When I was 9 years old, I moved to the United States from Nigeria.
Obviously moving to the US was a major culture shock for me in every way imaginable.
To name a few…
going to a pre-dominantly white school
seeing kids with hair color other than the color black
wearing colorful clothes to school and not a uniform
getting used to the American accent
I do admit, I LOVED the American accent when I first arrived here, and my role model was my cousin, Ajay, who had been living in the US his entire life, and who is 2 years older than I.
I studied the way Ajay spoke, and I was especially fascinated with the phrases he used in his 11 year old whiny voice:
ehewww
leave me aloooooooooone
cut it out
go away
stop it
owwww
don’t bother me
I don’t wanna talk about it
You get the idea, he was super whiny, and I was just mesmerized by his accent.
But out of all the phrases he so eloquently spoke, I do have to say my favorite phrase was ehewww. WTF was ehewww? I had never heard of such a phrase before in the Indian school I went to in Nigeria. 
And the more I listened, “eheww” was being used everywhere, especially in school. Every time a kid would be grossed out, they would then proceed to say, “ehewww.” I finally got the hang of it and I wanted to use it too, but first I needed to learn how to say it. 
So while my family and I were temporarily staying at my cousin’s home, one day I was sitting in Ajay’s walk-in closet where I would typically hangout all by myself due to the number of us living in their home, and I was practicing how to say “ehewww”
eh-ew (quick and easy)
ehhhhhh-ew (a little more emphasis on the ehhhhh)
eh-ewwww (a little more emphasis on the ewwww)
E-U (literally e-u)
AAAAaaaaa-ewwww (dramatic A)
..
..
and so on.
While I was practicing my ehews in an American accent, Ajay was standing outside the closet listening to me practice, and of course he eventually opened the closet door and was hysterical. 
Oh, he never let that story down. He still jokes about it with me so much so he mentioned the story while giving a speech at my reception. Yeah, I was quite embarrassed.
And till this very day Ajay thinks he is being funny with his cheap shots towards me, but the truth is I unfortunately still give him great material to work with, hence why he has a great sense of humor.
And now food, since my cousin LOVES coconut, and Almond Joy is his favorite drugstore chocolate brand, I thought it would be fitting to share this vegan Almond Joy Hot Chocolate recipe for today’s post, and yet there is no Almond Joy chocolate in this delicious beverage.
So instead of Almond Joy chocolate, I highly recommend using Sweet Riot’s 70% Organic Dark Chocolate Coconut bar which is organic, vegan, only 21 calories per square, and tastes amazing! This bar can be purchased at Whole Foods, Duane Reade, Wegmans to name a few, or find a location near you. Enjoy!
NUTRITION: Almond Milk is Vegan, contains no cholesterol, and is loaded with vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants with high levels of Vitamin E. Almonds help lower cholesterol and are an excellent source of Vitamin E. Godiva’s Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa powder is high in fiber and protein. Coconut is low in cholesterol and sodium, and it is a good source of fiber. Although coconut contains high amounts of saturated fats, not all saturated fats pose as a health problem, especially those linked with coconut.
INGREDIENTS (makes 1 regular serving or 2 small):
- Whole Foods 365 Organic Almond Milk Unsweetened – 1 cup
- Godiva Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa – 2 tbsp
- Pure Vanilla Extract – 1/2 tsp
- Sweet Riot 70% Organic Dark Chocolate Kickin’ Coconut – 6 squares (highly recommended; amazing coconut chocolate + organic & vegan)
- Let’s Do Organic Unsweetened Shredded Coconut – 1 tbsp (toasted)
- Slivered Almonds – 1 tbsp (toasted)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Start by toasting unsweetened shredded coconut and slivered almonds on a pan on medium heat. Stay close and stir occasionally.
2. This is what you should have after a few minutes, you should really be able to smell the coconut. Turn off the stove and set aside.
3. Heat a small pot on low-medium heat, add almond milk. 
4. Add hot cocoa and vanilla extract. 
5. Stir all the ingredients until well incorporated. 
6. Add the dark chocolate coconut squares. I used 6 squares (21 calories each) for that perfect consistency, and the coconut squares release shredded coconut flakes as well. Keep stirring so all the squares melt into the hot chocolate.
7. After a few minutes this is what you should have. Bubbles will form around the sides. Turn off the stove. 
8. Pour into a serving cup.
9. Top with toasted coconut and almonds.
10. You can stir the hot chocolate so you’ll have coconut and almonds in every bite. Tastes amazing!
TELL ME: Have you moved to another country between the ages of 8 to 15? Did you experience a culture shock? Have you ever tried Almond Coconut Hot Chocolate?
