Famine

 In years past Abraham went to Egypt to sojourn there by reason of a famine that was  in his land. He had to go to a heathen country to seek refuge and be fed there for a time. Years later his prosperity would also seek refuge in Egypt, a heathen land, by reason of a famine that affected the whole world at that time. While I'm itching to write a comparison between these two incidents, it is the latter famine I will focus on.

In Egypt, Pharaoh had a dream where he saw 7 fat cows and 7 thin cows. As he looked, the 7 thin cows swallowed up the 7 fat cows. Again he saw 7 ears of corn that were good and 7 ears of corn that were thin. As he looked, the 7 thin ears of corn devoured the 7 good ears of corn. Joseph, because he had interpreted the dreams of the baker and the cupbearer in prison two years prior (See Genesis 40), was summoned to interpret the dream for Pharoah, and God showed him the interpretation. The two dreams that Pharoah had are one and the same. The meaning of them was that there would be 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. Joseph advised the king that he should appoint a wise man who would be in charge of storing up food during the 7 years of plenty so that there would be food during the 7 years of famine. (Read full story in Genesis 41). According to Genesis 41:35, 36 this food was to be gathered up IN THE CITIES and would be stored there for the time of the famine.  Subsequently, Joseph is appointed to take up this position.

He begins his work and has storehouses built all over Egypt and he gathered of the plentious harvests within and without the cities until he could no longer count how much food was gathered, it was so much. Soon the 7 years of plenty were over and the famine began. Here is where things get interesting:

Famine hits the land of Egypt and they go to Pharoah for food and he tells them to go to Joseph. In Genesis 41:56,57 it says "And the famine was OVER ALL THE FACE OF THE EARTH: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And ALL COUNTRIES CAME INTO EGYPT TO JOSEPH FOR TO BUY CORN; BECAUSE THAT THE FAMINE WAS SORE IN ALL THE LANDS." The famine was in ALL the lands, in ALL the countries. None escaped! It gets more interesting:

Fast forward to Genesis chapter 47. In verse  13 it tells us there was no bread (food) left in the land because the famine was very sore that all in Egypt and Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. By this I see that the famine affected EVERYONE whether you're an unbeliever (Egypt) or a believer (Canaan). It did not discriminate. Notice what happens next: In verse 14 Joseph collects ALL the money he collected from Egypt and Canaan for all the food that was bought from him and he took it to Pharoah (who was seen as both a stately authority as king as well as a god on earth i.e. unification of church and state). In verse 15 we are told that all the money ran out both in Egypt and in Canaan and the Egyptians cried out to Joseph for bread telling him that they are out of money. In verse 16 Joseph tells them if you have no money then give me your cattle in exchange for bread (food). But notice that in verse 17 it didn't end with just their cattle. For that year the people received their food by giving Joseph their herd of cattle as well as their horses, donkies and all their flocks in exchange for it. So now they have no money and they have no livestock! But it doesn't end there:

In verse 18 we read the following: "When the year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, BUT OUR BODIES, AND OUR LANDS:" So they were willing to give up their bodies and their lands in exchange for food! Notice what they say to Joseph in verse 19: "Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? BUY US AND OUR LAND FOR BREAD, AND WE AND OUR LAND WILL BE SERVANTS UNTO PHAROAH: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate." In verse 20 we are given a most horrifying account which says: "And Joseph BOUGHT ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT FOR PHAROAH; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharoah's." If you think this is bad, notice what he does with the people! Verse 21 says "And as for the people, HE REMOVED THEM TO CITIES from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof."
Interestingly, Pharoah's priests did not have to sell their land which Pharoah apportioned to them and they ate of the bread which Pharoah gave to them (verse 22). We also see that during the famine Joseph's family moved to Egypt and through Joseph they were given a piece of land outside the city in the countryside, in a place called Goshen, and, by virtue of their connection to Joseph, their bread was sure.

In verses 23-26 Joseph tells the people that he has now bought them and their lands for Pharoah. He gives them seed to sow and tells them a fifth of it will be for Pharoah and four parts will be for them to eat with their families and to sow back to the fields.

I have read this story so many times but it was just a story. A historical account of what has been. These past few weeks this story has been on my mind and I felt impressed to go through it again. When I read this in light of what is currently taking place in the world, it just blew my mind! This story of the famine in Egypt is a prophetic parallel of what is to take place globally in our current time! I don't have exact knowledge of the intricacies of how and when it will happen, but I am sure that it will happen, and I pray that God, in His mercy, will shorten the time. Everything that happened in days of old will be our experience today.

