Nigerian Chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, has opened up on the real reason why she cooked for 100 hours during her recent Cook-a-thon.
OsunDaily News recalls that Hilda Baci had recently broken the record of the longest cooking period by an individual in a cooking programme she tagged Cook-a-thon.
The 27-year-old Nigerian chef cooked for 100 hours to earn the title of world’s longest cook.
Giving her reason for 100 hours on the cooking programme, Baci told Daily Trust in an interview that she never planned to go 100 hours of cooking, even though her brother and friends encouraged her to before the start of the programme.
According to her, the information that there were still more raw food stuffs and ingredients to cook for people gave her the motivation to extend it to hours.
While sharing her experience on the four-day journey, the challenges she faced and all, she said ”I didn’t plan to do 100 hours before I started. My friend and brother convinced me to make it 100 hours. At that point, he told me it would be nice to make it a round number. My concern was if we had raw materials to cook for more people. The minute they gave the information that we still had more foodstuff to cook for more people, I agreed to proceed to 100 hours.
”When I started, I’d say the first day was the hardest day. I almost gave up at least six times on the first day but as time went on, my family, my friends, my followers, and the general public became part of the dream and the journey.
”When I wanted to give up and then I saw how interested people were, it dawned on me that I wasn’t doing this for just myself. At that moment, it was more about the people, and I could not have finished 100 hours without them.
”I had to thank them. I had to talk to them because it’s important to me that they know how their support and their presence, both online and offline, helped me get through those days, those hours and those very difficult times.
”I think that is something we need. There is so much negative press about Nigeria, but we are such amazing people. Honestly, just give us a chance because we will thrive in the most difficult conditions.”
Speaking further about how she planned for the cook-a-thon for five years, the Akwa Ibom chef said ”When I say I prepared for this for five years, a lot of people might assume that I started losing weight five years ago. Five years ago, there was no ‘My food by Hilda’. Five years ago, I could not afford to have this conversation. But God had already laid it in my heart five years ago. I think he now prepared me and prepared my brand.
”I remember when I was doing the dry-run, I said I couldn’t have done it when I was bigger. So, was my motivation to lose weight about the cook-a-thon? Absolutely not. I knew that there was so much I wanted to do with my life, and I have to be on my feet as much as possible. To get on that, I needed to eliminate the little things that affect me mentally.
”I put in a lot more effort into fitness. That is, going to the gym, being more consistent, and building my form because standing for four days is no small feat. Even with all the exercise, it was incredibly difficult. My feet at one point were double the size. My ankles and my back still hurt. I have burns, I slept and burnt my hand at some point.
”Even with all the fitness, it still took a lot out of me physically. I’ve lost four kilograms in the last three days. I’m still unable to eat, I still have been unable to sleep properly. I’m tired, but my body is refusing to shut down. So, it still took a lot out of me.”
