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.
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Eunice Rakhale-Molefe
INGREDIENTS FOR REAL CONVERSATIONS
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
My Mother’s Legacy: Earlier on, I spoke about having had
to go back to my home, to my mother in Moletsane,
Soweto. I had used this time to collect and document her
recipes; trying, tasting and testing these for accuracy and
authenticity. It is during the exchange of these recipes that
the stories about my grandparents had surfaced and the
memories of her youth had been ignited. I had ended up
not only collecting recipes, but had also gathered the
ingredients to rebuild my family. Below are some of those
ingredients.
Shame based spirituality: By sharing her personal stories,
she allowed my husband and me to see the genuine human
side of her. She spoke and talked to us like ordinary people
talk with no pious accent and self-righteousness.
Her great sense of humour, which she revealed through
her daily life experiences, and had always made us laugh a
lot, especially during these painful family meetings.
Credible counsel: She led my husband and I on the
journey towards the truth, but – in the process – had
allowed us to come to our own conclusions. She was honest,
even-handed and fair in her dealings with us, making her
counsel credible.
Hearing about her mistakes elevated our respect for her
counsel. There was no desire in her to be the hero; except
to ensure that we come out healed. Regrettably, the older
we get the more fragile we become in our reactions. We
become more tedious, stubborn and shaky. Not so with my
mother!
She demonstrated to me that it was okay to acknowledge
one’s mistake to your children. And I witnessed her making
changes in her life in her eighties, and thus living a
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