Son of the Soil - Cultural Event

This past Saturday we were invited to a cultural event 40 km outside of Gabs by our friend Olefile. In the past, this event was a gathering of friends who felt like they were losing touch with their roots. The event has grown to over 300 people. It includes traditional dancing, locally brewed shake-shake and animal consumption.

I say animal consumption because it was more than cooking and eating. I held down a goat while another man cut its throat. It was not quick, efficient or simple. The goat emptied it’s bowels before it died. I thought it might do this and I was ready, but the image of it has stuck with me. There were several goats killed, eaten and consumed as well as an entire cow. It was laid out on a table before it was cooked. Needless to say, the entire area had a stench. It was indistinct but overpowering.

Before noon I had tried chicken feet and chicken neck. Both are awful and I only mention it because it helps explain what would happen later.

I tried shake-shake which is a local brew. It is made from the same seeds as traditional porridge and it fermented for a few days in the barrel. It tastes bad and is bad for you. I tried to like it, but couldn’t.

At one point, a tray was brought around to the men with half card-deck sized pieces of meat. It appeared to be cooked beef and every man grabbed a piece as it came by. I quickly took a piece with my dirty hands and popped it in my mouth. I came very, very close to vomiting but my politeness kept the meat in my mouth. It was all I could do to wash it down with some shake-shake. I found out later it was liver, probably from a cow due to the size of the servings.

I became sick not long after this (though still before noon) and all the shake-shake and meat came up. I needed to settle my stomach so I drank water, which had been trucked in and ate deep-fried bread. Five minutes later, a women came around with fried worms on a tray. Not to be rude, I popped one in my mouth; my friend shook her head in disbelief.

It should be mentioned the separation between men and women. Men drank shake-shake from hollowed cups and women drank spiced lemonade from plastic cups. Food preparation and baking was separate. If it was not hacking or pounding meat, it was done by women. Women played active games and danced. Men played cards. As a guy who likes active games, I felt restricted and compelled to watch the many women. It was not hard and I enjoyed the good excuse.

I found I later I made it into the national newspaper with a picture. It was of me watching the women play games. I’ll try and get a hold of the photo. I only found out when some people at work mentioned it to me.

We could barely eat the dinner. The traditional food: pounded beef, spinach, maize-meal and others was too much after a day of watching the food get prepared in the sun. We were watched by many people as we ate, I think this was the only time we were rude.

I even tried the shake-shake again that evening. I was very happy when I was able to wash away the taste with a regular beer.

P.S. I hope to update this entry with a great picture, provided to me by someone else