Just back from 2 weeks in South Africa, culminating in my flatmate's wedding, I've landed in london with an mba degree that may be almost useless in the current economic crisis, a dead computer and a dying phone. No home or job yet, but I picked up a few extra pounds on the South African diet of meat, meat and more meat which should keep me warm in this cold London weather! Traveling with a group of at times up to 15 of my mba classmates, we ate biltong and 'drie wors' (dried sausages) made from beef, ostrich, and kudu, and gorged at 'braai's,' the South African version of barbequing on a daily basis.
A watched potjie never boils...
After being admonished by my South African flatmate, Francois, every time I asked if he was going to barbeque--one of the greatest insults for a south african--we had the honor of braaing with Jan Scannel, (aka 'The Tongmaster'), founder and instigator of National Braai for Heritage Day in South Africa. http://www.braai4heritage.co.za/ He has braaied with Archbishop Desmond Tutu (who affectionately calls him 'Boetie' for little brother while Jan calls him, 'Arch'.)
After being admonished by my South African flatmate, Francois, every time I asked if he was going to barbeque--one of the greatest insults for a south african--we had the honor of braaing with Jan Scannel, (aka 'The Tongmaster'), founder and instigator of National Braai for Heritage Day in South Africa. http://www.braai4heritage.co.za/ He has braaied with Archbishop Desmond Tutu (who affectionately calls him 'Boetie' for little brother while Jan calls him, 'Arch'.)
We made potjie, (pronounced pot-key and meaning literally, 'Pot') which reminded me a bit of the children's story Stone Soup, as every now and then, usually in the midst of a dramatic story, where in true South African fashion, he and his friends were pulling of a death-defying escape, he would casually add 5 pounds of lamb, then an entire bag of carrots. An hour later, 2 full bushes of rosemary were followed by an entire handful of pepper and salt. We watched the sunset, the moonrise and the stars come out in a little valley high in the mountains on the edge of the Klein Karoo desert--probably watched by the baboons and leopards in the scrub surrounding us, but all we could see was the pot bubbling away on the open fire--and one of the brightest shooting stars that tracked colors across the sky--until we moved to a great wooden outdoor table comfortably seating 20, to lick the poetkie clean...More on the South African experience soon--right now it's time to find a home, a job, a life--whether in london, spain, belgium, or farther afield...Singapore or Sydney?
