South Africa (Mzansi), my Next Destination

When Zulu Meets Cape Malay The Great Easter Food Showdown in Nongoma Easter in Nongoma is supposed to be predictable in the way only small towns and big appetites can be predictable. The hills roll like a green carpet, the rondavels stand like old relatives who have seen everything, and the braai smoke drifts across the valley like a promise. In my family, that promise is always meat — thick, juicy, smoky, unapologetic meat, served with pap and chakalaka and the kind of pride that could be used as a seasoning. This year, however, the promise took a detour. It stopped at a spice market, hopped on a boat, and arrived at our table as pickled curryfish and hot cross buns. The culprit was my wife, a Cape Malay woman whose cooking is a love letter to Cape Town’s spice-scented mornings. The victims were my family, who had driven up from Zululand with expectations heavier than the cooler boxes in the back of the bakkie. If you want to know how a Zulu man from Nongoma navigates a fa...