[Meetup Recap] Oh Baby! Let's Map Egbeda (Food Crawl)

[Ewaade_3A]

I believe Local Guides are amazing people . We come from such diverse backgrounds and ethnic groups that literally, we could form a Nation with the level of expertise we have and the courage we muster.

This proved to be true at the just concluded Meetup we held yesterday; Let’s Map Egbeda (Food Crawl), where we decided to check out the ‘eateries/Restaurants/food joints’ options along the Egbeda-Dopemu-Akowonjo (E.D.A.) axis as a way to prepare for the festive season and help more people decide where to visit and what to do.

Joining me on this fun adventure, were two exemplary Local Guides;

1. Ibrahim Afolayan @Hebra
2. Tosin Christianah @Tosin_Creations

What surprised me? Their vigor and passion;

• Ibrahim stays in a different Local Government, yet he came all the way to join at the Meetup
• Tosin has a 4-month old baby, whom she brought along with her for the walk!

I was gingered by Tosin’s composure and strength as she made us take detours off the road to map some places on the ‘Shasha axis’, that was out of our Meetup range. I was impressed by how gentlemanly Ibrahim was, as he made to take care of we; the women in his care. We had fun.

So, time to share with you what went down;

Part 1 (Mapping and Contribution)

The Meetup began from the front of the Egbeda Central Mosque, at this point, Ibrahim made to take the Photo of a plaza that had a spa in it and the security would not have it! He ordered Ibrahim to delete the Photo, that; he had no right to take the photo of a business place, when the owner wasn’t around, how ignorant?!

I asked Ibrahim to oblige him. After which, I explained to him; that there was a ‘coded way’ to take Photos in Nigeria, without ‘calling attention’ or losing your phone especially when you are in a crowded place. You can find a Photo of me showing Ibrahim how to handle the phone in the Photo album.

TIPS

1. Learn how to take pictures without calling attention: When you are in a crowded place or in public and you need to take a photo without calling attention to yourself, grab your phone in one hand, spread your middle and ring finger along the back of your phone, hold your phone secure with your forefinger and shoot photos with your thumb. Alternatively, grab your phone in your hand with your four fingers across the top, your thumb beneath and shoot with your thumb, I am only able to do this alternate method with my left hand
2. Photo Editing for Maps: while editing of photos is generally not encouraged on maps, you can perform little tweaks on photos. These tweaks include; “correction of perspective”. This is very important when taking pictures of Architecture, you may take the photo of a building and it appears slanted or it appears to adopt the ‘falling tree pose’ , you have to correct it to make your picture level. One tip to take photo of Architecture is to stand at a ‘T’ to the building, but what if you are in Lagos and what happened to Ibrahim happens to you? You lose the opportunity. So, take your photo as discreetly as possible, correct them later
3. Download the Streetview app and Take 360 Photos today: Yeah! It is much easier to take a 360 Photo of a place with the 360 Camera, but what if you do not have one? You visit many places, right? People everywhere should benefit from your experiences, it’s the reason you are a Local Guide. Every time I have a physical meetup, I try to show Local Guides how to take a 360 Photo using a Camera phone. So, yesterday, we made a 360 photo of Access Bank Plc, Akowonjo, Shasha road, right at the Shasha roundabout. Even though my people began with; "ah! How many times do we have to turn round?!’ when they saw the finished product, they were amazed and said; “Wow!” I also cleared the misunderstanding that 360 photos were only done by ‘Google’. Also, I took some time out to explain the Streetview program to them and how it was distinct from the Local Guides program and how there are Streetview Photographers, who are not Local Guides.
4. Photos of places; Photos should be taken in landscape mode, while videos should be done in portrait mode: In my opinion, it is best for Photos to be taken in landscape mode, for a wider perspective, people should be able to know from a long way off that they are approaching their destination. It is important to see the places or the surrounding of your destination.
5. Take Pictures of every location and at different angles if possible: So, there were some places, we were just going to walk by and ignore. I took the time to explain that such places often times have been captured by Google Streetview, but more often than not; no photos get added, no reviews are given, with time such places go ‘offline’ on Map and it’s difficult to add any details to such places or even edit them. So, take picture of every relevant place every P.O.I. if people meet there and it is not a private residence, it should be on the map, it should even get a review. Also, I explained how it was important to take photos of ‘high-rising buildings’ from afar off, in order to have a perfect and seamless image.
6. Adding of Local Businesses: Google is very interested and is a great supporter of Local businesses, so every time you see a Local business, check to see if it’s on the Map, if it is not, take your time to explain to the owner who a Local Guide is, what we do and how getting their businesses on the map can help more customers locate them. I, for one, do not add pictures up on Maps when I am on a Photo walk! It drains my battery! I like to get home and do the work! So, I have a note where I take down the following details; Name, opening date, opening hours, preferred phone number, contact address, type of business, other services rendered. Because we may not always carry on a note, pen and paper, I shared that we could use the ‘notes function’ of our phones to take down relevant details.
7. Map Views: Are map views important? Are reviews relevant? Very important. The views show you and inform you the number of people your contribution has helped and inform you how that ‘particular contribution’ is helping people, such that you can choose a signature style of taking your photos. I went ahead to share with them about ‘featured photos’ on Maps and how getting a ‘featured photo’ can improve your views significantly.
8. Map Editing (closing of a place on Map, Marking as duplicate, Marking as spam, marking photos as ‘not a photo/video’ of this place, creating new places on Maps) : We discovered a ‘closed Mr. Bigg’s branch’ along the Akowonjo road and we made to ask around and were told that it had been closed for years now, so, I explained how to close a place on map and the other Map edit features.
9. Accessibility: It is important to ensure that we have an inclusive world; people everywhere, irrespective of their physical conditions, should be able to ‘find places worth visiting and things worth doing’. I encouraged Local Guides to always look out for the accessible options when visiting a place; in the least; a “wheel chair ramp”. Well, we discovered a Gem; “an accessible ATM center” along our walk at Keystone Bank, Akowonjo road, Egbeda.
10. P.O.I.s Under Construction: Sometimes, you come across a very beautiful and magnificent place, yet it is under construction, if you can find someone to tell you what that place is, you could add it, especially if it is a reputable brand that has branches all over Lagos. The people of Alimosho Local Government, Lagos need to get ready to welcome Rumours Night Club to Akowonjo road, Egbeda.
11. Lighting: It is important to know at what point of the day to shoot pictures and to try as much as possible to choose with ‘natural light’ as opposed to flash.

