Lunch today was spectacular: a huge box of greasy, soggy chips (fries) doused in salt and vinegar from the fish n’ chips joint down the street. Soggy to the point of falling apart, classic Cape style. Soggy, nutritious (maybe), delicious. I can’t pinpoint exactly when I began to view chips as an adequate lunch choice but I’m pretty sure it comes from months of living in Cape Town where this is a classic norm. This realization got me thinking of other Cape quirks…
You know you’re in Cape Town if…
-your favorite fish n’ chips joint has a customer sink in the corner to rinse off the grease after eating your meal
-you orient yourself based off Table Mountain
-you live everyday in the shadow of Table Mountain but have absolutely no inclination of climbing it and consider the thought far too much exercise
-you’ve swum with a penguin
-you have no idea who Gatsby is or why he was Great but you adore the foot long everything-in-the-cupboard subs named after him
-you love curry and Cape Malay dishes but can’t stand spicy food
-chip rolls (a roll stuffed with French fries) are a normal meal
-braai (bbq) is standard for any and all events from church fundraisers to baby showers to Christmas (it’s absolutely FANTASTIC food, this is my favorite)
-pickled fish is the standard meal for all of Easter Weekend
-you don’t even bother with umbrellas because the South Easter wind has already destroyed your last two
-you’ve figured out “taxi-speak” and can effectively translate what they yell at your from their speeding vans. Ex: “MOWBRAY-COP!!!”=Cape Town, “BI-ELVUL!!!”=Bellville.
If most apply, you’re probably lucky enough to find yourself in Cape Town. The quirks and wonderful people are part of what make the city so loveable. Well, and least I’m smitten.
