Said like a South African

Of course there are going to be certain things that are said differently from country to country; that’s a given isn’t it? But when you are in an English speaking country, isn't it funny and somewhat fascinating to notice the variations? Well I think so anyway.

I mentioned in another entry that Saffas just love to abbreviate words, and I absolutely stand by this statement. These can extend from place names (think Durbs, J Bay & PE) to everyday things (flops & avo) and pretty soon after landing in South Africa you will begin to realise that these shortenings occur regularly.

But it’s certainly not just abbreviations that I’ve noticed; there are whole other words and expressions that we don’t use in the UK. Sure, we speak the same language, but believe me, we may as well not be at times the difference is so vast. South African English has a flavour of its own and the 11 different national languages (borrowing freely from Afrikaans) are thrown in to the mix, totally confusing a naïve international like yours truly.

OK, so let me give you a few examples, and forgive me for some of these being a bit gross. A bogey is called a 'snolly' and a poo is called a 'plonky'. 'Dumpies' in fact are beer bottles, 'bakkies' are open backed trucks and of course we all know a 'braai' is a BBQ. A 'koki' is a felt tip pen and 'tackies' are trainers. 

I’m sure many of you have heard the expression ‘howzit’, which in South Africa is used to greet pretty much anyone really.  It doesn’t necessarily denote a question and definitely doesn’t need an answer; it is more of the general ‘hey how’s it going’ that we may use in the UK.  To ‘have a jol’ means to go out and party, (maybe you go with your ‘chommie’ (friend) or ‘boet’ (mate), which after too many ‘dops’ (drinks) may result in a ‘babbela’ or hangover. ‘Eina’ (ouch).

I've listened to Rog on the phone and noticed that amongst his ‘normal’ English vocabulary is the usage of ‘oh my hat’ instead of ‘oh my god’ and when something is shocking or interesting, he says ‘sure’ (said in an expressive way) or ‘yoh’, said with the same level of expression. I think my personal favourite has to be 'og shame man'. What do you think when I say the word 'shame'? Well the dictionary defines it as 'a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behaviour'. South Africans often use this same usage of the word but the other definition is somewhat different; 'shame' can be also used as a sympathetic expression, for example when seeing a cute kitten or baby.

In a more formal situation, you will often be communicated to ‘go well’ once you leave an accommodation establishment or restaurant, or will be told ‘you must sleep well’ if you see someone before bedtime. The latter took a bit of getting used to as I wasn’t used to such authoritarianism and kindness in the same sentence.  During a meal, you will almost always be asked by the waiter, ‘are you still fine?’ regardless of whether you have been asked if you are in fact ‘fine’ in the first place.

What to say when…

• You want to express how nice something is –lekker. (This meal is lekker)
• You are not exactly sure how long you’ll be –now now. (I’m coming now now)
• You will be a little longer than ‘now now’ –just now. (I’ll call you just now)
• You need to respond but can’t think of what to say –izit?
• You want to give your statement more effect –hey? (It’s a nice day hey?)
• You want to say everything is good and in order –sharp sharp (often said by petrol station staff) 
• You want to express surprise or disbelief –eish

I hope you’ve enjoyed my attempt of revealing some typical South Africanisms. Let’s round it up with a ‘South African love poem’ (!)

Of course I love you Bokkie,

I only smaak you dik

You cook and clean and iron my shirts

And look after me when I’m sick

So your bum is only big hey

But I don’t mind a bit of flab

It means that when I’m lekker jags

There’s something there to grab

So your belly isn’t flat no more

I’m telling you I don’t care

So long as when I druk you

I can get my arms around there

No stukkie who is your age

Has nice round perky breasts

They just gave to gravity

But I know you did your best

I’m not tuning kak now

I never tell you lies

But I think it’s lank sexy

That you’ve got dimples on your thighs

So no matter what you look like

I’ll always love you Dear

Now shut up while the rugby’s on

And fetch me another beer

Graskop Pancakes

Said goodbye to Limpopo and hello to Mpumalanga. As soon as we reached our first town, Graskop, we were bombarded left right and centre with pancake shops, cafés and restaurants. Not knowing that Graskop was famous for pancakes, we were quite intrigued and beginning to get slightly hungry at the thought. It turns out that during the mining era, the miners would form queues right around the block to a local lady’s house where she would prepare fresh pancakes for them during shifts. She became so popular that other pancake houses began to open - the most famous of these being Harrie’s –still open today.

