Ginger Beer – a towering success

First published in Bolander Lifestyle & Property, June 27 2102

Sprint (Gabriel Buys) confronts his father Charl (Isaac Buys) over a long-concealed guilty secret that has torn their family apart, in Daryn Josè’s powerful contemporary South African drama, Ginger Beer, which opens for its world premiere at The Playhouse Theatre in Somerset West on Friday night at 8pm. The real-life father and son team deliver breath taking performances in a show marked by excellence on stage, in direction, and in the finely crafted storyline.

A chance meeting, a surprise birthday party and an unexpected return home are the apparently unrelated events that result in a night of revelation that change people’s lives forever. This is the simple story-line of Ginger Beer, written and directed by Daryn Josè, which opens at The Playhouse Theatre in Somerset West for its world premiere on Friday evening at 8pm.

The enigmatic, troubled Jessie and joyfully innocent, and slightly ‘slow’ Stokkie (Andre Kershaw) meet by chance at a windmill outside the small Karoo town in which they live. An initially hesitant conversation, leads to an unlikely friendship blossoming, as Jessie warms to the innocent and naïve Stokkie, who inadvertently taps into the wellspring of Jessie’s secret despair and offers her the chance of redemption. Intrigued by the happy-go lucky young boy, the troubled Jessie accepts an invitation to the surprise birthday party Stokkie has arranged that night, for his beloved Ouma Hettie (Molly Möhr).

Masterchef SA and the Abilene Paradox

First published in Bolander Lifestyle & Property, April 11 2012

The Masterchef SA judges, Andrew Atkinson, Benny Masekwameng and Peter Goffe-Wood.

Ever had that bizarre experience where you’re part of a group of people who decide on the spur of the moment to do something crazy, but only later discover that nobody was keen on the idea in the first place, but didn’t want to “rock the boat” by saying so?

In management science terms, this is known as the Abilene Paradox, first postulated by George Washington University professor of management science Jerry B Harvey, in a 1988 Organisational Dynamics  article. It amounts to a form of groupthink, whereby individuals in the group feel that their negative response to the suggested course of action is contrary to that of the majority. Since most people are disinclined to “rock the boat” they remain silent, and the whole group ends overtly supporting a course of action that they individually, privately do not support. Once somebody has the courage to voice their true feelings about the matter, others tend to follow with alacrity. All it takes is one person of courage to open the floodgate of truth.

Watching the comments unfold about MasterchefSA, which premiered on MNet three weeks ago, provides one of the finest examples of the Abilene Paradox I’ve ever encountered.

Thought-provoking and uplifting ‘Miss Daisy’

Originally published July 20, 2011 in Bolander Lifestyle & Property

Republished with the kind permission of Cape Community Newspapers

by Carolyn Frost, Editor

Hough and Miss Daisy in the car

I spent a leisurely Sunday afternoon in the genteel company of members of the Helderberg Society for the Aged, as part of the guest audience for the final dress rehearsal of Driving Miss Daisy – which started last night (Tuesday July 19) at The Playhouse Theatre on Lourensford Road, Somerset West.

Directed by Norman McFarlane, and starring newcomers and veterans to the stage, it was with a constricted throat as I watched the tender story unfold of the crotchety, elderly Miss Daisy undergo the transformation from recalcitrant and peevish behaviour at the notion of losing her independence and having to endure a driver invading her sense of space and rocking her composure; and the genial, accommodating Hough September, whose long-suffering yet compassionate sighs of “ja, Miss Daisy” punctuate the canny dialogue and allude to the unfolding respect and fondness that grows between these unlikely characters.

A Treasure Trove of Recipes

Since starting to write for Bolander almost four years ago – our first edition was on April 18, 2007 –  my Man in the Kitchen persona has managed to put together close to 200 recipes.

A few of them are posted here, but the majority of them are not. I frequently get requests from readers for recipes that I have published in earlier editions of Bolander, and when that happens, I invariably pull out the original recipe, PDF it, and send it via email.

Thought struck me that it makes far more sense to actually post them all on the blog, with an index page which will allow people to look for and find what they want. I’ts not that I mind speaking to people who want my recipes; on the contrary, I enjoy doing so, because it keeps me in touch with fellow foodies. It’ll just make it easier for people to find what they want without having to telephone me every time!

I will also be publishing a cookbook in the near future, and in order to do so, I will have to go through each and every recipe in order to decide what to include in the book. This process of posting all of my “back recipes” will allow me to do so.

