Penance

I didn't think S. Africa could make up for all that vuvuzela buzzing; after all, it's been months since the tournament, and I still get nightmares that I'm being chased through Dupont Circle by a cloud of locusts.


But after Sunday night's BBQ, I'm willing to call it even. Once again, my Greek South African-born friend Tanya set up a grill on her balcony and challenged the neighboring steakhouse for the best aromas in the NW. As if the Boerewors were not enough, Tanya also served up some pesto, fresh corn, fruity salad, and a vegetarian chili called chakalaka. (There was also a medley of desserts, but in my excitement to chew the fat with Tanya's Ivorian, Brazilian and Nigerian dinner guests, I may have accidentally refilled my plate one too many times before dessert was served.)

Braai rules

I am beginning to take this personally. First, my Greek South African-born friend Tanya (in photo below, at left) invited me over for a "peasant stew," telling me that the lamb and orzo medley, however delicious it may taste, is a strictly plebeian platter. Then last night, just as I arrived back at Tanya's, I was instructed not to remove my coat but rather to proceed directly to the balcony to help Tanya's brother, George, keep an eye on the Boerewors, South African sausage served on rolls and favored by drunk clubgoers after last call.


As if that was not enough of an indignity, Tanya also served chakalaka, a vegetarian chili that, she explained, is a staple for impoverished Johannesburg gold miners.

Tanya is just lucky that all this low-class cuisine is so highly tasty, otherwise I'd have to start boycotting these dinners, lest I end up complimenting an entree only to have Tanya explain, "This is what we feed our cattle."






Sides included Iwisa-brand, mielie-meal pap (the word actually means "gruel," and I'm not making this up); a South African beef jerky known as biltong; potato salad; dried mango; and for dessert, milk tart.

I could tell you more about cooking up Boerewors (hint: for Tanya, the process starts by getting The South African Food Shop to FedEx enormous coils of raw meat), but according to this hilarious instructional video that George passed along, it seems like you have to earn entrance into the Boerewors fraternity in a process that resembles a cross between Freemasonry initiation and an episode of Top Chef.

Madiba

In November, a South African friend invited me over for what I imagined would be a traditional South African meal. (After all, she has a limited edition Nelson Mandela oil painting on her wall and a closet full of Springboks rugby jerseys.) I ended up happily feasting on scrumptious Greek salad and Greek orzo stew and ungraciously grumbling that I had missed out on authentic South Africa eats.

I made up for that on Tuesday in Brooklyn, stopping by Mandiba (195 Dekalb Avenue, Fort Greene) with my brother and mother for a South African lunch. An unexpected highlight of the Indian-accented menu: the vegetable curry, breyani style, is served alongside mango chutney, banana coconut and milk, cucumber mint and yogurt, and a salsa of onions, tomato and parsley soaked in white wine vinegar. (And I thought the funky mayos at Good Stuff Eatery stood out.) We also sampled the "Bushman Vegetable Platter," with grilled, fresh greens from the Fort Greene Farmer's Market including roasted corn on the cob, and the chakalaka, a "spicy mix of baked beans, carrots, tomato and onion."

My other food adventures in NYC: dinner at Sushi Sen-Nin (30 East 33rd Street) in Murray Hill on "Manhattan Island," as these sea-loving Japanese restaurateurs put it, where I bored my friend Craig with trivia gleaned from The Sushi Economy; and drinks at The Breslin (29th Street and Broadway), at the Ace Hotel, where I could only afford to order the spiced almonds ($4) after my $11 (plus tip) Maker's Mark, but still managed to mooch a bite of other interesting apps including the "Scotch egg" ($6), an interesting meaty and eggy hushpuppy, and the "Beef & Stilton Pie."

I also picked up this kooky recipe from "The Silk Road - Ancient Pathway to the Modern World" exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History: melt butter in a hot frying pan, add 2 cups of mashed pitted dates, crushed graham crackers, cardamom, ground fennel seeds and ground coriander, cook for about 10 minutes then spread on a baking tray, press (your favorite) nuts onto the surface, let cool and then cut into squares and serve as a 1,000 AD snack.