The HIV/AIDS reality in Swaziland

Yesterday I asked one of the waitresses at Malandela's (the restaurant that I am working at ) to please come to a training next Monday morning at 7.30am (we are having an empowerment training)....and she said she couldn't.

I say: "Nelly, this is really important, it will benefit you in all areas of your life, please try and make it"...

Nelly: "Sisi, my niece died this morning so I have to attend the funeral at Pigg's Peak"

I say: "Nelly, I am so sorry....what happened to her?"

Nelly: "she was HIV positive, she was only 34, and left two kids all alone..."

As she said this, I could not contain my tears....I lost it for a while....excused myself and went home for a bit....just to put myself back together...

I had known about the reality of Swaziland, where 36% of the population is HIV Positive and more that 50% of the country is under the age of 15!!!

so just imagine the gap!

Yes, there are problems in every corner of the world, but in my experience, AIDS has always been far away....here in Swaziland it is part of every day life.

the latest at Malandela's....

MALANDELAS RESTAURANT
We had our first official tasting at Malandela's 3 weeks ago...it was a success.....15 close friends and family members of the restaurant owners were invited to taste the new additions to the menu and the dishes that are having a makeover.....the tasting included starters/appetizers such as beef or chicken empanadas with tomato/cilantro salsa (south american!!), chicken kebabs with spicy peanut sauce, creamy artichoke dip served with crostini, eggplant/tomato/pepper towers with basil pesto sauce...Gazpacho, cucumber/Avocado soup (which was not one of the favorites!), carrot ginger soup....ahh- FYI, Malandela's is a farmhouse restaurant, so very fresh, local, and organic ingredients!

Main Dishes included a delicious seasonal vegetarian lasagna, Eggplant parmiggiana (was too similar to the lasagna), 3 types of salads as main dishes (mexican, asian, and mediterranean) with choice of chicken, steak or fish.... a beautiful red snapper with white wine, tomato, and caper sauce.......

and as I write this I realize that just telling you readers about all the food, dishes, etc would be to go very far away from reality...as it is only the effect of many many things that actually have to happen in order to get a very simple dish right-

to actually teach a staff that has been working the same way and making the same menu for over 15 years has been a challenge for me....most of them are very open to learning new things, but are not very used to following recipes....so that has been one of the most difficult things to achieve- to have a recipe remain constant....

So here we are...in this process....hopefully before I leave they will be be on a roll with the new menu, and also feeling confident enough to use their creativity and introduce their own dishes (whenever they do that and a dish sells well, they get a commission).

I have 1 more month in Swaziland...and when i think of leaving I get teary eyed......I WILL COME BACK, that I know! Thank you for reading. Love, Natalia.

Safari

I spent 5 days last week at Kruger Park, South Africa, in a safari- and I do have to say one of my many dreams came true! It was quite an experience to be in the vast african bush, as far as your eyes can reach and more, the magnified red sun and baobab trees that are so often depicted in african landscapes. It was very much like I imagined it, and much much more. What made it more was actually the feeling of being one with nature, understanding the food chain, sipping a coffee on a terrace that overlooks a swamp surrounded by hippos, grazing elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, and giraffes...really!! I went with a great group of people that are also volunteering through All Out Africa. We camped at The Lower Sabie, a closed off area of the park where you are protected with an electric fence that basically keeps all the lions and hyenas from coming to your tent, unfortunately, not the snakes.

We went on sunset drives, morning walks, and drove and drove around the immense park, munching on dried guavas, seeds, corn, nuts, and smoked dried meats (buffalo, beef...). We cooked around the fire, enjoyed delicious braai (african bbq), and soaked in the pool as the temperatures reached 45 degrees celsius some days. I made new friends and collected more dreams, as I want to go back there one day with my blood family, childhood friends, and new brothers and sisters. Enjoy the pictures!

Mozambique!

I just got back from one week in the peaceful and untouched beaches of Tofo, about 5 hours north of Maputo by car. I went with a group of 15 volunteers from Australia, UK, and Iceland mainly, that have been working in Swaziland for some months now. Many of them are teachers in their homeland so they come to Africa and volunteer their time, energy, and resources working in remote villages where they are needed, others actually build schools and hospitals, work with orphans (mainly because of HIV/Aids), and when they leave, they end up sponsoring one child, sometimes as many as 5, so they can continue to get food, schooling, and proper resources until the age of 7.

