Chef Failatu Abdul-Razak, the Ghanaian chef who attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon, has defended her decision to serve garnished toads as part of her dishes during her cook-a-thon in January.
Speaking on the United Showbiz show on UTV, hosted by MzGee on March 2, 2024, Chef Faila lamented the mockery and criticism she faced from some people after the Cook-a-Thon, where she cooked for 227 hours non-stop, surpassing the current record of 119 hours and 57 minutes held by Irish Chef Alan Fisher.
She said some people made fun of her for garnishing toads but she said she did not see anything wrong with eating toads as they are part of the indigenous foods of some cultures in Ghana and that people should respect and accept the diversity of culinary preferences.
“At a point after the cook-a-thon, people were making a mockery of me because I garnished toads.
“People eat meats like pork, snakes, and dogs, and nobody complains. Why is it a problem if someone eats frogs?
“You see, we must try to accept people and their indigenous lifestyles. We are trying to protect Ghana, eat Ghana, where Ghana eats Ghana.
“It boils down to the fact that let us respect people devoid of their cultural foods. We don't even call it a frog. Call it a toad! It gives it a little bit of respect,” she fumed.
She also said she ate the toads herself before serving them to the public, and that they were delicious. She also pointed out that other countries, such as China, also consume toads and other exotic animals.
“The Chinese garnish toads and eat. Yet when you get the opportunity to go to China to learn, you are happy. But they protect their indigenous cultures, foods and other things that attract tourists to their country,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chef Faila has announced that her attempt to break the world record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual has failed.
In a statement released on March 3, 2024, she said she failed to meet the guidelines set by Guinness World Records.
She said she was proud of her effort and would continue to pursue her culinary dreams.
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