that lactose intolerance is common here, but I do not know if this is true.  I am used to drinking milk and eating cheese and yogurt regularly, so dairy cravings are not unexpected.  I know from experience that eventually I will adjust, and start craving locally available foods, but till then, expect facebook updates professing my desperate desire for red bean buns.