Part Two - Food

Now, let’s talk about that one thing that is accessible to all; Food.

What I have come to discover about Lagos is; a food place is like an Igbo man (my brethren from South- Eastern, Nigeria). They say; “everywhere you go and you do not find an Igbo man, know that life does not exist there”. Now, look around you dear Local Guides, is there a Nigerian in your country? He would most likely be 'Igbo’.

Now, that’s by the way, let’s get to the crux of the matter. Any eatery/restaurant/food joint you enter in Lagos state and you do not find at least one person there, know that their food is not sweet. Now, this ‘sweetness’ is relative; it goes beyond the taste of food, to the customer service, to customer satisfaction, to great views, to value for money, to hygiene. So, on the ‘food crawl’ section of our Meetup, I guided my people with this in mind, not withstanding, we went in some places and made to see things ourselves.

TIPS

1. Timing: when reviewing a place people will eat food, it is important to check the ‘time’ it takes to get your food, as one of the questions Google Maps will later prompt you to answer is; “is this a place to get a quick bite?”
2. Orderliness : It is important that a place that food is served is very orderly, I don’t want to bump into things or people because I want to fill my stomach and I thing Google agrees with me especially in the wake of this COVID-19 pandemic. So, Google Maps prompts you to answer; “on your last visit to this place, did you have to wait in line before entering?”, “On your last visit to this place, how crowded was it?”
3. Pricing: Because of how essential food is, I don’t want to break the bank to fill my belly, right? So, you have to check the pricing. Is it cheap? is it moderate? is it expensive? is it very expensive? Now, I know what may be expensive to me may be very cheap to someone the calibre of Dangote (the richest man in Nigeria and in Africa according to Forbes). I believe the best way to answer this question is using your country’s ‘average per capita income’. Can the average man on the street afford this?
4. Hygiene: Does this place offer ‘no contact delivery’? How clean was this place? How well did the members of Staff try to hand over your food avoiding contamination as much as possible? Did the ladies cover their hair? use handgloves?
5. Seating: This is something very important too. For example, often times, I wear a girdle/corset, I don’t want to go into a place and sit on low chairs, I mean, I have to sit upright, and even though I am not a tall person, sitting on a very low chair could be very inconveniencing, also, some Parents need high chairs that their children could be strapped unto while they enjoy their meal, hands free. You get what I am talking about? Look at the seating, it is an accessibility option. People everywhere irrespective of their physical conditions should be able to sit comfortably.
6. Aesthetics/Ambience: you need to look out for ‘views’. What do people see while they eat their food and on what end do they see these? What vibes does one get from here?
7. Air Circulation: how was the air conditioning? was the place stuffy? were the ventilators working? For someone like me who stays in a rural area, I don’t want to spend my money to go out and then be exposed to stress, I want clean air through and through.
8. Food: first; Know what you are eating, if there are name tags, write them down. Someone else may see your photo and decide to have what you had, you need to attach the names. Google Maps prompts for this and gives rewards for it. Also take Photos of the food, the angle from which you take the food depends on what kind of food it is. There are many posts on food photography here on Connect. but what I would say is; take the food from ‘on top’, so people can get a ‘feel’ of your dish, take it from the side, so people can see and get a feel of the texture and likely consistency of your food. Take a bite and take a shot, so people can see the richness of the stuffing. What to do? Leave a review and tell everyone about everything! My Map needs a lot of work!!!
