By Lukanyo Tshitshi
Brent Meersman, a culinary writer, traveller, and book reviewer, has tried it all, from Moroccan cuisine to Greek cuisine.
"Munchkin"? a gloomy shadow that Brent created for his reviews, which led to the assumption that the person Brent is dining with is Munchkin due to his fandom or the audience's desire to discover who the actual Munchkin is, which proved out to be true. (Meersman, B. 2013)
Brent Meersman, a Capetonian journalist born in Cape Town in the late 1960s, worked as a news photographer before writing for the Mail & Guardian, This is Africa, and New Africa analyses. He wrote and published a number of books, including Sunset Claws, an ambitious trilogy tracing the lives of three South African families from 1978 to 2000. He is currently a co-editor at Ground Up News and a cuisine writer based in Cape Town. (Anod. 2021)
Being a food writer and writing about food in a city that is one of the brightest in the country, a place renowned for its delectable cuisine from the township kitchens to the restaurants in the suburbs, and a city that is highly preferred for food businesses because of its attraction to tourists, has increased the number of different cuisines and provided different cuisines from different nationalities across the world. As a food writer, Brent visited and sampled a wide variety of restaurants in Cape Town, starting from African cuisines through Asian and European cuisines to parts of America, from Moroccan cuisine through Italian cuisine and Thai cuisine to Mexican cuisine. (Meersman, B. 2013)
All these different cuisines in a country that hasn't exported any savoury contemplates a savoury that maybe represents the country's culture or a savoury that shapes and draws the origin of the country from the early years of hunters and war warriors, but however the country has exported some food products and is renowned for its prosperity in products such as Rooibos tea, Marula fruit, and Kalahari truffles. (Meersman, B. 2013)
When we are talking about Italian dishes and Italian food, what comes to our minds as non-Italians is pizza, spaghetti, and pasta. These are among the many dishes that outline the Italian people; you often find these dishes in many countries across the world. Italian cuisine is recognized in many parts of the world. You find Italian dishes on the menus of restaurants that don't typically cater to Italians, but since Italian cuisine is recognized and loved by everybody, it is there on the menu. What makes it so different? I think it's the love they have for what they take in.
Come to South Africa, a vast and serene country with various dining corners ranging from the quaint cottages in the townships to popular eateries in Sea Point and Sandton, yet our cuisines are still exclusively available within our own borders. As a result, it has welcomed and settled a large number of national cuisines from different countries. However, even though we have adapted ideas from them and developed our own dishes like debonair pizza, creamy pasta, and many more, we haven't yet effectively marketed our cuisine despite having expatriate chefs in New York, Los Angeles, and other big cities. The best and most popular foods among our various tribes in the nation continue to be chakalaka and chesa-nyama (braai), with chakalaka being an eatery made from a mango to a chilli product that goes with any dish and our burnt meat continuing to be the only burnt meat that matters because it is burnt differently.
The food we devour defines who we are; thus, given our current situation, what changes can we make to our cuisines to gain the same respect from other countries as we do for national cuisines like Italian food (pizza)? With so many diverse tribes in South Africa, each with their own customs and cuisines, it is difficult to say that one cuisine unites all of the tribes into a single nation.
Pizza and spaghetti unify Italy; they combine the south and west Italians into one Italian; their only difference may just be how others prefer it done; otherwise, it is their main cuisine that is loved throughout the Italian boundaries. As for South Africa, we continue to be in an unaltered position with the ability to maneuverer and take significant steps for our reputation in the food industry.
A great review that opened the eyes of many food enthusiasts and explores about where we are standing in terms of art and food in South Africa.
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