Originally written on the Sunday, 28. September 2008.
It has, I will admit, been some time since I scribbled any thoughts, sane or inane, on the subject of food, and more importantly food on the hoof.
For those of you who are new to this concept, food on the hoof is not just the quick ‘grab and go’ of the quick fix cholesterol injection, it is a culinary delight that is designed, intended to be eaten mobile, perhaps in smaller portions, sometimes with the appendages and extrusions of the upper body, sometimes with the most simple of cutlery, but always, always, without the table or a napkin, and, without exception, from the hand.
In the past I have extolled the virtues of the Germanic foods, the smoky smells of grilled würst wafting through the winter markets, the delicious and yet so easy pizza from a small Roman eatery, and Dublin.
It is well over a year since I last made comment on any of these luscious delights so now, dear reader, it is time to be enthralled once more. The last twelve months has taken me to Madagascar, Germany, briefly, Libya, South Africa, only a week, but I have a stamp in my passport to prove it, and of course, my current location, Swaziland.
As far as food is concerned, Swaziland is an interesting place. It is almost entirely a meat based diet, with the concept of ‘vegetarian’ being largely alien, both to menus and to people. Most people here that I have met find it odd that I am a vegetarian. Or is it just me that they find odd, I’ll have to ask.
Like a lot of Africa, fruit and veg’ is sold by the side of the road and is the main place to buy for the majority of people, although there is a sizeable class of consumers who shop in the local supermarkets, Spar, the vast Dutch megalith and Pick ‘n’ Pay, as South African outlet that pays no lips service of any description to local produce. Spar does at least carry a significant amount of local food. The Swazi’ made yoghurts are a, frankly, delicious. English style runny yoghurts with lots of fruit, rather than the French style set yoghurts, often with little or no fruit.
This, saddens me as it does, is not about yoghurts. Maybe I will do a piece about the delight of fruit in milk another time. Nor is this about shopping in Swaziland. This, as I mentioned at the beginning, is about food, food on the hoof.
The sad thing is that food on the hoof here in Swaziland is almost, almost, non existent. It is not something that Swazis do, or at least not very often. In the city of Mbabane there is a single fish and chip shop, but most people seem to get them wrapped, not open. There is a single Indian take away. You’ll notice neither of these are very Swazi. And before you say ‘well, fish and chips, it could be…’ remember Swaziland is land locked and the chippy is called London Chips with a large picture of the clock tower, in Westminster, home to the bell Big Ben. Oh yes, very Swazi’!
And for the vegetarian ? Nothing. Well almost nothing. The chips in the chippy are cooked in beef fat, with the fish, so that is of the menu and in the Indian, vegetable samosa’s. Don’t forget, Gujarat is a vegetarian almost vegan part of India, the choice can be a multitude of vegetarian dishes. Here, a veggie samosa.
The flip side to all of this is of course the is a staggering range of Cadbury’s chocolate, so for that alone there is a big ‘thumbs up’, however, this does fall outside the category of food on the hoof.
Sadly then, Swaziland does fall short of most other places in the food on the hoof steeplechase, but this is minor consequence for Swaziland as a whole. I’m probably the only one who cares!
out of ten.
Mark Daniels 