Tadiwa

 If you ever see this… I love you 

Braai

 I wrote this for a friend...

 One making a cook book with friends, as part of their 40th celebration of life. She is a true creative and a good friend. 

 She asked me to contribute a recipe, the only thing I could think of writing about was my fascination (and joy) of burning dead animals. 

This is an edited/enhanced version of what I sent: 

I'm often referred to as the “Braii” master.

It's something I have enjoyed doing ever since I was a teenager and people often ask me what my recipe is and how/why the food  comes out as good as it does. 

It's really all about the process. 

Some people soak their meat in marinade over night, which is fine. I  prefer to do it on the day and on demand. 

The trick is to grill the meat for a little bit, then once it’s moist soak it in your marinade, the longer you can soak it, the better, while simultaneously grilling.. 

The best way to do it, is to have some of your meat on the fire and some basing in your marinade, then rotate. Move the meat on the fire into your marinade, then the meat from marinade into the fire and repeat several times.

It’s called Basing. Raw meat doesn’t absorb the marinade as well as slightly cooked/soft meat.. That’s really the trick. 

The problem is that it can be time consuming, it’s best to do with friends (Those who like to drink are preferable - assuming you have the alcohol to give them)*.

Culturally “Braaing” is more of a social event than a nourishment fulfilling endeavor. This process is really for people that have time (preferably on a sunny afternoon). 

That said a coal or wood fire is preferred, not only for the enhanced flavor, but the camaraderie built from starting a fire (unfortunately for veterans such as myself, sustainable fires are built very quickly)**.

The only other thing to factor in is to to use low heat… So if you are using a coal or wood fire, wait (have some drinks) until it’s a low fire… It’s a process (one that requires a healthy drink tolerance).

I use a lot of beer during my process, my marinade is beer based. Friends are essential during this process and they often require beer as well*.

I mix beer*, whatever spices I can find in the kitchen, some Worcester sauce and a little white vinegar for my base. I’m sure there is some sort of science behind the vinegar use, but the key here is beer. Everything tastes better with it. 

If the consistent beer mentions make you uncomfortable, the word can easily be replaced with wine***.

*If you choose to Braai without friends or alcohol, just stop and reevaluate your life. 

** Yes this is a brag, think of this next time your cousin spends 2 hours starting a fire. 

***This is totally dependent on everyone's proximity to pay day, the closer you are to or after payday Whiskey**** is preferred. 

**** To DRINK! Not for the meat, We stopped being savages in 2020

Living

Living with a life partner is kinda like living alone..

Except you are with someone else.

But that's okay, I still do a lot of the same embarrassing things in front of my partner that I previously could only do alone.

I guess that's how love works (Her loving me I mean)

Simplicity

I was born in the big city (Harare) travelled around a bit, but the big city will always be my home. 

Something about how the big city allows  you to follow your interests and no matter how weird they may be, there is a good chance someone else in the city shares those interests. 

It's a gift.. A beautiful gift, but can also be a curse because your peers can get really judgy! I mean,  If you don't drink Indian Pale Ales that capture the right elements from Alaskan river bifurcation, with naturally distilled water from coalescing alluvial fans from the "right" mountain fronts are you really drinking beer? 

Seriously tho... Is it even beer worth talking about? 

 

Obsolescence

I'm not  sure what to do about my DVD's and CD's. 

We had a good run.

At the end of the month, I am going to live in a household as a member of the family and not a guest (that's gonna be different). 

I had a good 15 year run in the wilderness, just need to figure out what to do with these damn DVD's , CD's and one or two friends that I don't need. 

New Routine

I woke up today and reached for my lover Instead of my cell phone.

I like my cellphone, I really do. It lets me know what the time is and if I can get a little more sleep before I have to wake up. A lot of my friends and family are in different time zones, So I use That little time in the morning before I have to get out of bed to catch up on all the discussions that happened while I was asleep.

As a foreigner my phone is very important to me because it keeps me connected to all my friends and family that live far away. It's a link to my past and In many ways I feel more connected to some people now, more so than when we lived in the same geographic area. Communication was more expensive and not as easy as it is today. So when I wake up I look forward to seeing messages and group chats from old familiar friendly faces.

Today when I woke up, I reached for my lover.. I like holding her. I look forward to waking up next to her every morning. I still care deeply about all my distant friends and relatives, but having someone I love here, right now, present and in my life fills me with joy. I look forward to this new routine.

Submission...

I often do my own thing almost to a flaw.. I tend to not like something purely because everyone else does. Truth is, I eventually fall in line if it is worthwhile... As an example I hated the jiggy/bling rap era in my youth but I turned into one of its biggest supporters. Some things are just inevitable. Sometimes following the natural progression is just right.. why fight it right?

I fight the cultural status quo because I am me!. Call me arrogant but I'd rather explore the alternatives and chose something that is more suited to me as an individual as opposed to something mass marketed to the public by "suits".  I will not just do something because everyone else does it, or because it is the "cool" or popular thing to do. I feel that it is a truth I have come to live by, often to my own detriment.

listening to a podcast on work etiquette earlier in the week.. One of the tips given was "first impressions are key when starting a new job... Be vibrant, Friendly, and Sociable" the concept kind of struck a nerve because I am often reclusive when I enter new environments, but over time.. I grow to be more than just a part of the establishment but the person that defines the establishment, which to me debunks the theory that first impressions are everything.
Sometimes things/places kind of grow on you... The Biggy "More money more problems" video and concept that I hated when I was younger,  I grew to love (proof).

Similarly I used to HATE Brooklyn with a passion, arrogant folk!!!! When you meet a person from Brooklyn outside of New York and you ask them where they are from? They will almost always respond "Brooklyn" not New York.. But Brooklyn! LIKE WHAT THE???!!! I hated the arrogance and separation from the rest of the city, so i screamed and loudly talked up my adopted home borough.. Queens! After all, my love affair with New York is primarily music based and my fav artists are from Qboro... Tribe, Nas, Mobb Deep, Run Dmc, etc... I even took exception to KRS1 saying "The Bridge (Queens Bridge) is over".

My first impressions of Brooklyn and "Brooklynites" made me hate them! I would get offended when people would ask me "What part of Brooklyn do you live in?" 

But

I started hanging out in Brooklyn... grew to love it... Stopped talking about Queens... My whole social life became Brooklyn based.  Started getting annoyed by the commute back to Queens. I found that Brooklyn spoke to me... There is just something about it and it's residents that warrants the attitude and behavior (true story).

This is my last Saturday night in queens and here I am cleaning my apartment in preparation for my move to Brooklyn. I never hung out in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan spoke to me...Brooklyn more so...

... and I can't wait till I get the keys to my new apartment in Brooklyn...

I can see it when i go to Chicago next month..

"T where you from?"

Me "BROOKLYN!!!"












*whispers* "via Queens"