They do all of this through All Out Africa, a company that has a beautiful mission: "To engage people from around the world in the research and action necessary for a sustainable Africa".

www.alloutafrica.com

Bob and Psycology were there to guide, feed, and take care of us while in Tofo. They were a joy to be with!

Mozambique is so vibrant in color, energy, and happiness. We kayaked to the Isle de Imhambane where we had a local lunch of spinach with peanut sauce, coconut rice, prawns, fried sweet bread, tomato salad, and refreshing young coconut water. A Sea Safari was next, where we spotted the great whale sharks (ranging from 4 meters up to 9 meters long) and actually got to swim right next to them!! we also saw some dolphins...

I hope you enjoy these images!!

Happiness!

Happiness is when I finally see the team of the Malandela's kitchen working well and serving dinner on a busy Friday night for 100 people + in record time, without the screaming manager in the kitchen, each owning their responsibilities!! Many things have happened since my last entry 1 week ago-

-Progress has been made with the kitchen staff, the wait staff, and the management!

-we just got a new cappuccino machine! the real thing- quite a luxury here!

-it was my birthday some days ago and I was taken to a sunset picnic on the top of a Lion King like mountain by surprise.....with the Thorne family, cats, dogs, new friends, nice wine......ahhh, and the most delicious chocolate chili cake! (see the images above- sitting on the back of a pick up truck, Philippa with Chloe, Neo and me!)

-Security bars were installed in my flat today (after I almost had a heart attack one night, I was fast asleep, when I start feeling this animal walking around my bed- in my sleep I am freaking out, thinking that I am in Africa, and that it is some sort of feline creature........then I wake up to my scream, more like a screech- and then I realize it's a cat that got in to my room......)

-I trained the House on Fire staff to make homemade pizzas today for their functions (they used to order them)- check out the House on Fire website www.houseonfire.com

and people were loving them and wanting to order to take home!!! (cool!! see the picture above with the women I trained! and the pizzas!)

-had my first Swazi crisis- the lack of speed in general, slow email, responses from people-

-Overall, I feel so blessed and happy to be here- challenging work in the most delicious ways- working with people through food!

-I am taking off to Mozambique on Sunday for 1 week!!! beach, fresh seafood, shark whales...

Love!!

Globos!! En Español!

(Brief Spanish-hard-to-translate to english post!) Anoche me invitaron a comer a la casa de uno de los hermanos Thorne (la familia para la que estoy trabajando), con toda la familia, niños, perros y gatos! delicioso!! cocinaron delicioso, y lo mejor de TODO....tiramos globos como en Navidad en la finca en El Retiro Antioquia!!!! ahhh?!!!

No hacia eso desde que era chiquitica! Se imaginan la emoción?!

Swazi Markets!

Two days ago I went with Lindi (the woman that does the food shopping for the restaurant) to a market down the street and to the bigger market in Manzini, about 30 minute drive. I was eager to drive for the first time on what for me is the wrong side of the road! (Swaziland was a British colony) So off we went, with me on the driver's seat, on a foggy rainy day, in a pretty beat up old and cranky Isuzu truck with no side mirror. I did pretty well for my first time, although I would forget about keeping left when pulling into driveways and such. The markets are beautiful as all markets are, and the women surround you and offer you all their goodies- and they call you "sisi" like sister- beautiful!!

Lots of dried beans like mung beans, called Mngomeni, and another type of bean called jugo beans, or Tindlubu-

I was eager to try their bitter greens, called Inshubaba, which can be added to any leafy green for extra layers of flavour and the desired bitterness, but they only had the dry version- Inshubaba is not in season now- Inshubaba and Inkakha (another bitter leafy green) are known to help lower blood glucose levels- I will try the dried inshubaba in a frittata or a quiche- YUM!

My Mission at Malandela's (might interest foodies)

Hi!! So my mission at Malandela's Restaurant (and similar for House on Fire) is to work on certain areas of the menu that need work/makeover/come to existence, such as:

-a delicious breakfast menu (currently they have one breakfast option that is quite meaty and heavy- very English)

-new starters (what they have now is mostly fried)

-add vegetarian options and perhaps vegan options to the few existent veggie dishes

-create a family of lighter meals for lunch and dinner

-add new fish dishes (Swaziland is like a mole in between South Africa and Mozambique, so land locked we are) with whatever is available such as trout, or seafood that is brought from Mozambique

-work with the current main dishes (which are mostly meat: ox, impala, beef, pork, lamb)- they are very delicious and flavourful, perfect for the winter and chilly days like today (I just had an Irish lamb stew- DELICIOUS!) but now that summer is near, lighter meals need to make it to the new menu!

