This photo was taken at the Little Welches Riding School, Hout Bay, South Africa (ca. 2004). The braai grill was then located in a separate section of the riding facility to the left of the main entrance in an area little used. The scene captured my attention due to the effect of lighting, grass growth, fence as background, and a strong sense of isolation conveyed by the cooking instrument. The riding school ceased operating approximately 2006.
Braai In Isolation
Upon this woody hill,
Darkness, my clothes surround me,
The heavens are my will.Whispers form to secrets,
To carry on the wind,
To long forgotten memories,
To tell them of this sin.I look into black I stare,
To face my greatest fears,
I know are lying out there,
So far but yet so near.If the night she had lips to speak,
What secrets would she birth?
What hidden valleys would she seek,
To uncover hidden earth.But my thoughts are best left unheard,
To lie in ground to rust,
For worse than death are the wrong words,
That turn ones life to dust.
So fly into the night my speech,
To keep the demons bayed,
A promise to which no one will reach,
I take unto my grave.
Isolation, by Phillip Alan Green
Hout Bay, South Africa
Hout Bay (Afrikaans: Houtbaai, meaning “Wood Bay”), or the ‘Republic of Hout Bay‘ as locals affectionately know it, is a town located near Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in a valley on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula, approximately twenty kilometers south of the Central Business District of Cape Town. The name “Hout Bay” can refer to the town, the bay on which it is situated, or the entire valley in which it is located. The Little Welches Riding School was located near the map marker.
One Nation United by the Grill
“Braais can be held on beaches and in backyards, for four guests or 40, for any reason or no reason at all. Traditionally held after a hunt or a slaughter, a braai happens these days because a local fishmonger got a shipment of giant prawns from Mozambique, or because the Springboks (the national rugby team, another cross-cultural passion) are playing, or simply because it’s Tuesday.”
“Whether the main attraction is open-fire leg of lamb with pomegranate-mint pesto at a wine country wedding or lamb necks sizzling over coals in a split oil drum on a township street corner, grilled meat is both a creative passion and a daily staple in South Africa.”
“The smell of smoke is in our blood,” said Jean Nel, one of South Africa’s best-known braai cooks, who grew up on a remote sheep farm. “Even if we become city slickers, working in an office, at night we always want to braai.”
Click below to read the full New York Times article. . . .
