Trade embargo and economic isolation can have a positive effect on a nation, if its land is fertile and its people resourceful with food. South Africa has evolved a distinct and rich food culture characterized by an unselfconscious locivorism. The food in South Africa reflects necessity and pride, not trendiness, although in Cape Town hipster…
Category: South Africa
Cape of Good Coffee
Cape Town has almost exclusively “third wave” coffee, which is the barista art as well as the art of micro-roasting. What makes Cape Town different is that all the main roasters also have coffee shops. So each place has its own character, identity, and coffee. The three big ones in Cape Town are Origin Roasters;…
Have Your Cape, and Eat it Too!
Cape Town–all of South Africa, really–is filled with fresh food. You won’t find much in the way of imported produce or processed foods because the country is too far removed from the rest of the world, and too well-endowed with yielding lands to bother messing with what already works. One of the highlights of Cape…
Beyond the Big Five
Leo Oliphant Until just a few months ago, a safari seemed like a dream deferred. It was the thing to do when I turned 60. jackal When we happened upon the inexpensive Emirates flight to South Africa, suddenly a safari seemed immanent–and it was affordable, too. I would soon find out that one does not…
A Kitchen Nightmare in Cape Town
It has taken us weeks to digest a bad experience we had in a restaurant. And I don’t mean the food. It was good. Or the service. It was pretty good too. This is one of those experiences that is so surreal, we still scratch our heads and wonder, “Did that really happen? Surely, someone…
Spring back. Fall ahead.
It’s springtime here in the deep southern hemisphere. Josh was the first to feel it. His clogged nose and watery eyes came and went with the bloom of the acacia trees. I see spring everywhere. People and mannequins donning yellow, green, and Robin’s egg blue. Sandals on and bare feet out. It’s easy to think it’s…
Baboons Like Flowers
At the Cape of Good Hope, we passed by a troop of baboons gorging on flowers. They’re not gentle about it. The road was strewn with mutilated stems and half-eaten buds. Destructive mischievous creatures. this photo was taken with the Sony NEX-F3.
Some Cape Town Observations
Cape Town is gorgeous and could easily beat the likes of Vancouver, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Rio, Miami, and San Francisco for scenery. The array of stunning natural beauty within close range of a vibrant urban core is simply staggering. The people are friendly too. But here are some other observations. 1. There is a noticeable…
Love and Barley 