For the past couple of months I have been hearing of famines that are ravaging some countries around the world. Even in our country we are experiencing a drought, there is no water and therefore famine will soon follow. I kept thinking about how our water situation was pre-empted or if we were being warned about it. I remembered adverts telling us how WW3 would not be like the other wars but be a war over water. While God warned Pharoah about the famine that was to come, I couldn't help but think whether this famine that we are about to experience is natural or caused by those who have an evil agenda. A famine is coming and it will affect the entire world.

With the Covid lockdowns so many businesses have closed down and millions of people are without jobs. These numbers of closures and job losses are, sadly, going to increase until the majority of the world's population are desolate. Just as it happened in Egypt all those years ago, people are going to be without food. They will buy food wherever it is stored up but as their pockets become empty they will have nothing to buy with. People will sell what they have; their herds, their flocks and eventually their lands. If there's no water to keep up their farms, what's he point of having them when they are hungry? People will give up everything just to put food on the table for their families.

Interestingly enough, I came across something that was written on the World Economic Forum's instagram page where they said "Own nothing by 2030". It could well be that their vision will come to fruition. I saw a video that said that the governments of the world are to move to a system where they offer to pay off people's debts but then they would own nothing. Everything would be given to the state and that the people would also belong to the state as they are indebted to the state so they are not their own. They would then work for the state and receive a type of stipend. This was dismissed as a conspiracy theory, but after having read this story of Joseph, my thoughts are that if it happened before, it can happen again.

A deep concern is that the people in Egypt also sold their bodies. When you give your body up it can be used for anything. Like experiments maybe? What experiments are currently taking place on people's bodies just so that they can get food? If you don't allow your body to be experimented on then ultimately you cannot get food. And notice that it is the people who came to Joseph and gave their bodies, just like people today are giving their bodies for bread. There are those who did not want to be experimented on but because bread would be withdrawn from them they gave their bodies in exchange for bread. There are those who'd rather endure hunger than give their bodies up, but these will suffer persecution by virtue of their decisions. And now the people, with no money, no land and not even having charge over themselves, gave themselves over to the mercy of the state. They were given seed but it wasn't theirs, it belonged to Pharoah. They sowed for Pharoah and reaped for Pharoah. They and their families could eat, but only what was aportioned to them. Suddenly the so-called conspiracy of belonging to the state and owning nothing and receiving only a stipend or living allowance, which you have to use as stipulated, doesn't sound so far off.

The Egyptians were moved from their land into cities all over the relm of Egypt. This is EXACTLY what's going to happen in our day. People are already crowded in the cities but the aim is to move EVERYONE into cities all over. Presidents around the globe, including ours, are talking about building smart cities. They want their populace to live in these cities. They are selling it to the people as something good like how convenient they will be and all the technological advances that will be therein. The rollout of 5g is paramount to the smooth running of these cities. We in South Africa may be slow in rolling out these plans but it's happening in other parts of the world. Have you thought about these smart cities? Are they really for our good and our convenience?

In line of giving up our bodies for bread, I came across a video of a certain doctor who attended a business owners' meeting and this doctor shared the plans that were discussed in that meeting. The plans are that using the current medical experiments (which I cannot name because speaking about them in any light contrary to mainstream media is deamed fake news and I don't want to be a spreader of fake news) certain technologies are injected into human beings thus giving them a digital identity. Said human beings will be forced to live in these smart cities (that's where work will be available for them) and because of the technologies now in them they become a commodity. There is no cash money system anymore, in this new world order only crypto currency is used. Through the technology in the human, everything is monitored; what you do, who you're with, what you eat, where you go, and even what you think! Based on whether you're "good" or "bad" you accumulate or forfeit points which you use to buy or sell. Basically, do as you're told or else. Of course this was also dismissed as a conspiracy theory so... But we all know that a certain tech giant (whose name I won't mention) has a patent for a digital ID system that does just what is described by this doctor. You can decide what you think of it but all I know is that according to Genesis 47:21 all the people were forced to move to the cities.

I will write about the issue of Pharoah in another article. All you need to know right now is that as Pharoah was a king (state) and also viewed as a type of god (church)so it shall be in our time that a system that is both a church and a state will control ALL the wealth of the world and ALL the people of the world. It may seem impossible but it will happen. But that for another time.

There were two groups whose bread was sure: Pharoah's priests and Joseph's family. Neither group had to sell their land. One group because they did the biddings of Pharoah and the other group because they followed God the Creator. There will be a remnant of the people who fall under this latter group. They live outside of the cities in the country, just as Goshen was in the country. God will take care of them and feed them just as Joseph took care of his family and fed them. While there was famine, their bread was sure. If we want to be in this group we need to have an unshakable trust in God. We need to be obedient to Him, come what may, and He will take care of us. Nothing should separate us from Him, not even hunger. In the end we will ALL have to choose. Will we do the biddings of God or the biddings of Pharoah? Each person will have to choose for themselves.