As you can imagine with the most popular pancake house in town, it was full to the brim of tourists and sadly we couldn’t get a table. Wandering a mere 20 metres down the road, we luckily found ‘Graskop Pancakes’, a sweet place that turned out to be quite the little gem. Owner Rod agreed to let me mosey into the kitchen and observe the pancakes being made. Unfortunately Gloria the chef had already prepared the morning’s batch, but nevertheless it was fun to learn what weird and wonderful fillings people choose and see her prepare them.

I selected the traditional mince filling while Rog was ever so slightly more adventurous, with ‘chicken a la king’ as his choice (for anyone that doesn’t know what that it –creamy chicken and mushrooms).  

They were absolutely scrumptious, and forgetting the calories for a moment, I relished every second of my pancake eating experience. Half way through however, I was full to the brim and had to surrender, very reluctantly I may add. Rog being the trooper he is, stepped up to the plate (mind the pun) and managed to polish off his own as well as my neglected half. Job well done.

My mum used to make delicious savoury pancakes every time my little brother came home from university, mainly because they are his favourite but also because we felt too indulgent to eat them ourselves on a regular basis. She fills them with chicken, mushrooms and cheesy white sauce and they are quite miraculous. So for me, pancakes still remain a real treat. Pancake Day in my opinion is an ideal day; a day when you can guiltlessly devour as many pancakes as you see fit without feeling like too much of a heffa lump.

For a healthier alternative though, why not try gluten free buckwheat pancakes filled with chicken, feta and roasted veggies, or even Quorn mince and fresh tomatoes if you like the idea of the traditional filling. I also like the idea of hard boiled egg with chopped spring onions, flaked tuna and a touch of low fat mayo or crème fraîche. Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy your pancakes as much as I did in Graskop!

Is the world creating our stress levels?

'Stress and pressure creates diamonds from nothing more than coal-does this mean that a stressful and pressured life will create a richer world?'

After being in South Africa for over 4 months now, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience a life that is somewhat a contradiction to my own. I have explored townships and rural communities and the people that inhabit such homes. Aside from the understandable poverty that so many people have to live with, the major difference I notice is in the mentality of the individuals.

The lives couldn’t be more different to my life back in London.  London is bustling -teeming with people, noises and smells. I love this chaos as have gotten used to it as part of my life for as long as I can remember.  The South African communities and townships too have their personal sounds and aromas, but the way of life appears to be more relaxed. Well, on the surface at least. Maybe this is due to the fact that less people are working; maybe this is because there are fewer reasons to rush around like we do in the UK.  Or maybe it’s just in the African culture to slow down a bit. But what I have been thinking about lately is; do these people actually feel less anxiety or sadness that others do just because their lives ‘seem’ to be less pressured?

What is saddening me about the Western world is the increasing burden that seems to be overshadowing so many of us these days. I feel that we are absorbing so much negativity that comes from the media; be it TV, the news and the internet to more subconscious ways such as billboards and flash-by signage. I think it’s because of this perpetual bombardment that people often feel anxious for reasons that they can’t even explain.

We all know that mental health statistics are rising, but have you ever stopped to think that these statistics are those that arise from people brave enough to admit they have a problem; what about the others who are too scared or too proud to ask for help? What about those people who don’t understand what ‘anxiety’ or ‘depression’ are, like I’m sure is the case for a lot of people in rural South Africa? There are numerous reasons why people suffer from mental health problems (MHPs); those of which I’m not going to elaborate on, but what I believe could be a contributor to some of these problems is the subliminal weight we feel from our ever relentless world.  While some might not agree, I believe that everyone in the world is feeling this weight. Whether you are in a high pressured job in London or living in a tree house in an indigenous tribe in Papua New Guinea, I think the world has the ability to affect us all. 

There was a fascinating phenomenon that arose after the 9 11 terrorist attacks; the vibrations of sadness that overwhelmed so much of the world at that time were so intense that they could be measured on the Richter scale. Since this discovery, people are now taking part in synchronised music and dance festivals for peace; at periods of time at various locations in different countries, thousands are coming together in an attempt to create more positive waves across the world. For more information, see www.earthdance.org

So all I want to leave you with (without sounding too soppy) is that wherever you are in the world, whatever life you lead, you’re not alone. I’m in no way demeaning the fact that there is clear individual struggle in the world, from poverty to mental illness, but in one way or another, are we perhaps all feeling similar emotions at certain points in our lives?

