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Newsletter - December 2003
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THE
BILTONGMAKERS.COM! NEWSLETTER FOR
DECEMBER 2003
======================================================
* From the editor
* Points to think over
* Our Home Biltong Makers
* This month’s special offer!!
* Tip of the month
* Frequently asked questions
* Recipe corner
* Happy people comments
* Around the World
* Funnies
* The Monthly Competition
* Earn your own free Home Biltong Maker
* Buy on your Budget account
* New secure on-line Payment
Facility
* Let’s hear from you!
* Boerewors in the Benelux
* Potjie Pots and Gas Burners
* Subscribing and un-subscribing
FROM
THE EDITOR
================
Keerbergen
Belgium
December 7, 2003
It’s about 1° C as I sit here typing away.
This morning the weatherman on the TV had it
dead right! He said” It’s going to be a
beautiful sunny day outside and it will be lovely from behind the glass!
Well, that’s where I am sitting right now,
behind the double glazed windows looking out over the front garden.
This morning everything was white with the
frost.
An especially funny sight is to see Woolly, our
big male cat (he’s not quite right in the head) going outside and having this
totally confused look on his face when he finds that he can’t drink his water
because it is frozen solid!
So, the winter is upon us. They say it is just a little cold spell and it
will warm up nicely by the end of the week.
It will then be at least 3 C instead of 1!!
June and I don’t mind at all though. Like we have always said it’s nice and cozy
in the winter with the fire going and the candles burning.
November was a busy month. I did a trip to Munich, which was really
nice. I had not been there for a while
and driving through town reminded me of how we used to party in the Hofbrauhaus
with Anneke and Volker many years ago.
Germany has its own beauty, especially the southern parts. It was a long trip though, about 1600 km
there and back.
Job, the eldest son of my sister Ariel, got
married and we went down to The Hague for the wedding. Every time something like this happens I get
reminded by the history you find in every nook and cranny of Europe. Job and his bride Liesbet got married in a
beautiful church in the middle of The Hague.
Before the service I walked around a bit and found out that Mr
Fahrenheit (the temperature man) is buried there.
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit was born in Gdansk in
Poland and spent most of his life in the Netherlands. He died there in The Hague on September 16 1736 and was buried
right there in that church.
I find things like that fascinating. It happened such a long time ago and
everything is still more or less like it was then!
Then, a couple of days ago it was
“Sinterklaas”!
Now, “Sinterklaas” is a typically Dutch
institution and you will of course find it in Belgium as well. Where the rest of the world has “Christmas
Father” the Dutch and the Belgians have “Sinterklaas”.
Of course some of the Father Christmas (Santa
Klaus” has blown over here as well with all the people living here from all
over the world. But, Sinterklaas is the
real original thing over here.
The story is fascinating.
SINTERKLAAS
The Feast of Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas, is an annual event, which has been
uniquely Dutch and Flemish for centuries. St. Nicholas' Feast Day, December
6th, is observed in most Roman Catholic countries primarily as a feast for
small children. But it is only in the Low Countries - especially in the
Netherlands - that the eve of his feast day (December 5th) is celebrated
nationwide by young and old, Christian and non-Christian, and without any
religious overtones.
Although Sinterklaas is always portrayed in the vestments of the bishop he once
was, his status as a canonized saint has had little to do with the way the
Dutch think of him. Rather, he is a kind of benevolent old man, whose feast day
is observed by exchanging gifts and making good-natured fun of each other. It
so happens that the legend of St. Nicholas is based on historical fact. He did
actually exist. He lived from 271 A.D. to December 6th, 342 or 343.
His 4th century tomb in the
town of Myra, near the city of Anatolia in present-day Turkey, has even been
dug up by archaeologists.
This is his story:
Born of a wealthy family, Nicholas was brought up as a devout Christian. When
his parents died of an epidemic, he distributed his wealth among the poor and
became a priest.