All over the news we have been hearing about food shortages, and talks about food insecurity, not just in South Africa, but all over the world. A famine is coming. Food prices are going to skyrocket. Wherever possible please grow your own food. Use all the space you have, every single corner, every single wall, everything. Just grow food. If you can move away from the cities and go to a country dwelling, please do that.

But a time will come where you will have no money to buy food. You will sell/give up your possessions and even your bodies for food. But if you're growing your own food, especially if you're in the country, the impact won't hit you as much as in the cities. We are going to be faced with such hard decisions to make but this is just the beginning of sorrows according to Matthew 24:7,8.

I want to encourage you that all these things are a sign of the soon return of Jesus Christ. He is faithful and true. He will take care of you. Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him. Let us pray for each other that we will overcome all that is coming our way. Seek to obey His every word. May God be with us all. May we be faithful to Him until the end. May we be able to stand.


  

Why Sabbath?

 I read somewhere that Pastor John N. Andrews once said "It is right to worship God in any day, but it is imperative duty that the seventh day should be observed as a memorial of the creation of the heavens and the earth." It may seem immaterial as to when a person worships, as long as they worship, but I would argue otherwise. 

These days, when celebrating their birthdays, people will often say that it's their birthday month, and therefore they will celebrate their birthday for that entire month. Be that as it may, if on their actual birth day there was no celebration of any sort, it would, in their minds, nullify all the other days in which they celebrated. They may try to console themselves that at least they celebrated on the other days, but because it wasn't on their particular special day, it's just not the same.

Perhaps you're called for an interview on a specified day and time, but you feel you will perform better the next day, so you don't show up to your interview until a day later. It doesn't matter what your qualifications are, how good your CV looks or how well spoken you are; if you miss your interview appointment, that's it... you've missed it, and it's rare to be given another opportunity for an interview unless your circumstances are extremely peculiar.

Consider a memorial day. Here in South Africa we have many: Youth Day, Freedom Day, Heritage Day, Women's Day, etc. Would it not be appropriate to hold a memorial on the exact date of the event being memorialized? We can certainly discuss these events on any given day but would the memorial have the same effect or make any impact if it were kept on any other day but the particularly significant one? I think not.

In like manner, God has given us a memorial day to  keep each week in remembrance of creation, the work that He had made. This day is to constantly bring our minds to God who in six literal days created the heaven and the earth and all that in them is and then rested on the seventh day from all the work that He had made. When He rested on the seventh day He blessed the day and made it holy. Genesis 2:1-4. Having set this day aside for a holy purpose, He calls us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Exodus 20: 8. The remeberance of the Sabbath day is the fourth of God's ten commandments. Just like any monarch would have a seal, this commandment is the seal of God as it has His name, His title, and His dominion, and it is on this day that all humanity is called to show their allegiance to their Creator. There is only one Sabbath day, not many. While it is good to worship God everyday, any day, it is essential to worship Him on the seventh day Sabbath as that is His requirement of us. While we may choose to worship on other days, that worship cannot stand in place of the Sabbath because no other day was blessed and sanctified, except the seventh day Sabbath.

Myriads of people claim that the Sabbath is for the Jews alone but before there ever was a Jew, there was the Sabbath. The Sabbath was instituted at creation and God gave it as a blessing to the entire human race. This is a special day where we can set aside our work, our trials and troubles and dedicate an entire day to worshipping God and being in service for Him. We can have our burdens lifted and our beings renewed just by keeping the Sabbath. We can have perfect rest. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."  Mark 2:27. This special day was made for us and given that we may rest from toiling during the week. Imagine what a huge difference it would make in our lives and and in the world around us if we all kept the Sabbath.

Some argue that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday because Jesus resurrected on Sunday and so they want to memorialize the resurrection. While this may seem noble and while we are to rejoice for the resurrection of Jesus, He Himself made no such call to change His immutable law in order to remember His resurrection. This was a decision made by humans, not God. In fact, God's law still stands to this day that we are to keep the seventh day Sabbath. Jesus Himself, even in death, kept the Sabbath. He died on preparation day (Friday) Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54 and it clearly says that the Sabbath was drawing on and so the women went and saw where Christ's body was laid and they "returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." Luke 23:56. They rested, and Jesus, even in His death, rested and kept the commandment. He resurrected on Sunday, the first day of the week. Luke 24:1-4. Even after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the disciples kept the Sabbath and called for all to keep the Sabbath. Why then do people insist on keeping Sunday as the sabbath when they are not called to do so? If God's law is so important that Jesus had to die on the cross in our stead because we broke it, why would an exception be made for this one law when all the other laws remain in tact? I argue that the law regarding the Sabbath still stands and is still binding on all humanity.

