A Barbecue in Mdantsane Endaweni Style

The Mdantsanians like the good things in life. But they also like it simple and not complicated.

All Mdantsanians are first of all South Africans and there is nothing a South African likes as much as a good braai (barbecue, the Afrikaans word for grilling meat on a fire) in decent company with a couple of ice cold beers. 

If you give a South African the option to to choose between a braai and a gala evening at the Bolschoi theater or the Dresden Semper opera, he would choose his braai - not because he is not interested in culture and the arts but because a braai is the core essence of South African entertainment.  In simpler words : outdoors, fire, friends, drinks, music, meat!

With a fire going like this....

and an experienced grill master like him nothing can go wrong

Thandile was playing the braai master just for us on this day

Braaing at the Endaweni open air restaurant works like this. You got to the butchery right next door buy your meat and you prepare it yourself on one of the many fire places. Easy? Isn't it ?

The meat comes from the Mdantsane abattoir and the owners of Endaweni sell it at a very reasonable price.

"People are always surprised how cheap well sell the meat" says Thandile.

The meat was not only cheap but it had flavor.

The grilling process...

and even the tools are kept simple

which shows you that the good things in life do not necessarily need a lot of money but rather the right attitude.

And if you feel like having more meat you can just go back to the butchery!

There is more than one friendly lady willing to help you.

Somebody asked us the other day: How did this all start? How did you come to write about all the important small things in life?

The sum of all the small and so important things, and the way you do them make really up your life.

So it is important to discover how to enjoy life.

Norman's Wine And Dine

The windows and shutters tightly closed by day - but do come back at night and you will find a different sight !

Medium To Rare

If you are a Vegetarian or a Vegan you might want to skip this post.

But if you love and appreciate meat like many African people do, then the meat section of the Hi-Way market might just be right for you. Not everybody can afford meat and a meal with a hearty tasty piece of meat, a stew of tribe cooked with spices and vegetables is simply and purely considered happiness. And it is.

Every morning the tables are topped up with fresh meat

And there is no lack of intestines as well. For the tribe and liver lovers this is the place to get it.

You can buy every desired part of the animal, inside and outside - if available of course.

All the delicacies that have crowned European butchery tables many years back and that can not be sold anymore nowadays, because of diseases like BSE and Mad Cow disease, can still be found here.

There is never shortage of company

Some ladies work together

and are helping each other with cleaning and cutting the meat into portions, dealing and selling to costumers and every other task that their business entails.

And to safeguard the money two are always better than one.

Others however prefer to work alone

and have their shop space and time to themselves.

You can also order from the ladies if you are looking for something specific like a whole cow head.
They will get it from the farmers that supply them.

This meat when nicely cleaned and prepared is really good, Pelisa explains.