Later he became Archbishop of Myra, and it is from here that the fame of his
good deeds began to spread across the Mediterranean. Desperate sailors who
called upon the Good Bishop to calm stormy seas were heard; prison walls
crumbled when victims of persecution prayed to him. He saved young children
from the butcher's knife and dropped dowries into the shoes of penniless
maidens. Over time, St. Nicholas became the patron saint of sailors and
merchants, and especially of children.
After his death, the cult of
St. Nicholas spread rapidly via southern Italy throughout the rest of the
Mediterranean and eventually to coastal towns along the Atlantic and the North
Sea. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Holland built no fewer than 23 churches
dedicated to St. Nicholas, many of which are still standing. Amsterdam adopted
St. Nicholas as its patron saint, and Rome decreed that December 6th, the
anniversary of his death, should be his official Feast Day.
St. Nicholas' strong influence in the Low Countries - an area heavily engaged
in trade and navigation - was primarily due to his role as patron of sailors
and merchants.
However, his fame as protector of children soon took precedence.
In the 14th century, choirboys of St. Nicholas churches were given some money
and the day off on December 6th.
Somewhat later, the pupils of convent schools would be rewarded or punished by
a monk dressed up as the Good Bishop, with his long white beard, his red mantle
and mitre (bishop's hat) and his golden crosier (bishop's staff) - just as he is
still presented today
All Dutch children know that Sinterklaas (the name is a corruption of Sint
Nikolaas) lives in Spain.
Exactly why he does remains a
mystery, but that is what all the old songs and nursery rhymes say. Whatever
the case may be, in Spain he spends most of the year recording the behaviour of
all children in a big red book, while his helper Black Peter (Zwarte Piet)
stocks up on presents for next December 5th. In the first weeks of November,
Sinterklaas gets on his white horse, Peter ("Piet") swings a huge
sack full of gifts over his shoulder, and the three of them board a steamship
headed for the Netherlands. Around mid-November they arrive in a harbour town -
a different one every year - where they are formally greeted by the Mayor and a
delegation of citizens. Their parade through town is watched live on television
by the whole country and marks the beginning of the "Sinterklaas
season"
The old bishop and his helpmate are suddenly everywhere at once. At night they
ride across Holland's' rooftops and Sinterklaas listens through the chimneys to
check on the children's behaviour. Piet jumps down the chimney flues and makes
sure that the carrot or hay the children have left for the horse in their shoes
by the fireplace is exchanged for a small gift or some candy. During the day,
Sinterklaas and Piet are even busier, visiting schools, hospitals, department
stores, restaurants, offices and many private homes. Piet rings doorbells,
scatters sweets through the slightly opened doors and leaves basketfuls of
presents by the front door.
How do they manage to be all
over the Netherlands at once?
This is thanks to the so-called "hulp-Sinterklazen", or Sinterklaas
helpers, who dress up like the bishop and Black Peter and help them perform their
duties. Children who become wise to these simultaneous
"Sint-sightings" are told that since Sinterklaas cannot indeed be in
two places at once, he gets a little help from his uncanonized friends.
The Dutch are busy too - shopping for, and more importantly, making
presents. Tradition demands that all packages be camouflaged in some
imaginative way, and that every gift be accompanied by a fitting poem. This is
the essence of Sinterklaas: lots of fun on a day when people are not only
allowed, but expected, to make fun of each other in a friendly way. Children,
parents, teachers, employers and employees, friends and co-workers tease each
other and make fun of each other’s habits and mannerisms.
Another part of the fun is how presents are hidden or disguised. Recipients
often have to go on a treasure hunt all over the house, aided by hints, to look
for them. They must be prepared to dig their gifts out of the potato bin, to
find them in a pudding, in a glove filled with wet sand, in some crazy dummy or
doll. Working hard for your presents and working even harder to think up other
peoples' presents and get them ready is what the fun is all about.