Soon, very soon, there will come a call from world leaders to keep a sabbath universally. This is a spurious sabbath and is not the Biblical Sabbath ordained by God. This sabbath is in fact the first day of the week. Given what the world experienced during the covid-19 lockdowns, we were shown numerous images of how the environment thrived when we were under lockdown. It was clean, and it was quiet. A rare sight to behold. I believe that in light of "not letting a pandemic to to waste", initially a call will be made to keep one day every week as a lockdown in order to reduce our carbon footprint, thereby helping the ecosystem to have one day a week to recover as we saw the results of what happened when we were on hard lockdowns around the world. The day chosen will be Sunday, and all will adhere to this lockdown in a bid to crack down on climate change. However, as natural disasters rapidly increase on planet earth, it will be pronounced that all these things are happening because we have all forsaken God. There will be a call to return to worshipping God, and again a day will be chosen to do so. Since Sunday was already being used as a weekly lockdown, it will now be used as a day of universal worship, a sabbath, and those who refuse to worship on that day will be severely punished. With the term "ecocide" already being coined, those who refuse to worship on Sunday will be blamed for all the natural disasters taking place all around the world, and they will be accused of perpetuating global warming because they refuse to join in the fight against climate change and are therefore causing God's fury to fall on us by way of natural disasters.

But how will all people of all religions worship under one banner and on one day? The ecumenical movement has paved the way for this as all religions set aside doctrinal beliefs that pull us apart and rather come together on common points of doctrine. And since its conception will be irreligious at first (i.e. climate change/saving the planet), by the time it becomes religious people will either be too invested or too deceived or too afraid to do otherwise.

What about Biblical Sabbath keepers who keep the seventh day Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday Sabbath)? These will, because of their inability to buy or sell unless they worship on the spurious sabbath, and because of fear of severe punishment if they do not worship, abandon the true Sabbath and leave the ranks of those who choose to worship on the true Sabbath. There will, however, be a small remnant which will remain faithful to God and His sanctified day of worship. Whether hardship, scorn or even death befalls them, they will not be shaken. They will stay true to God and keep His commandments, including the fourth commandment.

"The Sabbath will be the greatest test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God's law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator." The Great Controversy pg 605 paragraph 2.

Ezekiel 20:12 says "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them." And Ezekiel 20:20 says "And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God." We may all have forgotten the Sabbath commandment but God calls us to remember. "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:8-11.

"It is right to worship God in any day, but it is imperative duty that the seventh day should be observed as a memorial of the creation of the heavens and the earth." Pastor John N. Andrews. In the end we will all be left with a decision to make: will we keep the commandments of God and worship Him on His alloted day, or will we keep the commandments of men and worship on the false sabbath? The choice is ours, and our eternal destinies rest on the choice we make. I pray we may all make the right choice.

The Cut

I've been contemplating whether or not to write this blog. I've been so busy with the new baby and haven't been sleeping. I've also been thinking that so much time has lapsed between the first time I wanted to write it and now and so maybe I wouldn't write what I innitially wanted to write.  I was also thinking if it was worth sacrificing the sleep that I should be getting in order to write it. Well... here I am and here it is...

This piece has no pictures unfortunately. They would be quite intrusive and they are very private. So just writing this time... It's inspired by several things:

1. A conversation I had with my sister where she said that when she gives birth she wants a c-section. She had witnessed her friend giving birth naturally and she thought it was just scary-hectic and she would rather be cut.

2. People who have chosen to have c-sections not because something went wrong and there was an emergency, but because it fits their schedule better or they think it's easier or, the most bizarre, they want their vagina to be intact so that sex is still satisfying as their vaginas won't have stretched during child birth. Ok... eyes rolling.

3. Because I've experienced giving birth by c-section and it was not pleasant at all. 

A caesarian is a procedure that is meant to be used in an emergency ONLY. It's meant to be used to save life, either of the mother or the baby or both.  These days there are more people giving both via c-section than by natural/vaginal birth.  This is because of the mother's choice or an actual emergency but also because these days doctors prefer births by c-section. Here's why: I read an article in the Sunday Times once that doctors protect themselves against law suits by preferring c-section births. These births are more in their control so it is less likely that anything would go wrong. Compare this to a natural birth where anything goes.  And doctors can be held liable for whatever happens. Not only this, but doctors (and the hospitals) get paid a whole lot more for c-section births than they do for natural birth. So you do the math. It is extremely disheartening. I remember listening to a.m. Live on SAFM as they discussed this topic and I just couldn't help crying as I remembered my experience.