Nompilo's boerewors & pap

What are some traditional South African foods? I think I can safely say that any South African asked this question would undoubtedly mention boerewors and pap, along with others. So when we spent the night at the Welverdiend rural community, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to acquire some knowledge from Nompilo, our resident ‘chef’ for the evening. Sarah and I acted as sous chefs, while at the same time snapping at every chance we got and endeavouring to remember what Nompi was telling us. The persistent flash from my camera actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it helped to illuminate the otherwise pitch black night.

So for those who don’t know what pap is (also called ‘ugali’ in East Arica, ‘buntu’ in West Africa, ‘sadza/isisthwala’ in Zimbabwe and ‘nsima’ in Zambia), it is essentially a traditional porridge made from miele (ground maize or other grain). It is a staple food source for many South Africans (mainly black and Afrikaaner populations) and is eaten in a few ways; smooth pap is called ‘slap pap’ or pap with a thick consistency is called stywe pap, one that can be held in the hand and eaten. A drier and more crumbly pap is called phutu pap. Pap can be eaten as a breakfast staple with milk and sugar, or served with meat and tomato stew, the latter being what we learned to cook with Nompi.

So we began by prepping our boerewors ready to be braai-ed, (by the men of course). The kind we were making were chakalaka spiced already so not much needed to be added, so a sprinkling of paprika as well as salt and a generous glug of oil was all that was required. These were then put to the side and we moved on to the pap.

Pap, although a simple food, needs to be prepared with care because without, it can end up being a mushy mess.

1)You start by coating 75% of your miele grains with cold water and stir well so that the grains have absorbed all the water.

2)Now you must leave it to stand for 10 minutes or so.

3)It is now time to add the pap to the heat. We were cooking over a fire so it may vary slightly but you want to heat your pap on a high heat until you start to see it bubbling.

4)Once you see it bubble, you need to start stirring pretty vigorously so that is doesn’t burn. Now bit by bit you need to add the remaining maize.

5)After about 10 minutes give or take, your pap will be ready. Be warned, you don’t want to leave it on the heat for too long even if it still looks a bit runny, as it will continue to cook from the heat of your pot.

To make the tomato sauce or ‘stew’ as it is called here, follow these simple instructions:

1)Wash your tomatoes and cut roughly into small chunks.

2)Do the same for a few green or red peppers.

3)Pop the tomatoes and peppers into a pan and heat on a moderate heat with a large handful of diced onion and 1 diced garlic clove.

4)Season well with salt and pepper.

5)Stir well and be sure not to let the vegetables burn.

6)Add a small amount of water as well as a dollop of tomato sauce for a bit of sweetness.

7)Taste to check seasoning is right and serve on top of the pap

We ate our spicy boerewors and pap with delicious baby gem squash and buttered carrots. YUM.

     

Passion fruit iced 'smoothies'

This morning I had a killer headache and was feeling a bit sorry for myself so when I saw a ‘granadilla iced smoothie’ (granadilla is the South African word for passion fruit) on the deli menu where I was, I instantly knew it would make me feel better. And it did. It was so refreshing and delicious and to make it that bit more superior to other smoothies, jucies or frappes, it was totally guilt free. I asked the waitress to tell me how it was made and it’s very simple. Believe me, you’re going to want to give it a try for yourself. Oh and for anyone who isn’t a smoothie fan (I’m not really, juice is way better), this is not a smoothie at all as there is no yoghurt or anything creamy.

You will need:

5 passion fruits

Ice

Stevia or a healthy sweetner alternative (NOT aspartame or equivalent)

Sparkling water

Method:

1)Cut the passion fruits in half and scoop out the pulp into a bowl

2)Add a pinch of stevia to the passion fruit and taste. It shouldn’t be too sweet yet you don’t want it sour either.

3)In a blender, whizz up a cup or 2 of ice with a cup of sparkling water until smooth

4)Mix the passion fruit mix into the ice and stir until combined.

5)Relax and enjoy.

So while my headache was swiftly vanishing, I began to day dream about all things passion fruit. The first thing that came to mind was my mums passion fruit pavlova. Utter decadence. I think I’ll have to ask her for the recipe and share it with the world soon.

I also noticed how beautiful my iced smoothie looked in the glass which got me thinking something else -passion fruit ice cubes. (It turns out that other people have already had the same idea once I searched on the internet, but I still stand by the fact that I also came up with it myself!).

