French fries and milkshakes.

There is a club in Lagos called the American Guest Quarters; GQ, for short. It probably started as a guest house for visiting diplomats, but has evolved into a recreational club for Americans. It has tennis courts, shade trees, a grass lawn, swing sets, playground, pool, restaurant, bar and gym. They take dollars here. Every Thursday is Tex-Mex night. The ground beef and bacon is flown in from the States. Marines lounge here. Beer costs two bucks.

Do you hear the reverence in my tone? If not, read it again. But read it like someone who just stumbled into the Garden of Eden. Or a shopaholic on Fifth Avenue. Or a golfer teeing off for the first time at St. Andrews.

Read it like a kid who just spent the day at Disney Land and is calling grandma to tell her all about it.

...It has tennis courts, Grandma! And shade trees, a grass lawn, swing sets, playground, pool, restaurant, bar and gym! They take dollars here! Every Thursday is Tex-Mex night! The ground beef and bacon is flown in from the States! Marines lounge here! And beer costs two bucks! 

Can you hear the veneration now?

This place is special. 

On Friday afternoons, as the sun goes down and the breezes pick up, Americans come to play. Children run around barefoot playing tag and basketball while their parents sip cocktails in the wood-paneled bar. Everyone is smiling. It's the end of a long, hot, sweaty week, but for an hour or two, we get to escape into a mini-America.

Now imagine that this is closed to you. You can't come in. You know it is there, but you are not allowed. NO SOUP FOR YOU!

Because you are not a member yet.

But last week, that all changed. We got in. Membership was granted. The gates to paradise were thrown open and we were welcomed in by a host of angels.

Well... not exactly. 

In reality, we scrambled across the pot-holed parking lot, passed through a metal detector, greeted the guard with a gun and handcuffs, and waited at the un-staffed reception desk for 15 minutes so we could fork over our dues.

But who cares, we're in! We headed straight to the dining room and ordered the most American fare we could think of—hot dogs, french fries and milk shakes.

It was heaven.