My first birth was meant to be natural. I'd studied about it, watched videos etc. I planned how to get back in shape afterwards etc. But unfortunately things didn't take place as planned.  My water broke the night before I gave birth but I only went to hospital the morning after  (I won't really go into detail as to why etc. That's another story altogether). When I got to the hospital they told me nothing is happening ie my water hasn't broken and yet they couldn't explain the water that gushed out of me the previous night.  They hooked me up onto a machine and then said there's nothing. They kept trying to get me to sign for an epidural but I told them I'm fine I'm not feeling any pain. Next thing they told me I have high contractions but I felt nothing. My gynae came then she got onto her cell phone and suddenly I was being whisked off to surgery. No explanations nothing. Then the nurse came and said if anyone asks why I had to have this surgery I must say the baby was in distress. Now I don't know if this was an English problem or she was leading me or if the baby was ACTUALLY in distress. Why didn't she just tell me the baby is in distress and therefore we have to do abcd?  Why MUST I say he was in distress? Well, I will never know. The problem is you're so worried about your baby you trust whatever the doctor says. You don't know if they are lying or if they are telling the truth. And so there was my first c-section. The pain and discomfort you feel is just something else. And you must take care of a baby on top of that...

The second time around it was a planned procedure. My new gynae (I changed gynaes because I didn't trust the one I had at all. Again another story for another day). When we met, my new gynae made it clear that he does not do vbac (vaginal birth after caesarian) as they need too much motoring and he doesn't have the time for that because he has many patients and it is too risky and he wasn't willing to take the risk. He recommended gynaes that do vbac but the problem was we had waited so long to get an appointment with him and now we would have to wait again for a new person. Hubby had also started a new post at work so getting time off to take me to seek a midwife/new gynae was not available. So we stuck to another surgery.  

Going into this surgery I was not as scared as the first time and the anaesthesist that was there talked to me throughout the procedure (coz whatever he injects you literally feel like you're dying) and so he talked me through what/how I was feeling and what I needed to do to make it go away. I appreciated this because he chose to soothe me instead of give me more drugs.  The procedure went well according to them as I lay there listening to their interesting conversations  (for another day) and looking up and actually seeing my insides this time (not intended but the frames of the building were painted glossy white and the lights used for the procedure are super bright so it reflected). 

When the meds wore off. Then reality kicked in. The pain I was in was worse than before. I had blisters from the plasters. My left arm was dying because I had a drip in it but had to breast feed my baby and to do that I had to bend my arm and so the needle was digging into me.  I couldn't walk. Showering was difficult. Resting was difficult because nurses constantly come in to give you drug after drug and there's the baby too. And this time my incision got infected due to a bladder infection I had on the day of surgery. It stank like I don't know what. I literally felt like the walking dead. This meant more pills and and and and...

The trauma you go through just to give life is like nothing you will experience. The exhaustion. The pain. If you haven't experienced it you don't know and won't understand. So I started asking myself why would someone voluntarily CHOOSE to go through this? Why would you want to experience pain AFTER birth and hospital stay for 3 days and healing for 6 weeks  (if nothing goes wrong after the fact) than to endure some hours of labour pain but go home the same day or the day after and continue with life as if nothing happened?  Why would you choose to scar your body and have a hanging tummy (I literally have two stomachs now)? Why would you do that? 

This is to encourage you to please please please CHOOSE a natural birth. God knew what He was doing. If it's an emergency then ok, save your baby's life. If it's not, do it God's way. Your body is designed for it. I know someone whose baby was 4.6kg at birth and she gave birth naturally. If your gynae won't support you, get another one. Please, the pain and trauma you suffer from c-section is not worth it. Use it ONLY as an emergency procedure, not just because you can. There are a lot of things that take place during natural birth that won't take place during the surgery and healing takes a lot longer. God's way is just better.

There are people, even doctors, who advise expectant mothers to choose the c-section as the better option. Don't listen to that. It's nonsense. Like I said, only use it IF there's an emergency.

I had watched what to expect when you're expecting during my first pregnancy and I truly felt like the character who had everything planned out and eventually had to have a caesar.  I can't explain to you the devastation of how that feels. Don't put yourself through unnecessary trauma. You may think it's quick and easy but the actual experience is just something else. I recently saw pics of women being photographed during labour and I cried because I will never experience that natural process of giving birth. It's over. It's gone. 

I hope you will never have to experience what I have. I hope you will choose what is best for you and baby, not just for that moment but for a lifetime. Because trust me, whatever experience you choose to have will be etched into your mind forever and will affect you for the rest of your life. So choose well and be well.

Ethiopian Grub

The first time I came across Ethiopian food was through a colleague/friend of mine when I worked at Chevron. He invited me and a friend (I took Jane) to his home in Bantry Bay and his older sister would cook us an Ethiopian meal. I was so excited! I must say the food was AMAZING! It didn't disappoint at all. I think we licked our plates and fingers squeeky clean. That was the best I've tasted so far coz it was made with love and it was made especially for us. Our hosts were not vegetarian but they went all out to ensure we got the best vegetarian meal and that we would not forget our first Ethiopian experience. They succeeded!

