SA Rocks

Here they are ladies and gents, straight from the horses mouth (dig the new design btw):

THE WINNER IS: Redsaid

1st runner up: Yebo

2nd runner up: iMod

I hope that the entire competition had the desired effect. I know what it’s like to run competitions on a blog and hope and pray for a response from readers. Especially when you are giving things away. The Web AddiCT’s just need to let me know where to send the winners T-shirts!

Popularity: 2% [?]

I was sent a great email by one Gerhard Schroeder who has been collecting data about SA for a while now. His email consisted of a document of some really kick ass facts about our great country and the people who live here.

This will be the first of many posts to come about varying topics over the next week. I am going to try and not fill the week with these posts even though the facts are pretty cool and will hopefully spark some interesting debate along the way.

So lets kick-off the SA FACT FOR THE DAY with some facts about our economy:

Many world-wide banking innovations originated in SA: We were the first country in the world to introduce interoperability of ATM cards through Saswitch; the first developing country to introduce credit cards; the first African country to introduce ATMs; the first country in the world to introduce biometrics on cards for the payment of pensions and we were one of the first countries to use satellite communication for branch operations.

From now onwards there will be a fact for the day every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I hope that people read these facts and everytime you are at a dinner party and someone quotes some unfounded “fact” about SA that you can remember these facts and quote them right back!!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Why is it that one of the most important jobs in the country has one of the lowest salaries in the country?

Popularity: 2% [?]

A criticism of South Africans (and pretty much all antipodeans in London) is that we arrive from sunnier Southern climes, find jobs, find accommodation and then proceed to live in little self-imposed ghettoes, socialising only with other South Africans, eating only out of South African shops, drinking in South African-themed bars, wearing Sprinkbok rugby jerseys everywhere, and generally spending time slagging off the English – our hosts! And I do have to say that there is some truth in this. It is very hard to stick out your finger in Wimbledon/Earlsfield/Southfields and not poke a South African, because a lot of us really do congregate there. And I have spent many a night talking to South Africans in London and thinking “good grief – you’re in LONDON! Stop carrying on about the weather – you didn’t come here for the weather!!”

But let’s not forget that there is always an exception that proves the rule. Since we arrived here, Nick and I have been Eastenders. We have never lived west of Canary Wharf and am not aware of any South Africans in our street. Sure, you do hear Afrikaans on the train occasionally, but we are more likely to bump into our Lithuanian, Irish, Indian, Finnish or West-Indian neighbours than other Saffers. Although I get terribly homesick, I also experience moments of such intense joy at being in London that I want to run laughing through the streets yelling “Hey, everybody, look! I actually live here in one of the most exciting cities in the world!!” On the other hand, you are what you are: there’s no denying your roots. And so, like clockwork, once a year Nick and I host a Big South African Braai. Not to surround ourselves with only South Africans, but to give all our friends a little taste of what home means to us.

We usually have between 10 and 17 people in our tiny garden and we have a rich mix of natinalities and backgrounds. This year we had 3 Brits, 5 Saffers (including me and Nick), 2 Aussies, 2 Kiwis. a German and a Mexican. So naturally we felt compelled to educate them on the finer points of South African cuisine In the past, we have treated them to chakalaka, seven-layer salad, sosaties, braai sarmies and snoek. And this year we treated them to not one but TWO South African delicacies: chicken sundowners (will be blogged in a later post, I promise) and Peppermint Crisp fridge tart.

I don’t know what it is about this desert that makes grown men go all misty-eyed and women look wistful, but it is one of those desserts that everyone seems to like. It is absolutely not fancy, pretty, clever or remotely sophisticated. But I can guarantee you that every South African reading this has tasted it because it is one of those things that every South African mom has at some stage made when catering for masses of people… say, at a braai. Some people whom I invited but could not make it were upset not about missing the braai, but about missing the pudding! In fact, it has become so ingrained in the South African culinary psyche that I was amused to see on my visit home in June that it has become a chocolate flavour! Cadbury’s Dairy Milk has brought out a range of “Local is lekker” chocolates in flavours like milk tart and… mint crisp fridge tart. Jawellnofine.

So what is this ambrosial pudding? OK, don’t wince when I tell you. Many moons ago, a South African company called Orley Foods developed a range of non-dairy cream substitute products. The flagship product was (and still is, apparently) Orley Whip which looks like single cream, whips up to three times its original volume and can be stored in the fridge for up to three months. My recipe for this pudding was copied down from a package insert in a pack of Orley Whip a long time ago, probably much like every other South African I know. The recipe combines Orley Whip with Caramel Treat (caramelised condensed milk) and Peppermint Crisp (a chocolate bar from Nestle that features a filling of tightly packed, long and very brittle tubes of BRIGHT green mint-flavoured candy – looks like Kryptonite and tastes madly minty), layered with Tennis biscuits (shortbread-ish coconut-flavoured cookies). It struck me that it is in some ways a South African take on tiramisu, minus the culinary history and the fashionability . The final product is not overly sweet, thanks to the peppermint and the fairly neutral biscuit layers, but is rich enough to go a long way. And I distinctly remember seeing plates licked clean.

So clearly, local is lekker, even if you have never set foot in South Africa!

PEPPERMINT CRISP FRIDGE TART (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
250ml Orley Whip, whipped
2 packets of Tennis biscuits (although you will probably use less)
375g caramelised condensed milk
20ml caster sugar
3 Peppermint Crisp bars, crushed
3-4 drops of peppermint essence (more, if you like))

Method:
Whip the Orley Whip and then add the caramelised condensed milk castor sugar and peppermint essence. Beat until well mixed and then stir in 2/3 of the crushed Peppermint Crisp.