9. Customer Service: One may be having such an awesome day already, they enter a restaurant and the members of Staff make them feel like; they are there primarily to serve them and it may be the other way round. Please comment on customer service. Some people serving food, act like they are the source of oxygen and must give it to you, while some act otherwise, document it.
10. Dining Style: Map will ask you; “does this place have table service?”, “does this place serve brunch?”. So, you need to note this too, so that people can tell if it will be a good place to go out on a date, a great place to be a beautiful lady to dinner, a place to chat, etc…

WINNER

The winning restaurant in our opinion is The Place, Akowonjo road, Egbeda. The only down-side being that; it is not Wheelchair Accessible and is not located on the ground floor. It was delicious goodness on every bite.

Here are some Photos for your viewing pleasure; Let’s Map Egbeda Photo Album

And that was it for maps.

Then, we chatted bout other things;

• How Ibrahim is a fluent German Speaker
• How I believe that even though a man invites me out on a date, I must have the full money (on my card or as cash) that covers the full expenses.
• Tosin’s very peaceful and happy baby who is a Local-guide-in-training she took in the views and sights so graciously, you would think she was going to upload on maps later on
• Tosin who lives in Egbeda, was able to share with us, the different boundaries; Shasha, Akowonjo and their roundabouts.

It was a beautiful Meetup, we started at 2:44 p.m. and ended at 6:44 p.m. with hugs, kisses and beautiful memories.

Most of the Photos you would find in the Let’s Map Egbeda Album are unedited Photos, as the meetup was held yesterday, many of the Photos are not yet added to the Map. However, these are some edited Photos from the Let’s Go G.A.G.A., Ibadan Meetup held on the 2nd and 3rd of December, 2020. You can find the recap post here; Atop the World, Atop a Hill, Let’s Go G.A.G.A., Ibadan.

In each of the three photos below is a collage; one original shot and one ‘corrected shot’, find which one is edited in the first two, I have helped with the third.

ciao.

The first picture is of the General Post Office

This Second shot is of the Ventura Mall

[Tosin_Creations]

Thank you so much @Ewaade_3A

For hosting an interesting and well detailed meet up.

[Ewaade_3A]

thank you so much for taking the risk to come along. you really tried @Tosin_Creations

[emmandus]

Thanks for sharing this detailed recap

[Hebra]

Vielen Dank Frau Ewaade for hosting us. And for all the helpful tips you shared.

I plan on becoming a 360 photographer going forward.

[Ewaade_3A]

Thank you very much @emmandus

I hope to meet you very soon, too.

When you want someone to get a notification of your comment, always use the ‘@’ button.

[Ewaade_3A]

Wow! go for it, Ibrahim! It’s my utmost pleasure. Thanks for spoiling us with your care too. I am proud of you, young man!

And what you want to be is a STVP (Street View Trusted Photographer).

I am glad you have generated interest in it and do you know to be one, you just need to add up fifty (50) 360 Photos that get approved and published by Google?

You take such lovely pictures, so, I know you can do it.

Finally, when you want someone to see your comment, always use the ‘@’, so they get a notification, like I am going to do now; @Hebra

[TravellerG]

Wow…

Extensive text & contextual photos…

Many times I wonder… When will I be able to WRITE LIKE YOU?

Many times, I wanted to ask you… How to get this energy?

