Tambari by Daily Trust Tambari

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021

A PUBLICATION OFF

a r t Ex

My veils speak style and elegance - Folake Majin

Hello, there! Do you sometimes crave a perfect but simple breakfast or snack? For many, biscuits come in handy when such cravings kick in. Our culinary section takes us on steps on how to make the perfect biscuits for breakfast. Shopping can be stressful and dramatic when you have other shoppers that don’t adhere to shopping rules, especially in today’s COVID-19 world. The etiquette section takes us through the rules of shopping in today’s world. Our cover personality this week is a renowned fashion designer, reputed for making unique designs for women of class in society. The top Nigerian fashion designer, Folake Majin takes us through her world of fashion. Until next week, remain blessed! Editor - Amina Alhassan aminaalhassan@dailytrust.com

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C U L I N A R Y CO R N E R

Biscuits: A breakfast delight C pil d by Compiled b Deborah D b h Izuegbunem I b & Nana Yahaya

warm biscuit straight from the oven brings childhood memories Biscuits can take on very different meanings in different parts of the world. Ideally, they should have tender, flaky layers and an extra buttery taste. An easier alternative to dinner rolls and equally good at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. INGREDIENTS 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. baking powder 1 tbsp. granulated sugar 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, very cold, plus more for brushing 1 c. cold buttermilk DIRECTIONS * Preheat oven to 425º. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. * Using a box grater, grate butter over the flour mixture and quickly toss with your hands to incorporate. Then, using a wooden spoon, make a well in the middle of the dough and pour in 1 cup buttermilk. Stir until just beginning to come together, then dump out onto your work surface. * Bring your dough together into a rectangle, about 1” thick. Fold the dough into thirds, like folding a letter to put into an envelope. Using a rolling pin, gently pat back into a 1” thick rectangle, and repeat the folding process two more times. Work fast so the butter does not melt. * Once dough is folded three times, roll into a 1” thick rectangle again. Using a 2½” round biscuit or cookie cutter, quickly press down (don’t twist!) to cut out the biscuits and place onto a baking sheet, about a half-inch apart. Bring together dough scraps and cut out more biscuits. * Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter and bake until flaky and tops are lightly golden about 20 minutes. Serve warm. www.delish.com

FOLAKE MAJIN // CO V E R

My veils speak style and elegance – Folake Majin Folake Majin is a renowned fashion designer, reputed for uniq designs for first ladies, fashion icons and making unique celeb other celebrities. She has been featured in major shows m and magazines including Vogue. The top Nigerian fa fashion designer of renowned Schon Afrique in th interview with Tambari sheds light on her this n project, background among others. new Interview by Abiodun Alade & Precious Momodu, Lagos In Veil Collection C have been working ha on a very important ac accessory. I have a veil collec collection out on my social media m outlets. I have a w website where I am marketing the veils. It’s market taken a couple of years of careful planning and a carefu dream come true. They are made m to make each wearer special in the wea uni unique Folake Majin way! As an accessory, way my veils speak style and elegance into the aesthetic mystique of aes a woman. w A veil is a very ess essential accessory for women either to wrap over their ba bare shoulders or an evening gown or day-to-day wear of an da Ankara top or dress. An It is very versatile because you can also be cover your hair for co w worship. It is very eessential to the ccomplete look. I was inspired on the job. I’ve done uncountable custom-made veils to match all manner of outfits from bridal to special wears and everyday ones. There are veils for all occasions. I especially love the challenge of designing to match a dress.

Multilingual You can wear veils for prayers no I like learning languages. If I had matter your religious affiliation. It is my way, I’ll speak all languages. One a very important accessory. Imagine having an accidental zip p rip p off in of the ambitions I had was to be public; veil il to the rescue!!! able to go round Nigeria to learn to ing Up speak major Nigerian Growing Growing ng up I have always been I got a languages. d in looking good and teacher to teach me interested wearing nice clothes. I have always been d in colours, interested details of a dress, I also prefer doing oing my own things. I go to tailors with my own design as a matter off fact that was what led me to start ness because the business I did thatt for a friend and she encouraged art a fashion me to start business since she saw I had the flair for it. For any special ial occasion, I relish dressing up d. Hear this as a child. ne of when funny one m was ill and my mum couldn’t make me the fancy dress ss I had been dreamingg of, the flares, the stayss that fluffs out the dress and the gorgeous flowers and just madee me a quick “buba”. Buba! As a child, it was as a no for me then. It was as for a festive occasion in church, I was nott happy and made suree I stayed out of sight. It sounds so ridiculouss now. Talk essing up about dressing for the wrong ong reasons!! Cont’d on page 21

TAMBARI SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021

FOLAKE MAJIN// CO V E R 21

My veils speak style and elegance – Folake Majin Cont’d from page 20 Igbo but unfortunately, I found it a bit difficult because it was so full of accent. One word accentuated can mean six different things and at this stage in my life, I don’t think I can go through it. I still have the ambition of speaking Igbo. I speak three Nigerian languages - Hausa, Yoruba and Nupe which is my late husband’s language and I learnt it within a year of being married. I speak French and a little bit of German. I hope to be able to speak the basic language of any part of the world I step on. Inspiration Inspiration comes from everywhere. We are blessed by God who has afforded every manner of inspirations. It can be an idea that flashes in your mind, it can be a beautiful flower you have seen, it can be a colour that springs in your mind. I love flowers, they are beautiful and I love beautiful things. I am mostly inspired by flowers, especially in embroidery work. I am inspired by the season when it’s hot or cold; inspiration comes from everywhere. I’m inspired by fashion