The next time I had Ethiopian food was at Addis in Cape on the corner or Long and Church Streets. I blogged about it too. I really enjoyed it. You can check out my previous posts for more on this. After having moved to the northern suburbs I had very little access to good food, let alone good vegetarian/vegan food.

One day I was in Bellville and I was walking around the area where SARS is. There are quite a lot of Ethiopian immigrants and I noticed there are a few Ethiopian eateries there too. I entered two but no-one paid any attention to me so I left. On my way to the main road I saw another one and decided to go in. The owner greeted me and was so warm and friendly and I asked if they had any vegetarian meals that they sell. He said yes. I ordered two for me and hubby and that was it. When we got home to dig in,  we loved it.  It was hubby's first time to eat that kind of food so I was happy that he enjoyed it. And it only cost R26 for a takeout (R24 if you sit down). So in that meal you get a red lentil dish, a brown lentil dish, a potato, carrot and cabbage mix, a beetroot dish all on top of a huge injeera (the sour rice bread type thing you eat the sides with). I thought it was quite a lot for R26.  I mean for that much it's like R90 at Addis in Cape. 

I told Jane about the place and we decided we would go together. I always got takeout when I went there (it's not exactly restaurant material, it's just a place to eat at) but we decided we would sit.

We got there and every single person there was a male (except those serving). It was so full and everyone was staring at us. We chose a table in a little corner and tried to just have little attention on us. We sat there for a while before we got served.

Eventually we placed our order and we were so excited coz the portions served to those around us were quite generous. To our dismay, when our food came it was as though it were dished for Mzo. Like seriously?! It was so little we gobbled it in less than 10min. I looked at the lady at the kitchen who makes and dishes the food  (she doesn't like me much) asking why the food is so little. She just gave me a look. So I went to the owner (whom I think is her husband) and complained that when we get takeout here it's so much more than this little bit we got served now. So he turned and said something to the lady and she sneered and responded. He apologised to us but that was about it. So we ordered another portion and told her to make it a good one. We were so hungry. 

Anyway by the time the food came we were just so irritated and we were even annoyed by the stares we were getting. Before we left we went to the owner and asked if we did anything wrong. Like we were the only females eating there and then we got served little food and we got served after all the men got served even though some came after us. So he told us that it's rare or not normal for women to be at a restaurant at that time because they are all home cooking for their husbands for when they come home. He also said that when they do go to eat out it is never alone but with their husbands.  So us being there was something unusual to them but nothing wrong. And I supposed we're women so we should eat less. Lol!

Anyway, as nice as the food is, that wasn't a pleasant experience. We don't go there much anymore. When I buy, the lady always gives me less food or not all the dishes. When my husband goes to buy he gets a lot. Maybe the lady was irritated with me talking to her husband asking questions. Maybe she thought I was into him. I don't know. What I do know is one day I went there with my husband and at this time my preggy belly was very evident and for the first time she smiled at me and said hello! I was shocked! Maybe she realised I'm too busy with my own husband to worry about other people. Lol.

The food was good while the experience lasted but that's it. But if you haven't tried out Ethiopian food you should head out to Addis in Cape and make a meal of it. You won't regret it.

Wacky Weekend

Ok, this post is way overdue (pregnancy has me on lockdown) but here it is...

So some weekends ago it was my very first weekend away from hubby and son (as in both, not just one). Well, just Saturday night until Sunday evening. As much as I missed them I had a great time. So this is what went down.

After sunset hubby took me to my friend Jane's house. He then dropped us off at a local restaurant called Bombay Chilli. As much as I would write about food on a Friday, for this post it's just a by the way... So... the food wasn't all that so I will mention it but that's about it.

We walked in and it was kind of awkward. It took a bit of time before someone came to meet us as we looked around for a waiter/ess to help us to our table, which we had reserved.  Eventually a waitress came and asked how we would like to be helped. After explaining that we had reserved a table she took us to one. As we sat down perusing the menu we felt the awkward glances coming our way. When we checked out who was dining there we realised that we were the only black people there to eat and not to serve. Go figure! Black people, we need to get out more. Anyway, we started staring at the food at the table next to us. Looked good.

Selfie on my phone was just not working with us...

The waitress came to us but kept giving us these strange looks. Eventually I said she looks like she wants to say something so why doesn't she? So she asks us if we are from around here. I tell her no, I live in Kuilsriver and Jane tells her she lives in the area. It didn't seem like the answer she was looking for. So she asked what language I speak and I told her I'm Xhosa and Jane answered. The waitress turned to Jane saying "oh I thought you were from my country." Jane asked which country that is, to which she answered Zimbabwe.  We said oh ok. And she was off.

