Afrikaners is Plesierig

That's the first line of a traditional Afrikaans song. It means Afrikaners are nice people. OK, maybe that's stretching the translation a bit. The meaning of "plesierig" is probably more "fun" than "nice".

But I maintain. (Most) Afrikaners are nice people. It's easy to overlook because the Afrikaners' legacy as white self-proclaimed overlords of this country has tainted us all. There are no excuses and I won't get political - I hate politics more than sprouts. All I want to say is that I believe, I'd LIKE to believe, that every culture has a good and a bad. And when you average it out I believe every culture has more Mandelas than Malemas. 

I frequently forget I'm Afrikaans. Often on purpose. My dad can quote CJ Langenhoven till he's oranje blanje blou in the face I just don't like the sound of the language. Add Kurt Darren to the mix and I have an uncontrollable desire to knock myself unconscious with an epidural and some tik.

But this weekend I went home and it was Gatiep and Maraai on the one side and Rapport and Huisgenoot on the other and Noot vir Noot in the middle. And it reminded me how nice, how incredible NICE Afrikaners are. We have terrible taste in clothing and music but we're funny and we like to laugh whether it's with others or at ourselves. We're loyal and helpful and kind and yes, we're also fun - we'll drop everything for a dop 'n a chop.

I'm going to try really hard to forget what some assholes did to this country in the name of my culture. Just because I share that culture doesn't mean I'm a bad person. And neither are most of us. So give us another chance. And don't knock us till you've tried us. After all - we're plesierig! And we make bliksemse lekker kos.

xx

J

VETKOEK WITH CURRY MINCE

Vetkoek

500g Flour

5ml Salt

5ml Sugar

5g Instant dry yeast

30g Butter

325ml Warm water

Sift the flour then add the salt, sugar and yeast. Rub the butter in (you can grate it if it's hard). Add the warm water bit by bit and mix until you have a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface, adding more flour if it gets sticky, for about 10 minutes. Put in an oiled bowl and cover. Leave to rest for about half an hour. Knock down and divide into about 16 balls. Allow to rise again for another half an hour. Deep fry at 170C for about 4 minutes. You can serve with curry mince or lather with marge and jam and lots of cheese. 

Curry Mince

500g Beef mince

1 Onion finely chopped

1 Chilli deseeded and chopped

1T Curry powder/Mother-in-Law if you're daring

1t Turmeric

1/4t Ground coriander

1t Whole cumin

2 Bay leaves

2 Grated carrots

2 Peeled potatoes in small cubes

2T Chutney (Mrs Balls, of course)

2.5T White vinegar

1c Frozen peas

Fry the onion and chilli until soft. Add all the spices and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the mince and cook until no longer pink. Add the rest of the ingredients except the peas as well as 1/2c water and allow to simmer for half an hour. Add the peas and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season to taste. 

SOUTTERT

 Crust

2c Flour
125g Butter
1t Salt
1t Baking powder
2t Sugar

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Rub the butter into the flour until well mixed. Add the sugar. Press the mixture into a pie dish. (It will seem dry but the butter will melt in the oven and make a delicious crust.)

Filling
 
3T Butter
1/3C Flour
600ml Milk
1t English mustard powder
1/2t Cayenne pepper
1 Onion roughly chopped
1/2 Yellow pepper roughly chopped
1c Bacon roughly chopped
1/2c Ham roughly chopped
1/2c Viennas sliced
1c Grated cheddar
1T Parsley chopped
1T Chives chopped
3 Eggs whisked

Melt the butter then add the flour to make a roux. Fry for a couple of seconds then slowly add the milk, making quite a thick white sauce. Season to taste and add the mustard and cayenne. Fry the pepper, onion and bacon until cooked. Add to the white sauce together with all the other ingredients except the chives. Pour into the pie dish and sprinkle with the chives and a little more cayenne. Bake for around 30 minutes at 180C.