Disaster To Discovery. CNF

I still laugh whenever I remember that day because at that time ehn… it was not funny at all,
See then it felt like the biggest baking disaster of my life, but now sha..., when I do look back, I just realise that mistake was actually one of the best things that happened to me in a way.

So, It was many years ago when I was still learning how to bake stuff , I had passion, I had the confidence, and there zero understanding of proper measurements, in my head, baking was just vibes and determination, If I see recipe small, I will just add things based on my eyes, after all, how hard can meat pie really be?

So one afternoon, my neighbour’s younger sister, Tayo, we used to call her Tay, came to meet me.

Aunty, I hear say you dey bake now, you fit make meat pie? she asked.

I straightened my shoulders immediately, pride don enter my body.

Of course na, Meat pie no hard na ,I replied with confidence.

She smiled, okay o, my brother wants to buy, he say make I ask you.

Ah..... Customer, my head swelled that day.

No problem, I promise I will do it for you , I ssaid.

Inside my mind I was already celebrating, I didn’t even think twice about whether I truly knew what I was doing.

Now fast forward to the baking day, D day...

That is when everything started going wrong from the dough making stage.

So yeah... the flour was somehow too much, the butter too that I had added was not enough to balance it, so like that the whole mixture was now too dry, then i added water to help It soften, omooo..... It now became sticky,then i added more flour again, now it was now too hard.

At this point , I just confuse, I just stood there staring at the bowl.

Why this thing dey behave like this? I muttered.

My younger cousin who was around looked at me.

Are you sure you know this thing? she asked.

I gave her one look, Abeg shift joo, I know wetin I dey do.

But deep down… confusion has started.

I managed to force the dough together and rolled it, it was cracking, Ah ah......

Omo… I whispered to myself, this one no be normal meat pie dough o.

But since I had already promised Tay, I continued, the filling part even went better than the dough, so small hope enter my mind again.

When the meat pies finally came out of the oven, they looked… questionable, lol.

Not terrible, but not correct too

The crust was too hard in some parts and now too thick in some others.

My cousin picked one and bit it.

She chewed slowly.

Then she looked at me.

Aunty… you sure say this na meat pie? she asked carefully.

I just hissed, Leave me jare.

But honestly, I was so embarrassed ,very embarrassed like really..

When Tay came to collect it, I was already apologising before she even tasted it.

I still dey learn o, I told her.

She laughed , no worry, we go manage am.

Manage.

That word pain me that day.

After she left, I sat down in the kitchen thinking, that was when something clicked in my head.

Maybe the problem was not that I couldn’t bake.

Maybe the problem was that I didn’t understand proportions.

I had been doing guesswork instead of measurement.

That evening, I started researching properly, I began to learn about ratios, flour to fat, liquid balance, temperature, timing, I realised baking was actually science, not just passion.

I remember telling my cousin later, So this thing get formula o

She laughed, i tell you before, you no gree hear, she said

From that failed meat pie experience, everything changed for me, my baking improved because I started respecting measurements, I stopped eyeballing ingredients, I learned patience.

And the funny part?

If that meat pie had come out perfectly that day, I might never have bothered to truly learn, I would have continued doing guesswork until I eventually failed badly in front of a bigger audience.

See ehn... that small embarrassment really saved me from bigger future embarrassment.

Sometimes the mistakes that do humble us are actually now the ones that teach us the most.

Omo till today, whenever my dough comes out perfect, I remember that first disaster and I just smile ehn.

Because truly… that mistake was one of my best teachers.

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