Long story short, what was meant to be a night of friends catching up turned out to be a night of entertaining our waitress. So when she brought us our drinks she asked if she could sit with us. So we thought she's just making small talk so we said sure. Next thing she said she's going to get her drink and come back. We looked at each other and laughed. Lo and behold, she came back with her drink and sat at our table. We weren't quite sure what to say. What ensued was like a bad talk show, she as the host and we as her guests.

We evetually placed our order (veg samoosas, chana masala, aloo gobi, veg bryani and garlic naan instead of rice). Yes, we went there to EAT, so don't judge. She brought us the food but it included a huge bowl of steamed rice (which we had clearly said we would like replaced with garlic naan). She then literally reprimanded us that we should have been clear. That when other customers order they say they want naan INSTEAD of the rice. Jane and I looked at each other. Then she said garlic naan cannot be ordered in place of rice coz it's more expensive. We can only have normal naan or butter naan. We said oh then you should have said that to us before. She said ok I will take the rice away and you don't have to pay for it this time but next time we should be more careful. She left. Our jaws dropped and we just laughed. 

After all that drama, to our dismay, the food was VERY disappointing... like we could definitely have cooked up way better dishes. The samoosas had some kind of green coloring. The couple next to us explained that it's how they differentiate between the various types of samoosas they have and that it's perfectly safe to eat. We were like um, no thanks... so we took off the parts with the so-called food coloring. 

The curries were not curries. They were more like tomato stews. Isishebo! No curry anything. The bryani was more some kind of fried rice. The garlic naans were great though, I must give them that... but overall, not good. But hey, we were hungry so we ate.

When the food came she sat down with us again. People came in but she would leave them to the other waitress.  She was quite comfortable at our table. She asked if we're married and have kids and then we reached a point of no return. She told us about her marriage, where she lives, her girl child and how she prefers girl children because they will take care of their parents when the parents grow old or get sick and how many years she's worked at the restaurant etc. 

She stayed with us quite a long time. We were worried she was going to get fired that might. One of the owners came to ask her what there is to drink. He was coming from the bar and the fridge was right next to him so we figured it was a polite way he was trying to get her to leave our table. She nicely told him what options he has and told him to check the fridge. She continued sipping on her drink and remained at our table. We kept asking her if she's not going to get into trouble but she didn't seem phased. We didn't have the heart to chase her away so there she was. 

Another funny thing that happened was that this lady came into the restaurant selling roses and teddies etc to raise funds for a charity (as we later found out). She stood at the door, scanned the room and walked right past our table and went to the tanles with all the white people. We gathered our black money wasn't good enough for her or her charity. Well, her loss. The nerve!

 When time came for us to go, Jane started contacting our Uber. At this our waitress said no, you can't go. I'm enjoying your company. You guys must stay until after 10pm.  We just laughed. She invited us back and couldn't wait for the next time we would be there . It was quite an entertaining evening. 

When we got home we were supposed to start with my hair (decided on braids, and yes this is the same Jane that I said works wonders with my hair). Instead of doing that we chatted up a storm with her roomie and friends and well, let's just say no hair was done...

The next day I, together with our friend Tavvy who joined us in the morning, was treated to an amazing breakfast. It was so lovely to not have to think what to make etc and just sit and be treated. I won't speak much on that. The pic speaks for itself.  The hair was done and in the evening hubby came to pick me up.  

I had a lovely time with the girls and enjoyed every moment of being spoiled. I was saying to them I should stay pregnant so that they can be this nice to me all the time. Lol! Fun was had...

Eastern Food Bazaar

When the Rand is low but the hunger is real, we sometimes go to Eastern Food Bazaar. It's not fancy nor is it gourmet, but you certainly get value for your money. I was introduced to this place by my friends Jane and Justine. I wasn't really into it back then but I visited now and then for lunch when I worked in the CBD. When I met my husband he liked the place too so we ended up going there together.

If you're vegetarian then there's quite a wide selection for you but not as much of you're vegan, but it's still quite good. I will share with you the yummies we had the last time we went there.

We tried out two new dishes and had something we always get just incase we were disappointed.  So here they are:

First up was the uttapam masala onion...

I wasn't very impressed with it. It didn't taste bad. It's just not what I wanted. Or maybe I expected it to taste a different way. It's a potato pancake of sorts made with rice flour and topped with onions and a tomato sauce. Hubby and Mzo loved it though. So nothing went to waste.

Next up was the veg manchurian...

