SOUTH AFRICAN CULINARY HERITAGE
The book South African Culinary Heritage by Eunice Rakhale, is about local food history and traditions interlaced with family conversations. It illustrates the culinary diversity of Southern African cuisine and some neighbouring countries, comparing the similarities and unique palatable heritages thereof. Written in a conversational style, the book is a handy culinary compilation which will bestow the reader with explorations regarding local African lifestyles history, art, clothing, music and perhaps even some song and dance. For tourists visiting these African countries – possessing a diversity of ethnic cultures, it is a worthy read regarding heritage and of-course African cuisine. A guide which should be included in any tourist’s travel pack and families. It is about a genuine story told with an extraordinary ability that draws parallel between the author’s struggle in the restaurant industry and in her personal life. Ultimately, her passion for food is where she finds solace to learn, heal and grow. Mother Daughter relationships can be extremely complex and Eunice is no exception. In the book, besides a plethora of authentic recipes and history, she shares candidly about her strained relationship with her daughter Mothei Makhetha. Being estranged for seven years, Mothei writes her mother a letter, in a desperate cry for help, which she hopes will begin the healing process. After receiving the letter, circumstances of her life took Eunice back home to her mother in Moletsane, Soweto. This happens while she is researching her culinary book authenticating the recipes through the help of her mother. This handing down of recipes from her mother gets them connected on a very deep level, thus, creating compassion and trust they never had. In desperation Eunice seeks counselling from her own mother to try and mend the relationship with her daughter. Their journey is one of true and sincere conversations handed down from one generation to another, around family meals and prayerful family meetings.
The book South African Culinary Heritage by Eunice Rakhale, is about local food history and traditions interlaced with family conversations. It illustrates the culinary diversity of Southern African cuisine and some neighbouring countries, comparing the similarities and unique palatable heritages thereof. Written in a conversational style, the book is a handy culinary compilation which will bestow the reader with explorations regarding local African lifestyles history, art, clothing, music and perhaps even some song and dance. For tourists visiting these African countries – possessing a diversity of ethnic cultures, it is a worthy read regarding heritage and of-course African cuisine. A guide which should be included in any tourist’s travel pack and families.
It is about a genuine story told with an extraordinary ability that draws parallel between the author’s struggle in the restaurant industry and in her personal life. Ultimately, her passion for food is where she finds solace to learn, heal and grow.
Mother Daughter relationships can be extremely complex and Eunice is no exception. In the book, besides a plethora of authentic recipes and history, she shares candidly about her strained relationship with her daughter Mothei Makhetha. Being estranged for seven years, Mothei writes her mother a letter, in a desperate cry for help, which she hopes will begin the healing process. After receiving the letter, circumstances of her life took Eunice back home to her mother in Moletsane, Soweto. This happens while she is researching her culinary book authenticating the recipes through the help of her mother. This handing down of recipes from her mother gets them connected on a very deep level, thus, creating compassion and trust they never had. In desperation Eunice seeks counselling from her own mother to try and mend the relationship with her daughter.
Their journey is one of true and sincere conversations handed down from one generation to another, around family meals and prayerful family meetings.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
South African Culinary Heritage
always on time, and her organisational skills were
impeccable. And, being the Sous Chef, who was responsible
for executing the orders, these attributes were her greatest
strength.
Hold On, We Have A Booking...
The private banqueting room was never without a
reservation; it was our bread and butter, as it were. Serving
an À la Carte menu required that each course had to be
served without anything going awry. The sous chef nailed it
consistently, from start to finish, and she was truly reliant.
For the daily walk-ins, she really excelled.
Her orders came out at the prescribed time, and her
consistency regarding the texture, taste and flavour of each
meal was adequately sustained. She could step up to the
plate at any given time, and was a true asset to the business.
She got the orders flowing and, therefore, got the business
running smoothly. But, regrettably, she was lacking in
interpersonal skills. All her good service came at a price, and
this was at a cost of the staff’s morale.
Abuse and insults were frequently hurled at the other
employees; and, worst of all, this used to occur in front of
guests (suppliers and maintenance workers) and front-ofdesk
colleagues. The male staff walked around like they were
emasculated, whilst the women walked around with
burdened hearts.
All this time, it was business as usual and money was coming
in. Yet my spirit was aching for the staff. Hurting souls hurt
others, aggrieved hearts grieve others, and tormented spirits
torment others. Unbeknown to herself, the chef – just like
me – was functioning from a deep-rooted pain; and this was
playing out through how she related to her team. With the
drama of my own personal life – sadly – I could not help
the chef; and the more I had tried, the more injury I had
caused her; and I had bruised her, quite badly.
159
Change language