The original poem accompanying each present is another old custom and a
particularly challenging one. Here the author has a field day with his subject
(the recipient of the gift). Foibles, love interests, embarrassing incidents,
funny habits and well-kept secrets are all fair game. The recipient, who is the
butt of the joke, has to open his/her package in public and read the poem aloud
amid general hilarity. The real giver is supposed to remain anonymous because
all presents technically come from Sinterklaas, and recipients say out loud
"Thank you, Sinterklaas!", even if they no longer believe in him.
Towards December 5th, St. Nicholas poems pop up everywhere in the Netherlands:
in the press, in school, at work and in both Houses of Parliament.
On the day of the 5th, most places of business close a bit earlier than normal.
The Dutch head home to a table laden with the same traditional sweets and baked
goods eaten for St. Nicholas as shown in the 17th-century paintings of the Old
Masters.
Large chocolate letters - the
first initial of each person present - serve as place settings. They share the
table along with large gingerbread men and women. A
basket filled with mysterious packages stands close by and scissors are at
hand. Early in the evening sweets are eaten while those gathered take turns
unwrapping their gifts and reading their poems out loud so that everyone can
enjoy the impact of the surprise. The emphasis is on originality and personal
effort rather than the commercial value of the gift, which is one reason why
Sinterklaas is such a delightful event for young and old alike.
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So, last Friday evening it was
Sinterklaas. June and I had gone to
Antwerp to be there when Luke and Jake would wake up the next morning and find
their presents.
Derek and Jeanine had asked Sinterklaas to get
Luke and Jake a new bicycle and we had asked him to bring a new Harry Potter
book for Luke and a He-Man thingy for Jake.
Zwarte Piet has brought the presents during the
day and Derek had locked them up in the music room at their home at the
Britselei in Antwerp.
But we all know how it goes on the eve of
Sinterklaas. Lots of excitement and
expectations. It did not take long for
the boys to find the key to the room and there they came running up the stairs,
all exited. Daddy, Mommy!!! Sinterklaas had brought us bicycles! Come and look in the room downstairs, quickly!!
Derek’s face dropped, Jeanine’s face went into a
severe frown. How had these little boys
managed to get into that room?
So, the problem had to be solved. The surprise had gone out of them finding
their presents the next morning so some drastic action was called for.
While the kids were kept busy upstairs Derek
and Mark (who was on a quick visit) removed all the presents to the basement
and locked the door.
Both Like and Jake kept on insisting that
everybody had to go downstairs to have a look for themselves that the presents
had indeed arrived. So, we all went
downstairs, opened the door and peeked inside.
To the boys consternation there were no presents in the room. Totally confused and muttering to themselves
they went back upstairs and looked very worried. Because, if you find your presents before you are supposed to
Sinterklaas will just take them back again!
Soon it was time for bed and Luke and Jake
started preparing for the visit by Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet. They would come that evening and had to be
well looked after!
So, a plate with some biscuits for Zwarte Piet,
a couple of sugar cubes for the horse and a beer for Sinterklaas were left by
the fireplace. As soon as they would
come in through the chimney during the night they would see all the goodies
left behind by Luke and Jake.
Happy with their efforts they went up to their
bedroom and were soon fast asleep.
Later that evening Derek drank the beer,
Jeanine put the biscuits back in the tin and all that was left was an empty
beer glass and some crumbs all over the place.
A trails of sweets lead down the stairs to the
hallway where the presents were displayed.
Needless to say that nobody slept late the next
morning. All woken up by excited
children’s voices we wearily got ourselves out of bed to admire the new
acquisitions.
How nice to be little and have all these little
(and big) fantasies! (Haven’t I heard
that before somewhere?)
Well, that was the first big event of
December. There are sure to be some
more as it promises to be an exiting and busy month.
In closing I must say a couple of words of
thanks to the many people who have been involved with Biltongmakers.Com during
the year. And who have helped so much to make it the success it has been in
2003.
