Mzoli's Meat

When we were on the champagne cruise people began to talk about going to this place called Mzoli’s the next day. I had no idea what it was but I was down for everything. After RSVPing, I started to hear a little more about it. It is a bbq (or braai as they call it in South Africa) restaurant/major party in the Gugulethu Township. Music, drinks, good food, and good company were promised so I had no doubt that this too would be another incredible day.

Andrew—one of the staff members with VAC—picked everyone up from my house around 2 and we headed out to Mzoli’s Meat. While the pictures that we get in the States of townships are mostly of cardboard or metal shacks, Gugulethu (or the part that we were in) was made up of clay or cement small houses. When we got to Mzoli’s Andres gave us a tour, which was really cool to see. Usually you go in to the store part and pick out what kind of meat you want them to cook for you (since our group was so big Andrew had called in that morning and had pre ordered our stuff) then they bring it back to one of the huge bbqs they have in the back then bring it out to your table. Once you choose your meat there’s a back patio for you to sit and wait for your food at. A DJ is set up in the corner playing amazing African house music at full party level. Andrew took us to the bottle store around the corner and we ordered a bunch of beer for our afternoon.

It took a little while for our food to come out but the music, beer, and people watching were enough entertainment to hold us over. Everyone sat there bobbing their heads, swaying their shoulders and the locals all knew the words (when there were any) so they all sang along.

Before too long, trays of bbq meat starting arriving to our table. No exaggeration: the best bbq lamb chops, sausage and chicken I have ever had in my life. I seriously wish I could send you all a piece. Then again I think I would have to send you a tape of African house music and a Namibian beer also for you to get a better feel. Ivy, another woman working with VAC had made a few side dishes for us too so we had this delicious polenta with butternut squash, couscous salad, and a normal salad to accompany our carnivorous feast.

As people continued to arrive, eat and drink things got a little rowdy. Dance moves moved out of seats, conversations got louder, bathroom lines got longer and before we knew it we were out in the street talking with some locals swaying to the music and chit chatting about where we were from, where they were from, what we did, and what they did. Liz and I spent most of the time talking to these two guys Manga and El who were local hip hop artists. El called himself ‘the guy who talks a lot,’ which was a good was to describe him. No topic was off limits, which meant politics and South African hardships were at the forefront to the majority of our talk. Manga and I mostly talked about Tupac and the fact that that’s who my nose ring reminded him of. Needless to say Manga was my favorite and gave me the best compliment everrrrr at the best place everrrrr.

After Mzoli’s we were all about to burst but made our way over to another VAC house for a little party. The girls there made Fajitas and we just sat around talking and drinking wine. It was a nice, mellow way to end our super day of gorging on food and booze the South African way.