taste it

howzit oakes


just a heads up for the more fanatical or devout reader of this blog - the month ahead, look you see, looks busy. whilst i try my best to post a slice of nonsense a day here, it's unlikely to happen for the month this month. it might but i doubt it....anyway, moving on

for the last three or so years you have, at times, read on as i've wallowed in the sentimental hygiene of rediscovering the sights, the sounds and the smells associated with being at home. that's all well and good, but one of the prices for this has been that my (considerably) better half, and indeed our dear boys, have had to give up the same for what they knew as home for so long.

it is a most splendid thing, then, when they too can rediscover that which they loved, once.....

indeed, my (considerably) better half went somewhat, by her standards, wild on the computer and with her chosen banking institution in the direction of one of several South African import shops which trade here. as you can see some sort of control was involved, but not so much as to dampen the smiles and excitement of the boys.

what did we get? well, i say we, but the selection was mostly, if not all, in the hands of the 75% of my family who you like more than you like me, which is, you know, fine. the answer is, in my best Scottish-French accent, "lots of different things", but there is one particular highlight.....

oh, yes - boerewors, ladies and gentlemen, boerewors. the breadrolls and the onions are, however, English.

what exactly is this boerewors stuff? well, the direct or if you like rough translation from the Afrikaans into the English is "farmer's sausage". it comes, as you shall see, in a rather long, coiled form, and is cooked in a number of ways and then eaten much like shown here.

my (considerably) better half cooking it up? sure, why not.....

indeed she is smiling away with a happiness that i try to bring to her, but alas do not do so as often as i would like. perhaps that's due to me not giving her quite so long a length of sausage as this, but no matter.

my (considerably) better half is cooking up the wors (as it is more commonly called) in the way she prefers, and the way that has it come up damned tasty. this is to say pan fried in water, and one allows the water to dissipate, evaporate or otherwise soak into the wors.

the other, more traditional means, is to put it on a barbecue, or if you like barbie or as you should say a braai. the English weather is not, however, as conducive or as helpful as you might think in planning ahead to do such a thing, alas.

James was particularly pleased to see wors included in the purchase of the goods and wares of South Africa. whilst he was at school there it was a Friday treat to go to the tuck shop and get a wors roll for lunch. that's quite a tradition, and quite a way towards explaining how and why South Africa is able to produce so many big, tough and brilliant rugby players.

exactly how was a meat such as wors shipped to us? frozen. yes, I had some questions about this too, but it came through fine. sure, it was starting to defrost when it landed, but they do a strict 24hr delivery on it, and anyway it's not like it wasn't going to get eaten straight away.

William was so impressed with the idea of wors that he dressedup for the occasion, at least as far as one or two hats on. unless i am quite mistaken, they would be hats that his Grandad gave him.

and how was the wors? amazing, man. i had forgotten how lovely and wonderful and just how splendid a thing it was to eat. the things you take for granted, etc.

more as and when it happens, dear reader, and who knows, next time a picture of me may feature......




be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!