The smell of stifado alone warmed me up that winter evening. The onions that were stewing released an earthy tone reminiscent of the harvest smell in the plains. This was sweetened by the cinnamon and wine. The slow bubbling of the pot on top of the wood burning stove made the kitchen so inviting, warm…
Conversations at an Interview
Alberton in the seventies was already blown wide open when one of the Greek community’s sons underwent gender reassignment surgery. In his teens he became a she. There was never any malicious talk that I can remember from that conservative community. There were no hushed whispers when she came to church. We used to be…
Conversations while Walking
The best time we had together was when we walked. We never walked together in Durban. It was too hot for my father, and he used to get chest pain in the heat. Also, to be fair, I work in Durban and I would rush off early to work and come back late. We used…
Conversations with the Barber
Gawie used to cut our hair when we were at primary school. His barber shop was next door to Mr Scoutarides ladies hairdresser. They both spoke English poorly. Gawie also spoke Afrikaans and advised on the horses; I think he used to cut the hair of the local Newmarket jockeys. Mr Scoutarides was fluent in…
Conversations with Goya
My father appreciated art. He facilitated visits to the great galleries in France, Germany, Italy and England for us to learn as well. But the only museum I remember spending time with him was in Museum of Natural History in Munich. His appreciation of art increased if it was by a Greek artist, and especially…
Conversations on the United States
While we always joked with my father and Uncle Arthur that the highlight of their trip was a stay in Las Vegas and a chance to play in the grand casinos, their once of a lifetime trip to the United States was important. They went over in the seventies, flying in a Boeing 707. The…
Conversations while Drumming
By the time I had turned 40 I did not care what people thought. Some people might say I was born that way, but I always made allowance for other people’s opinion, although I may not have outwardly shown it. When I turned 40 I had a weekend party at Mbona for friends and family.…
Conversations with a Pickpocket
The atmosphere after winning the Rugby World Cup in 1995 was amazing. There were six of us that went to the match and left the stadium in a national delirium by 3 different routes. My brother was collecting Dom and I, my father-in-law was walking to his car with 2 friends and my father was…
Conversations at 7th Avenue
My father was born in Benoni but they moved into Union Cafe and the house above it on 7th Avenue in Alberton a soon after that. It was an old style house built in the fifties. There was no front garden to speak of, with the front veranda facing the short garden wall with wrought…
Conversations about Driving
This may be useful for the nephews coming into the age where they will be driving. When we were teenagers we were tasked with making sure the car batteries would not go flat while my mother and father were overseas. It was the time of American cars, when my mother had a Valiant and my…
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