Boarding a public bus in Nigeria, especially in a populated city like Lagos, is a task in itself. The insults you have to sometimes endure from fellow passengers as you all claw your way into the rusty buses, the shouts from the conductors jarring you to reality every time there’s a stop for someone, and so on. What’s worse is having to endure a seatmate’s excesses for the whole period. Some of these excesses are manageable while others aren’t.
Body odour is horrible, but it is worse when they raise their armpits and you are stuck. Another notable one is mouth odour which can be caused by several things such as what you eat as we would discuss in this article.
Some foods and snacks are not ideal for eating on a public bus because although they aren’t bad for the body, they emit smells that could be foul to your seatmate. On the other hand, there are snacks you should avoid because there’s no best way to eat them that wouldn’t disgrace you.
Some of the snacks you should never eat on a public bus are;
Eggroll
Eggs are healthy, but eggs smell horrible when eaten especially boiled eggs. So, while an Eggroll is a great snack, the presence of an egg in it could ruin the minty fresh smell in your mouth. You can decide to keep the egg aside and eat only its roll, but what good would that do? Eggs simply have a way of leaving their mark wherever they’ve stayed.
Any snack containing garlic or onions
Eating garlic or onions on a public bus should be considered heinous. While they are healthy to consume, their smells aren’t. Imagine fighting to keep a seat on a bus then you’re paired with a seatmate whose mouth reeks of garlic or onions. You’d keep hoping they don’t speak till you reach your destination.
Although it may be unintentional, some snacks contain a high volume of these and you could easily remove them while eating. Suya is a classic example.
Fish pie
Before you stare daggers at us, you need to understand that fish pies in lagos or Nigeria generally do not usually live up to their hype. Sometimes, there’s no fish in the pie and other times, the fish would have congested in it so much that your mouth would smell like a real fish after consumption. It’s similar to how your hands smell after cleaning a fish.
Shawarma
Shawarma makes this list because there is no best way to eat it. Although it is mighty delicious, this snack can disgrace you in real time before your village people even activate themselves. First, its ingredients would drop disrespectfully all over you and if you’re unlucky, co-passengers may find it in their hair, thighs and other parts of their body.
Bukky, a fashion designer, narrates her experience. “The first time I ate Shawarma on a public bus, I regretted it. I was sitting beside the driver and he kept staring daggers at me cos droplets found themselves on him, and even on the dashboard. At one point, he rudely asked me to eat properly. I was ashamed. I’ll never try it again.”
Mango
Well, even before we continue, we can tell you already agree that mango is a no-no on a public bus. Do not even try it because no matter how good your eating etiquettes are, mango will disgrace you. The only time you can try it is at night because afternoons are worse. If it doesn’t trickle down your arm, flies would keep buzzing around you.
This article was written by Sola Tales.