SO …. starting today (Tuesday, January 18, 2010), I will be posting a recipe a day from my treasure trove. They’ll largely appear in chronological order from April 18, 2010, and as each is posted, I’ll insert in on the index page.

Enjoy the shower of recipes, and please do give me feedback here if you have any comments.

High-jinx at The Playhouse: A review of Fawlty Towers at The Playhouse

First published in Bolander Lifestyle & Property, December 2, 2010

Basil Fawlty (Garth Brandon-Podd) on the receiving end from the pedantic Mr Hutchison (Bobby Bennett) in Act One ("The Hotel Inspectors") of Fawlty Towers at The Playhouse, Somerset West. Show ends Saturday, December 11, tickets R60 from Computicket.

By Caroyln Frost

I spent a thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon watching the final dress rehearsal of Fawlty Towers, at the Playhouse Theatre in Somerset West – where the hilarious shenanigans of the dysfunctional staff of the television show are captured on stage in perfect renditions of the original.

Garth Brandon-Podd, who is a newcomer (and unquestionably born) to acting, is absolutely perfect as Basil Fawlty, the loose-limbed, frantic, intolerant, obsequious and curiously-endearing owner, whose interactions with pursed-lipped wife Sybil (played with aplomb by Anthea Nixon-Bosch), gives the sense of an old couple fitting together as comfortably as a shoe rubbing a painful bunion. Garth’s gangly, ineffectual attempts to extract a cork from a bottle of wine really sets the scene for his character – and his resemblance to John Cleese is simply uncanny.

Basil Fawlty delivers a baby!

Basil Fawlty aka Garth Brandon-Podd (right) and colleague Martin Cupido with the new born baby "Indio". This is Garth's 14th delivery. Picture by Brenton Geach of The Cape Argus

First published in Bolander Lifestyle & Property, Pg 5, September 8, 2010

Somerset West resident Garth Brandon-Podd, was unavoidably delayed last Thursday night, and arrived late at The Playhouse Theatre for the second rehearsal of his role as Basil Fawlty in the hilarious BBC TV comedy series, Fawlty Towers.

But the delay was unavoidable. Mr Brandon-Podd (aka Basil Fawlty), a Rescue 911 paramedic, was tending to a pregnant mother who was being rushed to hospital by ambulance. “The mother was already in labour, and on the way to the hospital, the baby decided to arrive,” said Mr Brandon-Podd, “so I had to deliver it right there and then.”

Libertè, egalitè, fraternitè! The Franschhoek Bastille Festival

the revellers celebrate freedom in true French style by raising a glass

Eppie and I were well and truly muffled up when we left Somerset West for Franschhoek on Saturday. With the hint of winter’s steel in the sunbathed air justifying the layers, we were looking most forward to a day in Franschhoek, celebrating everything that is French, but particularly the sentiment of freedom that has become synonymous with what happened at Le Bastille on that fateful day in 1789 when the rabble of Paris stormed the hated symbol of the French monarchy, and started the French Revolution.

As we approached the “French Corner”, winter’s cold white footprints were clearly evident on the surrounding mountains, further affirmation of the Michelin-man mode of dress we had adopted.

Rye Bread Revisited

Preparation Time: 60 minutes

Baking Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1 loaf

I did a rye bread recipe a few weeks ago which was very well received, despite my initially talking of 125ml cups rather than 250ml cups of flour! Apologies to those who made what amounted to sticky gingerbread!

The previous recipe was a soda bread, which relied on baking powder and baking soda as raising agents, required virtually no kneading, and didn’t need to prove, so it was very quick and easy.

It made a fairly dense loaf, and whilst many people enjoy it, including daughter Alex, I find it a bit too sweet for my taste because of the ¼ cup honey included in the recipe.

A visit to the market at the Lourensford Estate at the beginning of the month (market at Lourensford first weekend of the month, 9am to 4pm both days) resulted in a chance encounter with Pierre Verneau whose bakery is right there on the premises.

Backsberg Picnic Concerts

Looking to spend a Sunday afternoon enjoying a lovely picnic, stretched out in breathtaking gardens while listening to the the very best of the SA music scene?

The kykNet Backsberg Picnic Concert series is just that. We’ll be featuring a different musician every Sunday from the 29th November – 31 January. The line up includes a variety of famed South African artists, with something to satisfy everyone.

Picnics and wine will be on sale at the estate, but feel free to bring your own picnic along. Admission starts at 15:00 and the set will start at 17:00.

Tickets are R85 pre-booked (available through Computicket) or R100.00 at the gate. Children under 12 get in for free.

Go take a look here further details, and to download directions to the estate.

See you on the lawn at Backsberg!