Firstly my thanks go to Trish and Shannon in
Johannesburg who so incredibly well took over the dispatch department from
Kel. After an initial few hiccups the
shipping is running smoothly now and most orders are processed and dispatched
sometimes within days of receipt of the order.
It is not easy to run around for all the little things involved with the
dispatch. The collection of machines
from the factories, the spices from the manufacturers, Potjie pots, biltong
cutters, boxes, labels, more spices, etc. etc. etc. It is a never-ending cycle.
Thank you very much Trish and Shannon for your
incredible efforts! Without you it just
would not happen!!
Then I must thank Neil and Joy who so aptly and
quickly organized the production of the new Traditional Biltong maker. The new model has many improvements over the
old machine and is more popular than ever.
My most sincere thanks go to our
customers. Without you we would not be
here. It is been great fun to work with
you and to see and read the emails of encouragement. Sure there are some people who we could not satisfy as much as we
would have liked to but it can never be said that it was not for the want of
trying. To those people we extend our
sincere apologies and promise to do even better next time.
Last but certainly not least there is
June. What can I say! One thing is sure and that is that this
newsletter would not exist without her (neither would I for that matter !).
June’s endless proofreading and all the interruptions at her work with
my phone calls for advice has been invaluable!
So, it’s almost Christmas and the end of yet
another year.
All that remains now is to wish all of you a
very merry Christmas and a very successful, prosperous and happy New Year!
Take
care, till next month.
Lo
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POINTS TO PONDER
=================
*-. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current
situation. Don't bring up the past.
*-. Open your arms to
change, but don't let go of your values.
*-. Spend some time alone every day.
*-. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to
correct.
*-. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
*-. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
*-. Live a good, honourable life. Then, when you get older and think
back, you'll be able to enjoy
(Thanks again Derek – Ed)
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OUR HOME BILTONG MAKERS
=========================
We receive very little feedback and/or
suggestions as to how we may possibly improve on both models of Home Biltong
makers. This could of course be a very
good sign. Perhaps everybody is quite
happy with the biltong they are producing!
But, if you have any suggestions please
mail us and we will have a good look at it.
Please keep in mind that it will soon be
summer holidays in South Africa and most businesses will close from the middle
of December until the beginning of January.
We have made sure to have some stock on
hand but orders placed later on in the month might have to wait for the new
production in January.
Details of the Traditional 2kg Biltong
Maker can be found by going to http://www.biltongmakers.com/biltong01_HBMhome.html
Details on the RNA-5kg machine can be
found by going to
http://www.biltongmakers.com/biltong03b_rocky5kg_01.html
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THIS MONTH’S SPECIAL OFFER!!
===========================
Our wooden manual Biltong
Cutters will be priced at only R 299.00 from the date of the mailing of this
newsletter until the end of December 2003.
The cutters are made of Black Wood and are of the highest quality.
They are specially made for
us by a highly respected factory in Port Elizabeth.
So, be quick to order because
our present stock will not last too long at this price and then you would have
to wait for the next batch to come of the production line.
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TIP OF THE MONTH
================
How to pre-treat a Potjie Pot and to keep
it nice and clean!
Ek sien in julle nuusbrief dat daar n bespreking is oor die inbreek van ‘n
potjie. Daar is verskeie maniere, gesofistikeerd ens.
Maar kyk ek is maar ‘n lui mens, ek sal nie tien tree loop as ek dit bv.
kan ry nie. Ek sal vir julle vertel wat
my beste manier is om so ‘n potjie in te breek (pretreatment)
Nuwe potjies het ‘n lagie Shellac binne om te keer dat hy roes op die rak.
Ek vat sommer papier vyn houtjies en dikker hout stukke en maak ‘n vuur in
die potjie wat skrik vir niks. As hy koud
is vee ek hom sommer liggies uit met ‘n skuurpapier, spoel hom uit en siedaar
hy is reg vir gebruik. Smeer hom net voor bere met ‘n stukkie varkspek of
kookolie en hy roes nie.
