Category Archives: Talk around the fire

Some photos that recently landed in my inbox. Some you you might have seen them before, but with less than a month to go until National Braai Day 2010, its perhaps a good idea for all to refresh our memories, start planning, and get ready for 24 September 2010.

The pool braai. If you're one of the guys on the photo, please email me.

This braai pack was sold in a Spar in the week before National Braai Day 2009.

Sold in a Pick n Pay in the leadup to Braai Day 2009.

MEDIA ALERT for Friday 20 August 2010

In a rare public appearance before his retirement in early October, Desmond Tutu Archbishop Emeritus and Jan Scannell of the Braai4Heritage initiative invite you to a special braai.

Ahead of this year’s Braai4Heritage Day (Heritage Day; 24 September), Tutu will share his ideal for an initiative that unites the rainbow nation. He will talk about how, on 24 September (when we cover the country in a cloud of smoke), South Africans have the chance to capture and preserve the immense patriotism and national pride we felt during the World Cup. Photo opportunities will be part of the proceedings.

Date: Friday, 20 August 2010

What: Lamb spit braai (and Tutu’s last braai before leaving for overseas)
Time: 14:00 for 14:30
Place: 44 Frazzitta Business Park, Koeberg Road, Milnerton, Cape Town

• Should you wish to set up equipment before the Archbishop Emeritus arrives at 14:30, please arrive promptly at 14:00.
• Issued on behalf of Braai4Heritage by Wired Communications: 021 464 1144

For more information, please contact:

• Crystal Espin, 074 181 4544, crystal@wiredcommunications.co.za
• Karey Evett, 082 789 8932, ke@wiredcommunications.co.za

I received this photo per email. It was taken somewhere in the B-Triangle (Boksburg, Benoni, Brakpan) over the weekend. I suppose its still not as bad as the Bad Ass braai. And doesn’t come close to the Man-Oven.

Giving new meaning to the term "you braai crap".

Thank You Frans

Its been well and widely documented that Braai4Heritage supports the use of alien vegetation for the sourcing of braaiwood. Indigenous trees are frequently on the brink of extinction, whereas alien trees like Bluegum, Rooitkrantz and Blackwattle are all heavy users of underground water. The argument that Kameeldoring is perfect for steak, as the coals last for hours, holds little water as steak needs less than 10 minutes to braai. In our ongoing effort to save the environment, we call on all South Africans to braai as often as possible, and burn all that alien vegetation that uses our scarce water resources. But wait, there is more: Since last week, the braai4heritage.co.za website is hosted in a sustainable way as well. The servers that we switched to for hosting are powered by Hydro electricity generated by the flow of water in a river. I kid you not. So now, the water that we saved by burning alien trees, is powering the website, and after that people can still drink it, or use it for farming.

Water, the batteries of the Braai4Heritage website.

People regularly ask me how to braai crayfish, or kreef, as it is called on the West Coast. But before you can braai crayfish you first need to catch it. That problem has now been solved in Japan. No need to brave cold sea water, swimming with sharks, or run-ins with perlemoen poachers any more. Enter the crayfish vending machine.

Crayfish vending machine. Similar to a fluffy toy vending machine, only different.

Thank you Frans

I just received this per email from my friend Frans de Villiers. These pictures speak for themselves:

In life you sometimes cross paths with certain people that you suspect will still go places. Darias Jonker, a university friend of mine is one such person. I turned out to be correct. After Stellenbosch Darias went places. First to Cape Town, and then to Pretoria. But he did not stop there. In Pretoria he was asked to be the South African ambassador to America (the USA). Officially there is another guy but Darius is currently in Washington, playing a critical part in the administration there. As such, Darias contacted me over the weekend to discuss my ‘Top 10 braai tips’ as well as how we will institutionalize National Braai Day in America. Seriously. If you are living in the USA and have been waiting for this moment, it has arrived. Similar to Neil Diamond, Braai Day is coming to America. Darias also pointed that I have not yet posted the music video of ‘Blaas jou Vuvuzela’, a song about braaing by Jack Parow & the Kalahari Boereorkes on the website. So here it is:

Those braaiers with a better grasp of soccer, or football as some call it, have been very upset by the lack of technology used by referees during games at the past World Cup. Some goals were mistakenly disallowed, and other goals were mistakenly awarded. At some stage FIFA even said they would relook the issue of introducing technology into the sport. However, apparently president Blatter actually wants the referees to get some of the calls wrong, as “this creates controversy, and makes the game more exiting”. I cannot agree more.

A typical game of 0-0 soccer

I am not a scholar of the soccer game, and as such I probably don’t appreciate some of the finer points of play. I find the games either exiting, or boring. For me, finding a game exiting is directly proportional to the number of goals scored, and a 0-0 draw is a waste of time. In the group stages I can understand and tolerate teams playing for a draw, however, in the knockout stages, this is simply unacceptable. Thus, in addition to not using technology, I think that the game of soccer can be improved in the following ways. When teams are 0-0 after 90 minutes, both fall out. The two teams competing in the other leg of that phase, both go through. This will serve as motivation to play more attacking soccer. Even if you lose by playing attacking, you can still go though, if both teams in the other game play boring defensive soccer. For example on Tuesday 29 June, Japan & Paraguay should both have been eliminated, whilst Spain & Portugal should both have advanced.

In the final, when the scores are 0-0 after 90 minutes, then the winner of the playoff for 3^rd place should get the trophy. If you did not manage to beat your opponent in 90 minutes, you don’t deserve to call yourself the world champion.