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
Saying ehwwwww is really funny… Hope u used if finally… Ha ha ha… Almond chocolate looks delicious
Haha love this story and I gotta say- Ajay is one lucky guy…you give him good comedy material AND amazing hot chocolate! I've hesitated to heat up almond milk because it curdles in my coffee but I'm glad to see that you've had great results with doing so! Can you believe I've never tried Almond Joy? For the most part, I've written off American chocolate (Reeses is an exception) in my mind because let's be honest- it doesn't come close to English chocolate ;)! And thanks for the laughs this morning- that eehw story gave me a chuckle :)!
nice eehhww story!clicks are wonderful, love your style!
Nisha such a funny and great story. I can totally hear practising eewww! I was a similar age to you when I moved to England and hearing kids my age talk was fascinating. My English taught by English nuns in a convent in India proved to be too posh (ironically) for the other kids and used to be teased about it! I tried my hardest to speak like them, but it sound all wrong to an extent where I was speaking slang in a posh English accent! I finally gave up! To this day my friend still tease me about it. 🙂
It's such a lovely story and funny too. I haven't done any moving while young, but I have moved to live in Netherlands in my early 20's, but I was already feeling at home there the next day (I move around easily).
Great hot chocolate recipe, especially since it's relatively healthy too 🙂
I could just dive into this hot chocolate. Looks incredible! Love your photos and presentation!
I was crying because I was laughing so hard reading this. You are just too cute. I wish I had known you back then – would have protected you from Ajay 🙂 haha. Just sent this to him – he''ll love it. And you are right, he will love this recipe – def will try it soon!
Very funny story! As Ajay's brother and one of your former housemates, I beg you not to shame me by coming up with a recipe with Tic-Tacs. 😉 <3
funny story but I can relate few things from this one because I moved here when I was 16 and it took me a while to get adjusted..thats very nice of your to make this deliciousssssss hot chocolate. I have to look for that dark chocolate soon- thanks for sharing it 🙂
@Khushboo – yeah, Ajay is lucky, to be related to me. Haha.. but I'm lucky too, he's a great cousin, but more like a brother and friend to me. You've never tried Almond Joy? OMG! When I meet you, I'll buy you some. I know British chocolate does taste pretty amazing, I have to agree, but Almond Joy, Peanut M&Ms, and Resees are the best American chocolates! You gotta try AJ (almond joy) funny for sure. Thanks.. glad you had a chuckle. 🙂
@Akila – YES, I finally used it. Haha!
@Sapna – thank you.
@diaryOfIndianMum – Sejal.. I envy you, I love the British accent, it's my most favorite accent. I can totally fake it, but only a true English would see thru me. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. And I thought all English in England is "posh," at least it sounds that way.
@Gourmantine – I wish I had your ability to just pick up and move, but I think moving to the US at such a young age traumatized me for life. I have issues with major change for extended periods, I need familiarity, but I hope someday I can just move around and try living in new places. Wow, you live in the Netherlands, very cool. I hope to visit soon.. wanna try those brownies. LOL!
@Asmita – thanks girlie.. appreciate it.
@Nandini – I'm glad you were.. you needed a goooooooood laugh, and what better way then to make a little fun of Ajay? If you knew both of us back then, he would have surely targeted you too, he IS such a bully! We both would have needed protection, me more than you though. Try this recipe soon. 🙂
@Ankush – haha.. you are my next target, I'm going to shame you for being ruthless to a 9 year old. I'm trying to think of some peppermint recipes to go with that story.
@Dixya – Wow, 16, huh? Not an easy age to move to another country, that's like High School. The hot chocolate is delicious, definitely get the Sweetriot Coconut bar, it's totally up your alley with being a health food chocolate + vegan + organic + 21 calories a square. 🙂
I had no idea that you used to live in Nigeria! That must have been a shocking transition, especially when you were so young!
Eheeew is sooo cool. I was amazed by this word when I heard my american neighbors 6yr old daughter say it . I was wondering – how do you learn such words at this age?? Lol but I do love the way she says;-)
Thats a lovely story behind the "word";-)
The hot chocolate sounds divine to me….oh how much I love chocolate;-) yum. My fav hot chocolate is the one from coldstone brand.They come in small packs, just mix with hot milk and enjoy. So never tried my hands on these at home. You are tempting me.