As jy die potjie op n oop vuur wil gebruik, maak net so ‘n bietjie modder aan
en smeer die buitekant daarmee. Na gebruik kan die roet baie maklik afgewas
word met water. My ondervinding is dat
so ‘n potjie baie makliker as ander skottelgoed skoonmaak.
Na gebruik hou maar aan smeer met vet of olie, jy sal gou genoeg agterkom
wanneer die vet astware in die metaal ingetrek is en dan sal hy nie meer roes
nie.
Groetnis uit Suid Afrika.
Max le Roux.
(Baie dankie Max - Anyone else out there with
some more tips for our readers! - Ed)
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
============================
Every month we receive hundreds
of mails from people all over the world asking questions.
A lot of these questions are
similar if not identical. In this
section we publish the most regular ones.
It might help others who need
the same answers.
The following question has
come up time and again and we finally had some people mailing us with a
possible answer.
We must stress however that,
upon replying to these people and asking them how it tasted, both came back to
us saying they had not tried it yet!
Here it is:
Question
------------
Ek is dringend op soek na
'n resep vir 'n Biltong en Kaas Potjie.
Vriende van my het gesê
dit is heerlik maar niemand kan vir my 'n resep gee
nie.
Help asseblief!!!
Answer
----------
BILTONG POTJIE EN KAAS
(Genoeg vir 10 mense)
---------------------------------------
Ingrediente:
*- 6 Uie
*- 1 Pak sampioene
*- R 60,00 se biltong (+/- 1kg)
*- 1 Blik pitmielies
*- 1 Pak noedels (gedraai of
skulp) (Gaargemaak)
*- ½ "Green Pepper"
*- 2 Houertjies vars room
*- Redelike stuk gerasperde kaas
(Hoe meer kaas, hoe lekkerder)
Metode:
*- Braai uie en sampioene tot
gaar.
*- Voeg biltong by
*- Voeg gaargemaakte noedels by.
*- Plaas "green pepper"
en pitmielies bo op.
*- Rond af met 2 houertjies room en
baie gerasperde kaas.
Byskrif
---------
Hierdie resep is ryk, maar so lekker.
Dit gaan baie vinnig om te maak.
Bedien dit saam met 'n lekker mengelslaai of enige
ander slaai en jy rek dit nog verder.
Johan
Heydeman
ITS
SQA SA
012-680-7351
(office)
072-627-1066
(cell)
012-680-7411
(fax)
Baie dankie Johan. Laat ons hoop dat dit is waar so baie mense vir gevra het - Ed
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RECIPE CORNER
==============
We received so many recipes in November that it
has been difficult to choose which one to use in this newsletter. If yours has not been used this month please
be assured that it will most certainly appear in one of the future editions.
The saga about whether one can do a Potjie with noodles in it goes on. Finally we found this recipe, tried it and must say that it was excellent.
==========================
Ingredients:
*- 8 chicken thighs
*- 30ml cooking oil
*- 2 celery sticks (chopped)
*- 2 tomatoes, skin removed and
chopped into chunks
*- 250 gram button mushrooms (whole)
*- 250 ml chives (copped)
*- 1 green pepper (sliced)
*- 500ml uncooked shell noodles
*- 15ml parsley (finely
chopped)
*- 10ml dried mixed herbs
*- 5ml freshly ground black
pepper
*- 3ml dried rosemary
*- 250ml dry white wine
*- 250ml grated Cheddar cheese
*- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
*- Sprinkle the chicken with
salt and pepper.
*- Heat the oil in the pot and
fry the chicken, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown.
*- Arrange the vegetables in
layers on top of the chicken in the following order:
*- Celery
*- Tomatoes
*- Green pepper
*- Mushrooms
*- Chives
*- Sprinkle the parsley and
mixed herbs on top and add the noodles.
*- Sprinkle the black pepper
and rosemary on top and pour over the wine.
