Shopping 'Til I Drop ....

Inside a huge DVD / CD Warehouse in Johannesburg today

I love shopping. (Show me a woman who doesn’t ?!) Of course I am pretty starved of shopping in Tanzania, although our shops are improving all the time (there was a time when even the most basic items had to be brought in). I miss books and magazines the most. Even though I regularly order items from Amazon, it’s just not the same. One of my greatest treats when I am on holiday in South Africa or elsewhere, is to be able to walk in to a shop and buy the latest magazine – ah … what a joy ! I certainly catch up on my fair share of reading whilst I am here. (Yes, even the trashy gossip mags !) I avoid the local newspapers at all costs – they’re all just doom and gloom !

I often have odd “must buys” on my shopping list …things like picture hooks, Frontline for my pets, Wasabi Paste, Omega 3 supplements for my husband (smoking 20 + cigarettes a day, he has to take care of his heart, you know), yogurt topped rice cakes for my daughter, make-up for me, good quality toothbrushes …. the list goes on ! I have become an expert at getting as much ‘bang for my buck’ as far as luggage allowance goes as possible …. Oooohhh I’ve learnt all the sneaky little tricks to get as much through Customs as possible on the way home, too ….. how do you explain why you are bringing 10 packets of picture hooks in to the country, and that you have no intention of re-selling them ? I was once stopped and questioned over a set of bath towels (“But why do you need 2 large ones, 2 medium sized ones AND a hand towel with matching bath mats, when just one will do the job ?”)

My luggage weighs over 40 kg’s already and I am only allowed 40 kg’s (that’s 20 kg’s each). Ooops. We are allowed 7 kg’s of hand luggage each … obviously my toddler cannot carry 7 kg’s of hand luggage (or .... can she ?) , so I will carry my full allowance, and I’ve bought her a snazzy little kiddies backpack so that she can at least carry a few of her own, light things. I know deep down though, that this sneaky toddler hand luggage trick won't work and that I will end up carrying her (she weighs 14 kg’s) plus the hand luggage and the snazzy backpack in real "pack donkey" style… thank goodness I am relatively fit else I would be forced to cut down on my shopping. Oh, perish the thought (and bring me another set of dumbells so that I can work on my biceps !)

Anyway, excess luggage fears aside, I am making full use of the rest of my time in South Africa and am “shopping ‘til I drop”. (My husband calls it “creeping” as he says I creep up and down the aisles like a chameleon and he just doesn’t see the point ?! He’s more than happy for me to shop on my own, and is most relieved to “get out of it” if he can – men !)

After all my medical tests and Doctor’s visits, I have been given a clean bill of health so if anything, my shopping is a way of celebrating this. Well, that’s my excuse anyway ………….

Mealie Meal "Crumble Pap"

"Crumble Pap" with sweetcorn, served with a tomato & onion gravy

Mealie Meal (which is similar in taste and texture to Polenta) is made from ground maize/corn. It is part of the local staple diet all over Africa, and is served in slightly different ways – and has different names - all over the Continent. For example, in Zimbabwe it is called “sudza”, in South Africa it is called “pap” and in Tanzania it is called “ugali”. It is filling, nutritious and cheap – not to mention easy to cook as the only 'ingredient' you need to make it is water. It can also be served in a variety of ways – both sweet and savoury.

It can be cooked in to a stiff consistency and rolled in to balls which are then dipped into stews or gravies and eaten whole. It can also be cooked into a smooth, porridge like consistency and eaten with milk, sugar and butter (one of my favourite ‘comfort’ foods but shhhhh …. don’t tell a soul !). It can also be layered in a casserole dish and alternated with almost any vegetable or mixture of meat, then baked and served in slices much like a pie. You can even use it to make bread and I have a recipe for that here.

One of my favourite ways to eat mealie meal is when it is served as “Crumble Pap”, which is how my Mum cooked it for us as an accompaniment to our braai over the weekend -:

Crumble Pap

2 cups of Mealie Meal
4 cups of boiling Water
1 cup tinned Sweetcorn, drained

Bring water to the boil, & gradually add the Mealie Meal. Stir with the handle of a wooden spoon until a course, crumbly texture is obtained. Add more mealie meal if required (as the mixture should be dry and non sticky). Once all the meal has been added, reduce the heat and continue stirring. Cooking time is approximately 5 – 6 minutes. As the meal retains the heat, it must be attended to constantly otherwise it can stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

Add the sweetcorn & mix well in the last minute of cooking.

Delicious served with a tomato and onion gravy.

A South African Tradition

Nothing beats a traditional South African "braai" !

Well, not only a South African tradition as it is practiced in many parts of the world but it certainly plays a huge part in African culture all over the continent – a braai vleis (directly translated to “cook meat”) or barbecue.

“Braai Vleis” is an Afrikaans term shortened to “braai” (as in “come around to our house for a braai on Saturday after the rugby”) . In East Africa the expat community refers to it as a “barbecue” … possibly because it sounds posher (yes, we are quite snobby !) and also due to the large Australian expat influence there who affectionately refer to a barbecue as a “Barbie”

The local Tanzanians, on the other hand, refer to it as “Nyama Choma” which directly translated means “Meat Charred” and you can buy a piece of “Nyama Choma” in almost any Tanzanian village, where it is cooked on small open wood fires on the roadside. Goat meat is a popular choice, closely followed by chicken.

Yesterday afternoon we had a “braai” and cooked some Boerewors (spicy sausage), steak and chicken pieces. It really was delicious, there’s just something about the flavour of meat cooked over an open fire that you just can’t beat.

We ate the meat with a lovely fresh salad and some “pap”. Which is another typical African side dish which I will do a post about soon.