Btw I tried your parsley hummus today and it was too good. Took some pics too will post soon. Thanks for a great recipe;-)
@Nina – thanks for the feedback on the Parsley Hummus. So glad it worked out for you.
I know, eheww is such a cool, yet strange word. I'll have to check out Coldstone's Hot CHocolate, I can't resist their ice-cream, so damn good! And when I go there, it's always for ice-cream. 🙂
@Ameena – Yes.. thought you knew. It was a very hard move which is probably why I resist any kind of major change. 🙂 It was all too traumatic.
That is such a cute story! While my English was always ok (I was born in the US), my Gujarati can be another story sometimes. I think I'm pretty good (compared to many of my cousins and friends) but my parents get a kick out of some of the things I say. Haha!
And this looks freakin' delicious! I have to get that bar of chocolate the next time I'm at WFs!! Heaven!
@Parita – Thanks. I hear ya. I mess up my masculine and feminine when speaking in Hindi, although I'm fluent at it, sometimes I just mix things up. Thanks.. hope you make this and definitely try the Sweetriot bar, it's only $4 at Whole Foods.. pretty reasonable for organic + vegan.
Haha this was an awesome drink my friend 😀
And an awesome story with it ;D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
This is hilarious! I always forget that Americans have an accent 🙂 Although if it makes you feel any better, Pakistanis always laugh at my Urdu because apparently, I have an "American" accent when I speak it! We need to get together for some hot chocolate so we can discuss language and accents further 🙂
@Lawyer – Thanks! That happens, my Hindi is good, but there are always a few words that I mispronounce. Hot Chocolate/Tea/Coffee and conversation is like my favorite thing in the world. 🙂
@Guru – Thanks! Glad you approve.
That's awesome!! I too was not born in the U.S. and my mom said I just stopped talking when we moved to the states because I was trying to pick a language (I used to be fluent in German). At least you adapted quickly : ) On a different note, this hot chocolate looks decadently amazing! Thank you for sharing.
@Brieanna – Awww.. you just stopped talking? My personality certainly changed when I moved here, and then my true self came back years later. So I'm assuming you moved to the US from Germany? That is a slight culture shock, not major, right? Glad you like the hot chocolate. 🙂
I was born and raised in Toronto but the area I grew up in was primarily desi so when I started to work I was exposed to so many different cultures and what always amazed me was blonde hair and blue eyes. I don't think there was anyone in my school that had blonde hair and blue eyes….although I didn't have to work on an accent I just loved your story.very cute and this hot chocolate looks divine as well!
Brilliant story, loved reading this …
Oh this recipe..amazing! I love almond milk, I think we should use it more often
@Amelia – Thanks.. glad you enjoyed it. I love Almond Milk too, love almonds in general. Definitely need to incorporate them more into our lives. 🙂
@Asiya – Toronto has a big desi population. Just like you I was amazed with brown hair and blue eyes, like obsessed! Thanks.. glad you enjoyed my story. 🙂
I moved from a small town to the big city within Malaysia itself — and i was horrified to see girls in makeup at school. Yikes!
I want to dive into that chocolaty goodness 😀
@Kiran – haha.. I know that was another one, girls wearing makeup and shaving their legs by the age of 10. I was like WHAT is going on here??? Thanks girlfriend!
I loved this story! It's funny how things can look and sound from the outside. When I lived in Australia for a few months they loved the American accent, but it seems straight up boring to me!
@Abby – I'm glad you enjoyed the story. You are so fortunate to have lived in Australia.. my 2 favorite accents are the British and Australian accent. The American accent is so boring, totally agree, but then we live here so we don't appreciate it. 🙂
What a sweet story! (As long as you're the one telling it… I'd want to crawl under the table if he told that at my reception!)
Your hot chocolate looks absolutely amazing. My mom's favorite candy bar was the Almond Joy, and she loved Halloween when my brother and I sorted through our loot. We gave her anything with nuts, especially those Almond Joys!
@Amy – Thanks, my cousin totally embarrassed me at my reception, but I guess it's okay. He never lets this story down. Almond Joy is also my favorite candy bar. I sound like your mom, I only ate stuff with nuts.. Almond Joy, Peanut M&Ms were amongst my faves. Resees was second place. Thanks for sharing.. so funny!
Oh i love the hot chocolate…
Lilia
Thanks Lilia… me too. 🙂