Reflections in, on and round about…with a lot of cooking on the side
People have been asking about the genesis of the Eish! It’s the Eighties shindig at Green Gables in McGregor, on Monday, 23rd September 2024. Over a tipple or two, a bunch of McGregorites – some ex-Joburgers, some who passed through Jozi at the right time – discovered that we jolled at the same live music … Continue reading Eish! It’s the 80s
Whenever I hear Abba's Waterloo, my eleven year old self remembers the first "pop" song that appealed to her - the very first time she heard it. https://youtu.be/3FsVeMz1F5c It was a weekday afternoon and the radio was on - we had one of those radiograms that had the radio in the middle, a turntable on … Continue reading Six decades, only six songs? Impossible
For the last couple of days, I have been musing on the heady, awful and wonderful days of the mid-1980s. At the moment, there's a kind of pall hanging over South Africa which is a function of the nearly fifteen years of electrickery drama, ongoing corruption and impunity, only the surface of which Zondo has scratched. … Continue reading The dying memories of the 1980s: looking back to look at the now
Pickled fish is an iconic traditional South African dish. I first ate pickled fish at the ripe old age of about seven. It was the starter for Christmas lunch: the first I really remember. I was instantly smitten. Auntie Doris made it every year and for all the years we "had Christmas" at number 10, … Continue reading Pickled Fish: a South African Tradition
I can't remember the first time I ate this dessert. It's one of our favourites - when I "do" dessert. I don't often. I don't have a sweet tooth. I am was not much of a baker. My chef friend and market pal reckons mine are among the best she's tasted. I brimmed with pride … Continue reading Marvelous Malva
Words fascinate me and I confess to choosing to eat something - just because its name appeals to me. I live in a country with eleven official languages - plus dialects. Also, in South Africa, are peoples of Bushman descent whose languages are ancient and have either been lost, or are in danger of being … Continue reading A stew is as stew – or is it?
Foreword This post, in its original iteration appeared in 2018. On another platform. I have, for a number of reasons, been trying to systematically restore "missing" bits. It's a mixed blessing: some I choose not to restore. Others, like this, make me realise how much our lives have changed in the last year and now, … Continue reading Heritage food – my take
Chutney is an important feature of traditional South African cooking, and particularly those South Africans with Dutch and Malay heritage. It's an essential accompaniment to curry as well as being an ingredient in a number of traditional recipes including bobotie. As are apricots - in chutneys, in jam - and which are also eaten dried, … Continue reading Charming Chutney
On Monday, my helper came to work and told me that her niece had won a scholarship to go to a conference in New York. She went on to say that, as is often the case, the scholarship wouldn't cover everything, and that the family would be holding fundraising events in the village. Starting at … Continue reading Hayley’s going to Change the World – with our help
I associate burgers with quick food. They are, if one gets them "done". They're not if they're home made from scratch. I make both meat and plant-based burgers. One has to go a long way to find a good vegan or vegetarian patty. Especially at a restaurant: I've had some really memorable (for all the … Continue reading A burger’s a burger, or is it?