TAMBARI SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021

itself. Most especially, I’m inspired by fabrics, the fabrics dictate the inspiration. I can work with any fabric. When I was in the university a tailor-made an outfit for me with cream baft material made out of heavy cotton which I designed and gave to her. It is usually used for calicos or table cloths, but I used it and it was beautiful. How I started Haven been a housewife for a while I had been pondering: what next? A chance outing determined my God-given destiny as a fashion designer! And I’ve never looked back. It’s also good for a woman to have her own money. I went out for a naming ceremony whereby I had made something I was wearing that I designed myself. Many people said they wanted it. This was the occasion, this friend I spoke about earlier desired the style. I insisted on my tailormaking it for her as I didn’t want to go through the process of being unique to have the design all over the place. I ended up making two for her and she loved them. Hobbies My hobbies are reading, I love dancing and cooking Favourite Travel Destination Dubai- it’s a beautiful city everything you need seems to be there. I love Paris and the major fashion street Champs-Élysées Favourite Movie My favourite movie is undoubtedly The Godfather. I love North and South, the TV series. There is no sugar coating the deep realities of life in those movies. Favourite Flower I love flowers but if I have to pick, then it will be the Rose and Lavender Favourite Accessory All the accessories that, transform the look of an outfit, but if I had to pick two or three it would be, shoes, bags and sunglasses Best Gift The salvation of my soul. Pricing When you take your time to make something fearful and wonderful, it’s not something you throw away. It takes a lot of time, therefore the means justifies the price.

ETIQUETTE

Grocery Store Etiquette

ave you ever experienced rude grocery shoppers who cut you off to get the closest parking space or rammed their cart into you because they were too engrossed in whatever was happening on their cell phone? Or worse, have you ever been that person? Since almost every adult has to shop for food periodically, why not make it a more positive experience? All it takes is knowing and following some basic good manners. When people leave the house, regardless of where they’re going, they need to think about manners. Most people understand the importance of good behaviour at the office or even at parties. Manners at the store are just as important. Parking Lot Finding a parking space in the grocery store lot can be a harrowing experience, particularly late in the afternoon when people shop after work or on a Saturday morning. When you find a spot, pull into it and make sure you are between the lines. Don’t park diagonally across two spaces to prevent door dings. That’s rude and might make the wrong person angry enough to give you more than a door ding. If you choose to shop during the store’s busy times, put on your walking shoes and pick a spot at the far end of the lot. That will save you a lot of grief and aggravation since you won’t be one of three or four people racing for the same spot by the door. The bonus of parking a farther distance will be the extra calories you’ll burn. Grocery Carts The next place where you might find etiquette-conflict is in the grocery cart corral. Most grocery stores have plenty to go around, so if you see someone racing you to a cart, let her have it and take the next one. Or better yet, pull it out and offer it to her before getting one for yourself. When you are finished with your cart, remove all tissues, wrappers, bags, and other trash before returning it. Even if the store has personnel who do that, you should still show some civility and not leave them with a mess. Shopping Most grocery store aisles aren’t wide enough to have two carts parked side by side with enough room for another one to pass. Be considerate and position yours so others can get around you. If you are in the middle of a conversation with another customer, choose a spot that won’t be in someone else’s way. Honour other customers’ personal space and don’t crowd them. While shopping in the produce section, take your time choosing your vegetables and fruits, but remember that there are others who want to do the same thing. Inspect what you need and then move on so that someone else can make a selection. When you need to test for ripeness, give the item a gentle squeeze, but not hard enough to bruise it. Prices are already high enough. You don’t want to exacerbate the problem by adding to the unsalable products. Any time you remove an item from the shelf to read the label, either place it in your cart or put it back where it belongs. Putting it in the wrong spot covers another item and makes shopping difficult for others. Never remove anything from the freezer section and discard it on a regular shelf or at the register. Ice cream and other frozen items will melt and destroy anything you put them on. Children Most adults have to shop with small children at some point in their lives. Before taking them shopping, give them a lesson in manners, and don’t hesitate to repeat the rules of good behaviour. Don’t be afraid to use bribes if it means having a peaceful shopping experience and not annoying other customers. If your child starts to have a temper tantrum, remove him or her from the store. Checkout Line The checkout area of any grocery store can be a war zone when people aren’t considerate. Why not take the attitude that “we’re all in this together” and have a good laugh when it’s crowded. After all, everyone who shops has to go through the line to pay for the groceries. Guidelines for manners at the register: · Only use the express lane if you have fewer than the stated number of items. If you have a full cart, and someone else only has two or three items, let them go ahead of you · Have your payment ready. If you are using a debit or credit card, make sure you have enough to cover your purchase before you leave home and if you are paying cash, know where your money is before you get in line. Be sure to have any grocery coupons ready too. · Don’t interrupt or ignore the cashier to take a call. Let it ring through and call back after you complete your transaction · Once you are finished paying, thank the cashier and move out of the way for the next customer More Grocery Shopping Etiquette Tips As you shop, you are likely to find yourself faced with unique experiences that might rattle your nerves. When that happens, stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and find some sort of peace with the situation. If you are ever in doubt about what to do, employ the Golden Rule.