Now this was quite pleasant to the palate. It was supposed to be spicy but it wasn't.  That was a bit disappointing. It also had bits of either paneer/ halloumi type cheese so we had to pick that out. It also had these meatball lookalike type things and I'm actually not sure what it's made of. It doesn't taste like your regular soy but it was ok. The sauce and noodles were great. The veggies were nice and crispy. I hate it when they're soggy so I was very happy with that.

Then down to the regulars :

My absolute favourite is the paleshwari naan. I can eat it just as it is. It goes nicely with that cabbage it's served with. So simple yet so delicious. It's like a naan type bread but it's stuffed/filled with coconut shreds and black sesame seeds. It's just an absolute delight. As much as it's yummy on its own it goes well with the veg curry we had.

This is usually a potato and pea curry and it comes with rice and dahl. I really love it. It's one of those dishes that taste the same everytime you eat it. I'm not crazy about the dahl  though, its quite bland, but hey, it comes with the dish so who's gonna say no to free food? Mzo loved it and ate mostly that and rice.

At the end of the day all of us were happy and stuffed and still had some leftovers to spare. And the best part: we got all this food for roughly R130. So when you're hungry but the pockets are kind of empty, try Eastern Food Bazaar.

Birthdays

I used to get super excited about birthdays but things changed very quickly. I still get excited about birthdays, other people's birthdays, not mine. I mean I love food, and birthday parties = great food so of course I love birthdays. But when it comes to mine, I think the novelty wore off long, long ago.

When we were young, our parents used to throw us birthday parties. So many people would come. My sister Sisanda and I share a birthday and so we would always have joint parties growing up. But because she's the younger one,  the spotlight would be on her and I'd be told well, you're older now so... My friends and I would just use it as hangout sessions. 

Those parties would also end up being our parents party instead of ours. In the afternoon after the cake had been cut and presents given and we'd eaten and party packs were distributed, that was it, party over. It was now the adult's party. Most of the time they would send us to one of the bedrooms and we would stay there until we were either called to get some food and drinks or someone would be assigned to bring us food and drinks. We would often sneak out to go see what the adults were doing or pretend we needed the toilet or something, but we would end up in that room again.

In High School my birthday always fell during the exam period and so people thought that the little treats I brought them and put on their desks were for good luck. So there went my birthdays throughout High School. The best was going out for supper at Spur. I always looked forward to that. The free, sparkly dessert always brought a smile to my face . I think my 21st is the last party I remember that was all focused on me and I got gifts and all. And of course the infamous after party back in the day... but after that that's it.

In varsity birthdays were a blur because it was just party party party but nothing really meaningful. It was empty fun. As an adult... well... nothing really.  I can't remember the last time I got a gift from friends or family except my friend Jane and my husband. But mostly we (friends/family) do lunches or dinners and I love those. At least you know if you're out with friends on your birthday you won't have to pay for your share because they got it... so I always indulge. At the same time, I don't like big dinner parties because you don't get to engage with those present. And so what's the point? Keeping it small works for me. You're guaranteed to have good quality time. So basically those have been my birthdays. 

Now that I have a child the pressure was for us to throw a party for him when he was a year old. But as much as I believe that reaching one is a great milestone, I think a birthday party for a one year old is more for the adults and not the kid. I looked back at pictures from my first birthday party and I didn't recognise most the people in those pics.  The kids there were all way older than me and the rest were adults. But I'm sure they all had a great time. So first birthdays... neah... so what we did when our boy was one is we had him dedicated to the Lord and then went out for a late lunch, which he also enjoyed. I remember that day I tried baking using honey instead of fructose and the cake flopped. So there went the birthday cake.

When Mzo turned two we thought now we can do something for him because he can interact with others and he has kids around him that we at this stage can call his friends. But first we wanted to teach him that it is better to give rather than to receive. I know when it was birthday time all I looked forward to, except the food,  was the gifts... that's what it was about. It wasn't a thanks giving for another year of life or a time of reflection... nope, just the gifts. So we don't want him growing up with the same mentality. So we arranged a hospital visit for him to give cupcakes and balloons to other kids at hospital. It was such a blessed time.

That weekend we had a picnic for him and his little buddies and the parents of the kids. Not everyone who was invited came but those that did come made it such a great occasion. Mzo had a fantastic time and so did we. We tried to keep it simple but enjoyable. For such a simple shindig I can't believe how much we spent. Yho! life is expensive! It made me think of those who go all out for birthday parties... Sjoe! Nozie made our cake and cupcakes and we thank her for that. Everyone loved it. 

Either way, birthdays still remain special though I don't go crazy over them.  Lunch or dinner with a few friends and/or family does the trick for me. I don't mind it being just another day. These days it is a day to reflect and to thank God for giving me another year of life. I can only hope that I am and/or will become what He wants me to be.