Step Forward to Better Health

Last night’s dinner, October 9th was another success, thanks to our two chefs Tamsin and Brady. This week they created a menu from Namibia. Originally called South West Africa, Namibia has Zambia and Angola on its northern border, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the southwest, and a glorious Atlantic coastline to the east. The name Namibia comes from the Namib Desert, the name of which means “Vast Place.”

Our dinner consisted of ostrich stew and pap. A porridge made of white or yellow corn meal (mielie-meal), pap is also known as Ugali in Kenya and Satza in Zimbabwe. You can see it’s a staple in southern Africa, like potatoes or rice. When eaten with savoury meals, it has a much thicker consistency that allows diners to scoop up meat and gravy with the pap. For dessert we had a southwestern African dessert called Melktert, a custard pie in puff pastry. It’s to die for.

Prior to its capture by South Africa in World War I, Namibia was a German colony. One can still find German colonial-era buildings in the capital Windhoek and in the coastal town of Swakompmund. The country g*ined independence in 1990.

Despite its low population, Namibia is home to 13 different ethnic groups. One of these groups is the Himba, a nomadic and traditional people whose ways have changed little over the years due to their seclusion from outside influences.

Namibia is one of only two countries in the world that has desert elephants! They’re not a separate species, but the IUCN has identified them as a high priority. They’ve adapted to their semi-desert environment by developing a smaller body mass, longer legs and larger feet. That enables them to travel for miles across sand dunes to reach water. In addition to desert elephants, Namibia is home to diverse wildlife that includes significant cheetah population and the world’s largest population of free-roaming black rhinos. There aren’t many of these left so it’s nice to know they have a place where they can roam free.

Next Tuesday’s dinner will come from Ecuador!!!

Many years ago, when I was still living in Denmark and working in the h

We’ve made a few changes – everyone (my daughters and their boyfriends) meets at our house, rather than sharing host duties. My husband Rene noted that that there are around 235 countries in the world and suggested that we print out all the names and put them in a jar. It’s so exciting to make the choice!

The couple whose turn it was to choose the country is responsible for planning and cooking the meal, which generally also includes learning something about the national culture along the way. (I recently got to learn about the foods of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands! That night we had Garlic-butter Frog Legs, Niçoise Salad, and frites. Yum!)

Over time we’ve had such interesting foods as Metemgee (vegetable and fish stew from Guyana), Cevapi with Ajvar ( a type of kabab with a pepper sauce eaten in Bosnia), Käsknöpfle (cheese pasta) with Sausage (Liechtenstein), Pira Caldo (catfish soup from Uruguay), Kulwha (lamb stir fry) with Steamed Rice (Eritrea), Curried Lamb & Wild Rice (Grenada), Uzbeck Lagman ( lamb & noodle soup from Uzbekistan), Souvlai (Pork Shoulder) Kebab & Cypress Village Salad (Cypress), and Baked Fish (Iceland).