*- Cover and simmer for about 1
hour.
*- Sprinkle with cheese and
simmer for a further 20 minutes.
Note:
You
can always use more cheese if you want to
(Recipe
by Mr L J Schroeder of Wellington as published in “Potjiekos” by Marlene
Hammann)
(How about YOUR favourite recipe everyone? - Ed)
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HAPPY PEOPLE COMMENTS
========================
Dear Lo
Thank you very very
very much!!!!
You are quite
something!
Now I can surprise
my brother with his own Biltong maker!
Let me know when
you are in SA so I can take you sight seeing or for a meal. Maybe even coffee? I might be moving to USA
so maybe you can come visit me there?
I know that this is
your job, but I must say that you are the most attentive sales person I have
ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
Thanx
Camey Napier
Cape Town
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there Biltong Team!
Just thought I would drop you a quick e-mail to say I
have had my first batch of Biltong and it was fantastic. Consumed quite a lot at the Boks vs Georgia
game last Friday night here in Sydney.
It was as easy as the web page says and tastes just as
good. Will be pulling the second
consignment off in the next few days, just in time for the Samoan clash with
the Boks. I will also be selling the
machine via word of mouth so expect to see some new orders in the near future
from the ex-pats here in Sydney.
Once again, thanks for all the effort you made your
side trying to find the original lost machine and for the replacement. I wish the thief who stole it in the first
place failure on every batch of Biltong he makes.
Regards and "Boks for World Cup Champs 2003"
Craig Rudolph
Craig.Rudolph@shelldirect.com.au
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Lo and the Biltong Team.
Just a short E-mail to say "Thank you, thank you and thank
you again !!"
I have just received my 5kg Biltong Machine in the post today -
and man, I am as excited as my 7-year-old daughter on Xmas eve!
We jumped in the car and went to go and get some Boerewors from
the SA shop and I am busy making my first batch now. Just finished preparing the wors and hanged
it. I will start with biltong next week, so I will be looking at your site in
depth for some tips about making biltong.
I hope that the wors turns out okay, because I have invited
some people over on Saturday (for the rugby!), and then I can be
"windgat" about my homemade droëwors!
Thank you again, and I will let you know how it turned out.
Regards
Johan de Vries
Tel 0208 9433 446 (h)
Tel 07960 584 670 (m)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there Mr Biltong Maker Man
We've had our Biltong Maker for a few weeks. However, there is a major flaw with your
invention, it is not big enough!!
As soon as I finish a batch it is immediately devoured
by my husband and son who cannot get enough of the biltong.
Any chance of producing a much larger machine?
Many thanks.
Lee Forfar
Tadley, Hampshire, England.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
(We have done so on
your advice Lee-Ed)
(A
big thanks to all of you for your nice comments. This will keep us going again for a while! - Ed)
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AROUND THE WORLD
==================
ENGLAND
---------------
The following comes from
Johan de Vries
My first "experiment" in the making of droëwors was a
resounding success !
Got this package on the 5th of November, and assembled it.
So there was this big white box standing in the kitchen………………..
Empty!
Not wanting to wait a moment too long I got in the car and drove
to the SA Shop in Putney to go and get some meat and wors so that I could start
making my own biltong and droëwors.
I got 6 kilos of sausage, and some meat, but when I came home my
wife said to me that I should experiment with a small amount of wors first, and
then move on to the biltong.
So I listened to reason, and started off with 4 kg of sausage.
(Good man!! - Ed)
Now the thing about this sausage is that it was not the thin
sausage that I was looking for, but normal Boerewors, or
"dikwors". I was a bit
worried that it would not work, but being the optimist I am I cut it into nice
portions, washed it down in a mixture of vinegar and salt, and hung it.
Like a little child, waiting for something to happen, I found
myself every half an hour or so standing in front of my biltong maker. I don't know what I was expecting to happen,
but there I was. I worked out that it
would take about 4 days to dry enough so that we would be able to eat it, but
as it turned out, had to wait a long and agonising week, before it was ready.
