Anansi and the Pot of Beans



Anansi and the Pot of Beans

Have you ever heard of Anansi? He is a Spider-Man from Ghana in West Africa. Anansi is a very tricky spider. He loves to eat and he is very lazy. He hates to do any kind of work at all.

It was planting season time and Grandma Spider needed someone to help her plant her garden. She put on her shawl and went over to see Anansi. When she got there she knocked on the door. Knock, knock, knock.

Anansi said, “Oh, no! I know that’s Grandma and I know she wants me to do some work. I don’t feel like doing any work today.”

Anansi went to the door and answered it, “Hello, Grandma! How ya doin’?”

“Anansi, Anansi, it is planting season time and I need someone to help me plant my garden.”

Cough, cough! “Oh, Grandma, I’m sick, I can’t do any work today! Oooo, my toes hurt, my nose hurts, ooo and I got the rockin’ and arollin’ boogie woogie blues!”

“Oh, well, Anansi,” said Anansi’s Grandma Spider. “I thought you could give me a little hand, but since you can’t, I guess I’ll have to find someone else. You know, Anansi, I was going to fix your favorite food for however helps me.”

“Huh?” said Anansi. “Grandma, what is my favorite food?”

“Ah, well, we all know what your favorite food is, Anansi – Beans!” Anansi loves beans more than anything.

“Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!” said Anansi. Wait a minute, Grandma. Let me get my favorite hat and I will join you.”

So off they went, over the hill and dale, Anansi and Grandma Spider. It was a very long, long journey and when they got there Anansi was hot and tired.

Whooo, Grandma. Grandma, let me have those beans now. “

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no,” said Grandma Spider. First follow me out to the corn field,” and off they went. She showed him this HUGE field.

When Anansi saw it he said, “Haw? You mean I have to plant this whole garden? Uh uh, no no, mmm, mmm, I ain’t gonna do it, mm, mm, no no.”

“Wait a minute, Anansi,” said Grandma Spider, “now just wait a minute. You promised me you would plant this garden. No planting, no beans, and that’s final.”

“Oww,” said Anansi. “Hand me a shovel, aww, hand me a hoe, (whine) hand me a spade.”

Anansi dug a hole and he planted a seed in it – shoo!

Yum yum yum yum yum yum, yum yum yum yum yum

Anansi dug a hole and he planted a seed in it – shoo!

Yum yum yum yum yum yum, yum yum yum yum yum

Now, while Anansi was busy planting the garden, Grandma Spider was in the kitchen getting those beans ready. Now, we need to help Grandma Spider get those beans ready.

First, we go over to the cupboard and get down a BIG pot.

Now, let’s go to the cabinet and get some brown sugar and molasses – mmm, mm.

Let’s go over to the refrigerator. Let’s see now. We need some fatback (thick bacon), and some ketchup and mustard. Okay, close the door.

Now let’s go over here and get some onions, some garlic, and some green peppers.

First we need to open those cans of beans. Nmnmnmnm. And now another one. Nmnmnmnmn. Get a spoon and let’s clean them out into the pot.

Okay, let’s cut up some onions. Ch ch ch ch ch (sniffle, sniffle). Now let’s cut up some green pepper. Sh sh sh sh sh. And some garlic. Don’t let your eyes burn you now!

Now let’s pour in some ketchup. Mmmm, splat. And a little mustard. Split splat.

We need to slice up some fatback. And we need some brown sugar. Sh sh sh sh sh . And some molasses that pours very, very slow and usually the top is stuck! (pour slowly)

Time to stir it, stir it, stir it.

(Taste) Hmmmm. I think it needs some more molasses. (pour slowly) Stir it, stir it, stir it. (Taste) MmmmmMMmm.

Good. Now let’s put it on the stove to cook.

Tick tock like a clock, tick tock like a clock.

Mmmm, that aroma shot up to the ceiling. It traveled across the kitchen. It traveled out the window. It traveled across the corn field, right up to Anansi’s nose.

“MMMmm, yum, yum, yum, yum! Those beans smell Sooo good!

(Sing faster and faster)

Anansi dug a hole and he planted a seed in it – shoo!

Yum yum yum yum yum yum, closer to the pot!

Anansi dug a hole and he planted a seed in it – shoo!

Yum yum yum yum yum yum, closer to the pot!

Anansi dug a hole and he planted a seed in it – shoo!

Yum yum yum yum yum yum, closer to the pot!

Shhh, shh, shh, shh everybody! I’m gonna sneak into the kitchen and get some beans! But don’t give me away – Shhhh!

Anansi snuck up to the kitchen and opened the screen door – eeeeeeeeeee. He tip-toed up to the stove.

(Sniffffff) “MMmmm, those beans smell so good!” He put his hand on the pot lid. “Oowww wo! That pan is Sooo hot! I burned my hand!”

He got a cloth and lifted the lid. “MMmmmMMmm! Those beans sure do smell good! I need a bowl but if I dirty one Grandma Spider will know I took some beans. What can I use?”

(Take hat off and scratch head) “Oh, my hat!”

He took the spoon and started to spoon beans into his hat and ate them up (blowing to cool them off).

Now, while Anansi was busy eating those beans, it just so happens that there was a flock of birds flying overhead. These birds were seed-stealing birds and they were being chased by some people.Those birds needed a hiding place and they could smell those de-licious beans also. So where do you think they flew?

Mm hmm - into the house. Into which room? Yup – the kitchen. Where who was doing what? Where Anansi was eating those beans.

Now everybody, softly pretend you are those birds flying down in the kitchen. (Flap your arms)

Those birds flew right into the kitchen and they surrounded Anansi. “Ow! Shoo! Ow! Get! Get! Get!” They kept pecking at him and grabbing those beans and pulling his hat!

Now, with all this noise and commotion, who do you think heard them? Grandma Spider began to wonder what was going on in her kitchen.

“Anansi? Anansi! What are you doing in my kitchen?”

“Ooo Ooo,” said Anansi. “Oh, oh! She’s gonna catch me! Oooo look at this mess! Look at all these beans all over the place! What am I gonna do? Oh, tell me!”

(Take off hat and scratch head) “Put the beans in my hat? Okay” (scoop into hat)

“Now what do I do with it? I can’t get caught with it! Put it on my head? Okay”

Now remember, those beans were boiling hot on the stove and they burned! “Ow ow! It’s burning my head!”

Grandma Spider rushed into the kitchen and said, “Anansi! What is wrong with you?”

“Oh, I’m dancing, Grandma, I’m dancing!” Anansi shot out of the kitchen and outside.

Grandma Spider said, “Wait just a minute. Anansi is up to something. Come on birds and let’s see.”

Anansi ran just as fast as he could. When he could run no more, he stopped at a tree. He threw that hat off and beans went flying everywhere! There were beans running down his face, and in his ears, and in his nose, in his mouth! Oh, he felt sooo bad!

The birds and Grandma Spider came running up laughing, “Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

He went to pick up his hat and dust it off. “Oh, don’t laugh at me! Please don’t laugh at me! Whoa, wha- where did my hair go? Wa, wo, where is it? Where is it?”

Those beans were so hot they burned off every strand of Anansi’s hair from his head! “Anansi, it serves you right for playing such a trick!”

Ever since that day Anansi has been so ashamed of himself for what he did that he crawls around and hides in corners and ceilings and bushes and weeds and little tiny, tiny places so oyu can’t see him.

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