Many times, I get the doubt… Will all be able to read this lengthy post… (Do not mistake me - just being frank with you)

…

Really appreciate your writing talent & enthusiasm…

Hats off to your never ending ENERGY…

All the best…

Most sincerely

[Ewaade_3A]

My people will say; “Abinibi, o yato si ability”, I will come to pronounce this for you. You see;

there are two words here;

• Abinibi -this is a talent or something you are born with. It is a word in Yoruba language of South-western, Nigeria
• Ability - possession of the means or skill to do something. This is an English word
• Yato si - means; ‘different from’. It is a phrase in Yoruba language of South-western, Nigeria

So, my people are saying; even though the only difference in the two words are the last 4 letters and their meanings are almost similar, they are very different.

Writing, more than a skill, is a talent, it’s something I was born with and I have been expressing myself for a very long time.

Also, I have come to realize, all the time! That; people read my ‘lenghty posts’ more than the short ones. It’s not so much about the text, or how long it is, it is about the fact that; I make sense, carry others along and they enjoy it @TravellerG

My best part of your comment is “contextual Photos”. thank you, TG

[Ewaade_3A]

In addition to that, because It is a talent, I don’t feel disoriented if ‘many people do not read it’, I am most concerned about that ‘one person’ who read it, that ‘one person it made sense to’, that ‘one person who was able to pick up a lesson’ from it, my writing is a gift, I must share it with others, it must be beneficial to my community.

Talking about time, “Writing is a Sacred Art for me”, I do it only when I have the time that’s how I was able to write so much during the lockdown. Now, I have not written a post in a long time, because Lagos is open, Nigeria is open, business is back in full bloom!!! I have a lot to share and talk about, even I have two meetups that I had before this one and before Let’s Go G.A.G.A. whose recaps I have not written but there is scarcely time to spare to pay it the due diligence it deserves…

To write like me as ‘an ability’, just ‘write away’! Don’t bother if people will read it or not, express yourself and that’s it. @TravellerG

[Anil6969]

oh my god again you steal the show @Ewaade_3A

such a nice and details seems i am travelling with you all my special love to cute baby who was under training hahaha our future LG ,

hope junior LG will work with drone camera not 360 degree of SVT before adult by default,

apreciate the caring mom effort who took the baby to this physical meet up,

the point you have already elaborated will be a reference note for them as how to become succesful local guide,

keep spreading your fragerance my honey bee,

regards

[Ewaade_3A]

Loool! what will I do with you and without you?

Whatever I say, you will have a response, wherever I go, you will come after me and when I made up my mind, you said You will come into partnership, I guess I am stuck with you for life.

Please, no find me come Connect o, make I for no reason your matter before you get a Nigerian to translate this for you, I would be long gone.

Thank you for your kind words, you always see what many don’t see.

About that Honey Bee Thank you, Anil @Anil6969

[Anil6969]

yeah @Ewaade_3A

Honeybee never sit on one flower as she has to extract diffrent flower juice to make it honey pure and perfect as pure honey is extract of diffrent flowers so is our life of local guide diffrent place ,diffrent people,diffrent pic,diffrent review but aim is to make google map intresting like honey forthe community so the whole world loves it like it like honey so lets help the community with your innovative flavor of writting skill on review and artictic view of lense with photos

keep sharing good practices like honey been attract more local guide to make more meaniningful google map(honey)

regards

[Ewaade_3A]

Hmm, what a toast?! Cheers! You left me spell-bound once again. Mr. Honey Bee @Anil6969

[Tejal]

@Ewaade_3A

Very nice and detail recap thank you for sharing very quickly.

Regards Tejal

[Ewaade_3A]

Thank you very much. Our people will say “as e dey hot”

Serve the food while it is still hot! If Tosin could come out with her baby, what excuse do I have?

Thank you, ma for always been there and for your careful attention @Tejal

[Jetemi]

Oh my my… And I’m in this same Lagos, Nigeria.

Great job there . . . @Ewaade_3A

[Ewaade_3A]

Get ready for me in Kaduna @Nuhuu

And very soon

[Ewaade_3A]

Thank you very much @Jetemi

WWhat part of Lagos are you? I would personally invite you for the next one

[TravellerG]

“…Writing, more than a skill, is a talent…” I fully agree with you, dear @Ewaade_3A

“…people read my ‘lenghty posts’ more than the short ones…”

Maybe…

Regards & thanks for “…your comment is “contextual Photos”. thank you…”