This was a good experience for me, as I checked it (about 100
times!!) every day after day 4, to make sure that there was it was drying. Cut a little piece, inspecting it, tasting
it, making sure that it was drying.
On day 7, which was last Wednesday, I was satisfied that it was
dry enough, and let the family test it.
So tonight I have prepared some meat, and that will be hung just
after I have sent this E-Mail.
So now the process starts all over again of standing next to the
Biltong maker, walking up and down the passage like an expecting father in a
maternity ward!!, but I am sure that it will work out.
I have attached a photo of me next to my biltong maker, with all
the wors hanging inside it.
I will let you know how it turned out, as I hope that it will be
ready for Saturday's rugby final.
"Biltong, droëwors, a Caste Lager and a Chevrolet!
Hak hom Vrystaat !"
Johan de Vries
Tel 0208 9433 446 (h)
Tel 07960 584 670 (m)
(It is a pity we can’t show
the photo Johan sent us-It was him alright at about 3 years old perhaps?-Ed)
(Keeping the lid on the
machine and not “peeking” inside reduces the drying time drastically! – Ed)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ISRAEL
-----------
This is from Joan Collins and
her grandson Yonni in Israel
The Biltong Team asked my
Grandmother (or Ouma as I call her) to write about what is happening in our
part of the world. After watching Ouma
walk around frantically trying to figure out what to write about I decided to
take over.
Let’s start with our common
interest-BILTONG
Biltong in Israel isn’t too easy to
get. You can only buy good Biltong in a few places and it is quite expensive. You would probably have to have it delivered
as well and then you would have to order other stuff with it to “make it worth
their while” to come all the way to you.
A South African family in Israel
can’t last too long without their SA chocolates and meat so something had to
give. We decided to order a biltong
maker.
After thinking about it for quite a
while, ordering it and putting it together we needed to get the right meat.
Oy, what can I say about the right
meat………
The Biltong Maker Team suggested
that we use any part of the Hindquarter (suitable for roasting). However in Israel there is a problem with a
lot of meat because of Kosher reasons so we bought the meat we use to roast,
which is aged vacuum packed shoulder.
This came out very nice.
After trying a fresh piece of
shoulder we went back to the aged since it tasted much better, but the last two
batches had a lot of mould on them, and were too thin so Ouma decided to cut
her own meat from now on (the meat we buy from the supermarket that is. (We don’t
have a farm with cattle)
Ouma also wants to buy some Sirloin
meat from an Argentinean restaurant nearby.
We are trying some droëwors next.
I hope it will be ready for the
West Indies cricket tour of South Africa coming up, or better yet, I hope it
lasts until then.
Well now that we talked about
Biltong, let’s have a bit of a (one sided) chat about general life in Israel.
It must be said; Israel is a very
nice place.
Unlike some might think, we do not use
camels to go to work, Israel is an advanced country, with great facilities,
art, music, science etc.
Unfortunately we are in the middle
of a war that has been going on since our very existence as Jews. The situation
is tough indeed. Besides the actual
terrorism there is a terrible economic situation, constant media bashing,
condemnation by the UN, other organizations and most countries of the world.
It’s true that the streets are
safe, but there is something wrong when you, as an innocent civilian have that
thought in the back of your mind of constant consciousness of where you are,
who’s around you and how good the security is wherever you are.
Whenever another attack takes place
(besides the terrible yet true feeling of “used to it), you start worrying
about all the people you know in the area of the attack and I could personally
tell a story of how my family thought I was at the scene of an attack.
As someone who loves the Anglo
Saxon community I can safely say that I will probably not live here in the
future for the simple reason that I need an English mentality surrounding
me. But until I finish the army and my
studies I will have to settle for the great cricket coverage we have here!