Place a layer of whole tennis biscuits in a buttered 29x19x5cm dish. Spoon 1/3 of the caramel mix over the buscuits and spread evenly. Continue in layers, finishing with a layer of filling on top.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Decorate by sprinkling the remainder of crushed peppermint crisp on top. Cut into squares and serve.

SUBSTITUTIONS:
You can substitute whipping cream for Orley Whip, but the outcome may be even richer than this pudding already is! I used Elmlea, a half-dairy cream available in the UK. Apparently the American Cool Whip is a near-identical product. For caramelised condensed milk, you can use dulce du leche or you can make your own by boiling a tin of normal sweetened condensed milk (warning: hazardous!!). The Tennis biscuits may prove problematic, although I have seen forums in Australia advising the use of a typr of Arnott’s coconut biscuits or Nice biscuits. Any other suggestions welcome. And as for the peppermint crisp… sadly, for that you will have to bite the bullet and buy it from a South African shop. Not sure if anything else like it exists. Maybe start campaiging for Nestle to produce it worldwide?

Popularity: 20% [?]

It seems as though SA is not the only nation “struggling” with its citizens flying to other countries and not returning.

According to a BBC report* approximately 385 000 people left the UK over that past year. Of those 385 000, 196,000 were British citizens while 189,000 were “long-term migrants” who had been living in the UK for more than a year.

This is really interesting to me. I love travelling and I admire people who can travel on an ongoing basis because it is a secret desire of mine – drop everything and everyone and just travel – to do so.

With that said, my question is as follows: Is immigration an SA trend recently or is the world suffering from a growing of consciousness?

I am really of the mind that the world is a smaller place, as many people that have left SA in the last ten years have probably also realised. There have also been other people leaving many other nations in search of something. Not greener pastures, not bluer skies, just that something that they think they need.

It has also fast become a name, shame and blame contest here in SA. I think that many people (sometimes myself included) forget how small the world is and forget that some peopler (read: many people) want to experience the world outside of their own country.

Countries for me are like religion, you are born in to one, you do not choose it. But why not? Why not just choose one, go over, get a visa, becoem a citizen and stay? I think there are many arguments relating to this topic and exactly why we need people to stay but I don’t want to get in to them.

All I am saying is that as someone who is passionately and sometimes ignorantly patriotic I need to step back and remember that the world is a smaller place that I think it is. And people have the right to travel, to come, to go, to leave or stay and they probably will choose to do so if they are given the choice.

*Article via Paul from Chillibean.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I just want to make it known to everyone who has received the SA Rocks newsletter two days in a row now that it is most definitely a mistake. The newsletter is meant to come out once a week. I have been experiencing some issues with my host and the cron job settings on the server.

Thanks for your patience. I promise they wont continue if I can help it!

Nic

Popularity: 1% [?]

I am very saddened and upset that SA is playing Zim in the cricket.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that the Zim cricketers are not to blame for the state of Zim but still. I think that it’s time we took a stand against big bad Bob. One of the only ways this will work is if international pressure is placed on the country and all spheres of its interaction with the international world.

Cricket is a part of this and sports in general should be a large part. Look at how much SA suffered in apartheid thanks to international bans.

What are your thoughts?

Popularity: 1% [?]

I am told that it is important to celebrate milestones on your blog. So to celebrate the 100th registered member who registered this morning I am giving that user an SA Rocks T-Shirt!

That user was courtz from sharepointdeveloper.co.za. He is actually a friend of mine so this all works out pretty well.

In fact I think that I will be sending shirts (if they are in SA) to the 25th, 50th and 75th registered members too!!

They are:

Liza Pretorius
Tseliso Moahloli
Marietjie Wepener

I have sent them all emails and am waiting for their responses.

I really must thank everyone for the incredible support that this blog is continuing to receive. I am blown away everyday.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Tyler posted about a competition to win tickets to the Brands Convention. All you need to do is post about your favourite brand in some way or another and trackback so he knows you’ve posted. Here is my contribution:

This might seem like a bias opinion as I run this blog but I love the brand that is South Africa.

Let me tell you why. SA has such a powerul impact on so many people in such different ways. But everyone feels strongly about it when they notice the brand somewhere. The brand of this country encapsulates such a wide variety of things that represent the country and various aspects of it all at one time.

Whether you are pro-SA or hate it with everything you have, the brand affects you deeply. Online you feel pride if you know that a local site has done well and you immediately associate with that site because it is a product of SA. In contrast if you are an expact living in Australia and you hate SA you will not want to see the Springboks (another SA brand) whip the kangaroo’s. Either way you feel strongly about local products.

The SA flag, the colours, the mentality, the mindset and the current mind-shift from negative to positive all encapsulate what the brand of SA means to so many people. You can see the deep blue, vibrant red and crazy green and yello anywhere and immediately think that those colours below to our flag. That is SA.

The brand of this country has become more than a brand it has become a way of life for many. Positively or negatively, many people live their impression of SA day in and day out. Either you are scared for your life, or your are a proud patriot and sometimes you are both. This is the brand of SA living amongst us.

Coca-Cola has tried (and somewhat succeeded) to make their brand a way of life, McDonalds has done the same and spent bazillions of dollars doing so. SA has done this without even knowing it. I wish that the people high up in government who often seem to take ownership of the brand would notice down below how much SA is thriving.

I have never been more involved in a brand and more proud of a brand than I am right now. SA is me, SA is my brand, SA is my life and how I live it.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Interested in great wine that’s much cheaper than normal – and naked?

Get Wine

That’s all I really have to say – check it out.

Cru Master

Popularity: 7% [?]