Snappy Meal

This blog is dedicated to my roomie, who takes pictures of all our meals and loves, in her own words, "delicious, dirty street food".

I have decided to write a blog about "Food, Glorious Food!" because so much of life in Cape Town revolves around "chowing". In fact, daily life here (and this is the most obvious thing to say, but I'm going to say it anyway) revolves around  family, community, church and food! Before I made the journey over to SA, I always associated these values with warm Catholic culture. With feasting and colourful street processions on saints days. The Hot Prot culture back home never inspired images of abundance and indulgence. It always seemed to me that  Protestantism was all about self-control and self-denial. As my Dad said on visiting Switzerland, "I hate this cold, petty bourgeois, Calvinist country!" I'm only ever holidaying in Spain again. At least there the churches are colourful and the food is tasty!

Cape Town has changed my perspective somewhat. Here life is certainly colourful and the food is delicious. My host mum makes delicious spicy curries. When I first arrived they used to burn the back of my throat and give me a runny tummy. Now, my gut seems to have adapted and my throat has grown accustomed to a bit more heat. Her chicken curry is amazing, its my favourite meal. I've tried ox-tail stew, mutton curry and bean curry as well.

On Sundays my host mum buys sticky donoughts coated in dried coconut as an after-church treat. My host Dad makes his special sandwiches in the evenings. He used to be a onboard chef. He's sailed all around the world. He makes delicious toasted cheese sandwiches. His speedy hands slice up tomato finely onto buttered bread, adds grated cheese, pepper and herbs and fries them dry in a pan.

On Saturdays my roomie and I frequent the Biscuit Mill. She has introduced me to "beverages". Under her tuition I'm learning to give up my beloved coffee in favour of more healthy exotic fruit blended concoctions, like pomegranate and mango smoothie.

We've stuffed ourselves with sushi at an all you can eat sushi buffet. We've munched ourselves to oblivion on ostrich burger at a gourmet burger joint in town that none other than Salema Hayak has declared the "best burger bar she has ever visited".

I've been to a traditional African dinner in a township and eaten fried chicken with sweet potatoes, spinach and bean stew in the home of one of the ladies who the Human Rights Office works with.

It could me easy to feel gulity and all these eating and self-indulgence in a continent where some people have so little. But, I feel I should eat and be merry while the sun shines...