So I will sit tight for the moment
with biltong in one hand, droëwors in the other and some Johnny Clegg in the
background.
Yonni Sidelsky.
(Thanks a lot for your
contribution Joan and Yonni, much appreciated – Ed)
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USA
------
Hello Lo,
What a lovely
surprise reading your newsletter!
I have subscribed
to a myriad of SA related sites and we all know how names/e-mail addies get
around.
I don't mind
receiving mail from you at all though; it helps with the homesick blues every
SA'frican experiences, especially around the hols, and for me in Fall.
My husband Jeff,
(he's American) and I live in the States.
I've been here for
15 years. Even though there's a large number of SA'fricans living here, there
aren’t many in our neighborhood.
We do attend the
annual SA picnic near Princeton once a year, and of course a grand time is had
by all!
If you know of any
folks that live in or near Northwestern NJ, please pass our addie along.
Thanks again, and thank
you for the enjoyable read.
Groete,
Jeff & Victoria
Thank
you for your kind words Victoria.
How
about it people. Anybody near Jeff and
Victoria? Why not drop them a mail? -
Ed
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FUNNIES
=======
We know that the
Rugby World Cup is now history but it was still nice to read this.
Rugby
World Cup 2003
-------------------------------
Following
complaints made to the International Rugby Board about the All Blacks being
allowed to motivate themselves by performing the 'Haka' before their games,
other nations have now been allowed to introduce pre-match rituals of their
own.
The
IRB Rugby World Cup 2003 Organising Committee has agreed to the following
pre-match displays:
1.
The England team will chat about the weather, wave hankies in the air and
attach bells to their ankles before moaning about how they invented the game
and gave it to the world, and how it's not fair that everyone still thinks New
Zealand are the best team.
2.
The Scotland team will turn up pissed, chanting "Yea looking' at me,
Jimmy?" before smashing an Iron Bru bottle over their opponents' heads and
picking random fights with members of the crowd.
3.
The Ireland team will split into two, with the Southern half performing a River
dance, while the Northerners march the traditional route from their dressing
room to the pitch, via their opponents' dressing room.
4.
The Argentineans will unexpectedly invade a small part of opposition territory,
claim it as their own "Las In-Goals-Areas" and then be forcibly
removed by the match stewards.
5.
Two members of the South African team will claim to be more important than the
other 13 whom they will imprison between the posts whilst they claim the rest
of the pitch for themselves.
6.
The Americans will not arrive until almost full time. In future years they will
amend the records to show that they were in fact the most important team in the
tournament, won it single-handedly and Hollywood will make a film called
'Saving No.8 Lyle'.
7.
Five of the Canadian team will sing La Marseillaise and hold the rest of the
team to ransom.
8.
The Italian team will arrive dressed in Armani gear, sexually harass the female
stewards and then run away.
9.
The Spanish will sneak into the other half of the pitch, mow it and then claim
that it was all in line with European "grass quotas". They will then
curl up under the posts and have a kip until half time, when their appeal for
compensation against the UK Government will be heard.
10.
The Japanese will attempt to strengthen their team by offering better salaries
to the key opposition players and then run around the pitch at high speed in a
highly efficient manner before photographing the ground.
11.
The French will declare they have new scientific evidence that the opposition
are in fact all mad. They will then park lorries across the halfway line, let
sheep loose in the opposition half and burn the officials.
12.
The Australians will have a Barbie, sinking a few tinnies before whinging on
about how crap England are before they move to England inviting all their mates
to come and live with them in Shepherd's Bush.
13.
The Samoans will line out behind the New Zealand team, as that's the side they
all feel they really should be playing for....
14.
The Tongans will plant a coconut tree on the halfway line and loll around under
it listening to music and discussing women for the duration of the match.
15.
Unfortunately, the Committee were unable to accept the Welsh suggestion, as the
French have commandeered all the available sheep and there were serious
objections from the Australian RSPCA.
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THE MONTHLY COMPETITION