The portion sizes. The salt. The “SUGA SUGA SUGA”.
America is pretty infamous for a majority of things, but one thing that sticks out across regions is the food, even though American food is not typically American. Mexican. Chinese.Mediterranean. Italian. This is because America is a melting pot from all over, and as immigrants come into America, their cuisines and their spices are greatly appreciated and welcomed into our stomachs.
Enough about America, as this post is meant to shine a light on my experience with food in South Africa.
My experience with food in South Africa has not been the best. Everywhere I go, I struggle to finish my meal; There is just something missing. I have tried Korean, Thai, Indian, Moroccan, and Greek food. I was pretty shocked by my negative experience with food in this country, as South Africa seems very diverse; the makeup of this country contains people native to Africa, Europe, and Asia. The diversity matches America; however, the food scene does it.
I do have a theory for what the food scene in South Africa is missing: Authenticity. In South Africa, in the news and in person, I have seen a distinct wave of xenophobia from those migrants coming from their country. Especially those coming from African countries. Also, after the symposium on statelessness, my thinking deepened. My mind filled with all sorts of questions.
“ Who really came up with these recipes?”
“Are these recipes watered down?”
“ Can these migrants ever open businesses to sell their home foods?”
“ Who are the owners of these restaurants from all over the world?”
“ Does the large wealth gap in South Africa prevent South Africans with roots all over the world from ever having their cuisines in a restaurant?”
So far, I have made it seem like South Africa hates immigrants while America does not, but the wealth gap and ability for opportunity in South Africa really does lead me to question its effect on food enjoyment. While it does seem silly to focus on food for an entire blog post, food brings people together and holds centuries of history.
This post, however, is incomplete. I have only been in South Africa for a week, and I truly do not know enough to make a huge claim about the authenticity of food in South Africa like this. I will revisit this post by the end of my trip and add any observations and truly give a full, well-thought-out piece. It is always best to gain a full perspective before finishing your thoughts. Until next time. “ SUGA SUGA SUGA”
Shoutout to Naomi and Lola for giving me this title and telling me to write about my experience with food!
Also, my food image would not load, so I would check out @capetown.eats on IG for a better feature cover!