-come up with new desserts (my favorite part!! ;-)- they have a best selling apple cobbler that I am about to taste....yummmmm....quite delicious....do I taste Margarine in the crumble...? maybe that can be tweaked- they decorated the plate with maple syrup? i wonder if it's part of the ingredients- so as you can all read, I am in my research stage of the mission

-create new cakes, pastries, and biscuits (yay!!)

-create new snacks, finger food to accompany the delicious beer that is served in the Malandela's Pub

So doing research, customer surveys, proposal of new dishes/menu, organizing a food tasting for regular customers and key people in industry and media, making final decisions on new dishes, organize a menu launch night with more regulars, key people in the industry and media, create a recipe book for all new dishes with photographs of presentation, train the chefs and staff to prepare the new dishes, improve kitchen layout and operative efficiency, and last but not least, depart with a fully trained kitchen staff. Some images of the restaurant will follow soon...

I am excited and a bit anxious to produce great results- The restaurant has such great atmosphere, tasty food, good people running it, and just huge potential to be an absolute success, that hopefully with these tweaks and additions people won't think twice about coming here to eat the yummiest, most down to earth, simple, delicious, good looking food they have tasted in the coolest, most cozy atmosphere available in the Malkerns, or even Swaziland!

I already had gas installed in my flat today so I can start experimenting with Swazi ingredients and allow the kitchen to continue their day to day work.

Thanks for reading! love! natalia

Malandela's- Spectacular farm and people!

Malandela's is the farm where I will be living for the next 3 months- it is located in the Malkerns Valley, a lush, beautiful, and fertile land where sugarcane and pineapples grow! isn't that sweet?

Malandela's started as a sugarcane farm back in the 60's, and now has venues such as it's Farmhouse Restaurant & Country Pub (where I am actually working at right now- enjoying the cozy indoor restaurant area, delicious food, indirect lighting, great music, and toasty fireplace), it's B&B which is beautifully decorated and exquisitely intimate, an Internet Cafe and Tourist Information Office, Gone Rural, socially conscious company which produces one of a kind table and handmade products such as baskets, bowls, place mats.....All Out Africa works for wildlife and people, House on Fire is the most creative and inspiring performance venue that I have seen- and ideal place to have weddings, parties, banquets, concerts, etc...and so on- I am in love with this place and with the family that I am working with!! visit their website: www.malandelas.com to see more and to get excited to come here!!

My job is to do a menu makeover to be brief, both to the Malandela's restaurant and House on Fire- I will give more details about my specific objectives here at Malandela's in following posts- so stay tuned! for now I want to share some images of my first impressions here, the farm, my lovely flat, my view from the living room window- ahh, I forgot to mention that I arrived to almost 36 degree C weather yesterday and today its down to about 10C- moody weather, misty, cool-

Today

I am leaving today. I have pre historic butterflies fluttering in my stomach, non stop- and I like it. I feel like I am going home even though I have never been there- it just feels so right in my gut, in my body, in my cells-

I have vivid pictures in my mind of what I will encounter, pastel greens and khaki, lot's of khaki...forest greens, silver grays, pale blues....and black- open open vast landscapes, with morning fog.

Sugar cane, squashes, avocados, potatoes, stews, goat, lamb- colorful fabrics, basketry, white teeth smiling at me- children running around, drums, leather, creation, passion everywhere-

I typically prefer not to research the places that I am going to, as I like to get there and absorb it myself with my 7 senses present- Avoid intellectualizing- it works for me- Everything is a surprise- and I count on me. What else can I ask for?

I wonder what they eat in their everyday lives, what spices do they use? What kind of pots and pans do they use? What is real for them? Do the men cook, or just the women?

For me, real is the noise in New York City, the cement, busy streets, goodbye dinners, muggy subway stations, cooking in the Hamptons, catering, chinatown smells, sirens, more brick and cement, confinement, little boxes, walking fast- is this life?

It has been for me for 5 years, and I've loved it-

Starting tomorrow, we will see-

Tomorrow

With packing ahead of me and a bowl of lentils in the company of my dear friends Marcella and Fryda, I say farewell to 203 Grand St in Chittle Italy-

Catching South African Airlines flight #204 on 10/10/10- all good numbers.