Its wonderfully easy to make these once again, and nothing looks prettier than a tall glass of lemonade or sparkling water with a few of these passion fruit ice cubes bobbing around. All you need to do is scoop out the pulp of a few passion fruits and pop them in the bottom of an ice cube tray. Fill the rest of the tray with the remaining juice and a dollop of water and whack in the freezer until frozen.

Oh, and before I go, how BEAUTIFUL do these ones look? Flower and mint ice cubes (which incidentally I found on a wedding website but nonetheless, I think you could create them for any occasion).

Method: (taken from www.utterlyengaged.com)

1)Fill ice cube trays one-third full with distilled water

2)Freeze for an hour then add small flowers or mint leaves

3)Add more water and freeze all the way

Nourish: Earth Body & Soul

I just felt like I should write a short entry about the lovely Sarah and the work she is doing at Nourish; the company she founded a year ago.

Nourish is an NPO that helps within rural communities to uplift its people while promoting social responsibility and encouraging environmental education. We were lucky enough to be invited along with her for the day to see what Nourish is all about and it certainly exceeded my expectations I can tell you that for sure. Sarah is only 24 but in my mind she epitomises the perfect person for this job; she has a wonderful attitude, bags of charisma and a wealth of knowledge that is essential for a successful business like Nourish.

We tagged along to a tree planting and educational environmental talk, a wonderful grade R hand knitted dolly donation and to a school uniform distribution in 2 primary schools. The expression on the children’s faces when they were presented with a brand spanking new uniform was magical to watch and it was moving to see just how proud they were. A lot of pictures were taken and a lot of smiles were smiled. It was a truly memorable day and Rog and I feel privileged to have been a part of it.

I wish Sarah all the luck in the world and my fingers are firmly crossed for her that Nourish will continue to flourish.

For more information, please visit the Nourish website and help Sarah in any way you can:

www.nourish.org.za

Jessica the Hippo

Right so here is something that is different between South Africa and the UK. Actually, let me correct myself; here is something that is different between South Africa and the whole world. And that thing is Jessica the incredible Hippo.

I had read about Jessica and had always wanted to visit her, something I never thought would actually happen. But my dream became a reality when I had the pleasure of going to visit her at her home in Hoedspruit, Limpopo this morning. Without sounding too cliché about it, I can safely say it is an experience that amazed me and will stay with me always.

Jessica was found washed up by the floods just outside the home of Tonie and Shirley Joubert on the banks of the Blyde River. When it became evident that the little calf needed help, Tonie picked her up and was startled to find her umbilical cord still attached, confirming his suspicions that she was only a few hours old. Deciding that she needed milk desperately but at the same time understanding that they couldn’t feed the baby normal milk, Tonie used his expertise and knowledge as a game ranger to produce a substitute to the milk that she would have been provided by her mother. Tonie and Shirley instantly formed a bond with the animal and decided to name her Jessica. Tonie told me that they soon began to see Jessica as their child and have loved her ever since the moment they found her.

In my short time with Jessica, I was able to stroke her, feed her (sweet potatoes, sweetcorn and sweet Rooibos tea –she likes sweet things!), massage her with my feet while she was lazing in the water and even give her a kiss. She was good-natured and affectionate and I was astonished to see the bond she had with Tonie, even understanding the Afrikaans that he was speaking to her.

For any of you thinking that Jessica is held in captivity at their home, you’re mistaken. She is free to roam whenever she chooses and is often found socialising with the wild hippos further down in the bank. Jessica is unsure whether she is a human or a hippo however, as she appears to be somewhat wary of her contemporaries! She spends her days cooling off in the water, spending time with her family (including the dogs) and being fed her mammoth allotted 80kg a day! If she is ever hungry still, she knows exactly where to go –she lumbers into the kitchen and has herself a little more sustenance.  So basically, she is just like a typical teenager isn’t she (without the spots and mood swings).

I feel very lucky to have met and spent time with Jessica and will leave you with a few words that I think sum up this magnificent creature perfectly - ‘Jessica is so gentle; she is a tremendous boost for our physical and mental wellbeing. She is genuinely kind. Although she has phenonmenal strength in her jaw, she has never shown any signs of aggression. Jessica is the most wonderful precious thing, she is so unique and special, and needs to be appreciated’. (Tonie and Shirley Joubert).

For more information on Jessica, please see:

http://jessicahippo.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3NueKXS6dk