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Easy to find the location of the braai by the massive South African flag
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I had been discussing a typical South African meal with Riaan, initially meant to be cooked for a small group at his place, when he reported the invite for a big braai in the next week, assuring me I would be welcomed by the other Saffas (= South Africans). I had often heard the braai (basically a barbecue) was a quintessential South African social and culinary experience, and now I could join one near me in the Netherlands.
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Boerewors in foreground
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The location in the park is easily found after I spot a huge South African flag fluttering in the breeze and a lot of people wearing Springbok jerseys (the national rugby team). After a quick look around, I introduce myself to the organiser of the braai, Cynthia, as Riaan has messaged me that he is running a bit late. She indeed welcomes me warmly and introduces me to another attendee, Renee, who turns out to be half-Dutch herself. Her grandparents emigrated to South Africa from the Netherlands when her mother was still a child. And now, facilitated by her Dutch passport, she has made the opposite move two generations on, with her husband and her own daughter. When I ask her what motivated the relocation, she does volunteer the classic (crime), which I have heard from South African emigrés before, but also highlights 'load shedding' which is new to me as a reason to leave. Basically, it covers the long-standing energy crisis where electricity is shut down during certain hours of the day, due to insufficient capacity. Renee's parents have adapted by getting solar panels and water tanks, living almost 'off grid' now. With regards to the increase in crime, she shrugs a bit and says that to some extent you do get used to it, but end up living a 'securitized' life within walled compounds. She does smile while sharing her 'method' to avoid carjacking: just get a brand and colour car which is not popular for resale...apparently a Mitsubishi is much less desired than a Toyota! As well, she touches upon the fact that many white South Africans who have career ambitions end up leaving, as they feel limited by the current quota system. Black professionals also emigrate for career reasons, but might be less likely to end up in the Netherlands than Saffas who speak Afrikaans (similar to Dutch).
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Riaan displaying one of the huge packets of marinated meat
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At this point, I have figured out where Riaan and his friends are, unpacking huge slabs of marinated meat. He explains that a lot of the ingredients of a braai are just thick cuts of steak, lamb chops or pork, but also boerewors, a specific beef sausage normally sold in a super long spiral. I get to taste some from a friend. He got them from an opportunistic Dutch butcher who figured out there is a market for it here too. I have to say that my favourite culinary element of the braai is the braaibroodjies, delicious smokey grilled cheese sandwiches with tomatoes and onions which are toasted on the coals. In some parts of South Africa, a traditional braai would be only on a wood fire, which adds a specific flavour. In other parts (and almost all city environments!), charcoal is the accepted source of heat and smoke. As I munch and mingle, I hear from two different groups the joke that they like their meat 'so raw a veterinarian could bring it back to life!'
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Riaan manning the grill while his friends chat and salivate in anticipation
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Saturdays are the traditional day for big braais like today, but Wednesday is the standard day for a braai at home. So much so that it is referred to as 'Klein Saterdag' (little Saturday), although this term is sometimes also used by people who feel Wednesday is the 'start of the weekend' and the night of the week to go out amongst students! To be fair, in my student town, it was Thursday when the weekend started, so not far off... Klein Saterdag is also the name of a popular song in Afrikaans by Kurt Darren, whose biggest hit (Kaalvoet Sokkie), is also played at this braai. Two of Riaan's friends dance the sokkie dance (also called 'langarm'), with a bit of a nostalgic giggle. It reminds me a bit of the two step I saw danced in Oklahoma; and the music is somewhat reminiscent of country music or German Schlagers, but not quite. As a side note, Riaan mentions that if anyone needs to extract top secret information from him, playing sokkie music 24/7 could be an effective method of torture...he would prefer an early death!
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Could a good veterinarian still bring this meat to life?
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For Riaan, he felt less of a 'push' out of South Africa, and more of a 'pull' towards Europe due to his sense of adventure, and search for broader horizons and new job opportunities. He mentions some Dutch recruiters actively seek out South African professionals, for instance those working as accountants, seemingly preferring those who speak Afrikaans as well as English. At the barbecue, there is some joking reference to the 'tensions' between the English and the Afrikaners. In Cape Town the English and Afrikaner neighbourhoods are even divided by a railroad. But a few couples here proudly explain they are mixed, like Riaan's friend Jade, whose mother was English Zimbabwean and whose father was Afrikaans. She says he initially hardly spoke English and ended up speaking it with his wife's Zimbabwean accent. I tell her I can understand Afrikaans reasonably well, and find it somehow a 'cute' version of my own mother tongue...she recalls she could not contain her laughter when she heard a Dutch lady looking for her cat on the street by calling "Poes! Poes!" as this is basically a very vulgar word for the female sexual organ in Afrikaans (similar to pussy, but apparently much more crude). The polite word would be 'wijfie kat', equivalent to 'lady cat' which I again find somehow endearing. She also shares an anecdote about 'vetkoek' (a fatty fried dough ball), a popular snack which can be eaten as is, or with a meat filling. When girls in high school started wearing lipgloss, they were teasingly asked "Ah, did you just eat some vetkoek?!" as the effect of gloss mimicked the shiny lips you got after eating the oily fried bread.
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The meat, braaibroodjie and in the background the pap and shakalaka
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As the crowd thins out, we are offered the last bits of melktert (custard pie) and milliebrood (a sweetcorn pie) baked in large quantities by another guest, Kirsten. She and her husband seem happy to find grateful recipients and bid adieu:"Till the next one!" hoping Dutch weather will allow for another outdoor get-together before the end of the year.
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I am lucky enough to get both the very first and the very last slice of melktert!
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