A poor girl's eating plan: Living&Cooking in Venda

Let me start by saying: "man I love Venda". I'm not just saying that because I grew up there, I've mentioned this a couple of times in my other blog posts that at a young age I idolized the cities i.e the skyscrapers, the flats, the traffic, the myriad entertainment in urban areas. I slightly disliked staying in Tshifulanani (the name of my location/township/village-None of these categories are suitable to describe the residential areas in Venda) but after not staying there on a full-time basis for over 5 years, I've come to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of life at home.
Especially in the cuisine area:

A decade ago I couldn't have imagined how much I would love food cooked by firewood. I have to confess that growing up with access to electricity and electric stoves made me view preparing food with wood a degrading experience reserved for the poor. Adulthood is teaching me otherwise.

About a year and half ago my family started cooking with firewood. Not primarily as a way to cut down the electricity bill but because food cooked with firewood tasted nicer and healthier. My sister discovered this when we had a large family gathering at home and opted to use wood to cook for a huge crowd, there was something about the smokiness of the pap and meat, the lack of spices in the meat that turned out more delicious than any other meat we've eaten in fancy restaurants.

This is a picture of me trying to poke a donkey at Tshipise village(where my grandma resides), the mostly used mode of transportation is a donkey cart or as its commonly called "donngi".

A world free of pollution.

Early morning activity is wonderful in most villages in Venda(especially Tshipise, a village that slightly refuses to adhere to the development plans of the west) when farmers start their travel towards fields for daily work. Most of these farmers are aged, as the new generation avoid working in the fields and most of them prefer to work in the cities and abroad.

What you find in Tshipise is a group of people who are more joyful, loving, vibrant and fulfilled than 80% of the urban people area I have known.

Humor is always present and overflowing in villages, Old people sharing stories with the young, cattle grazing in the nearby fields.

My grandmother makes Mabundu/Mageu (non-alcoholic traditional beer) which attracts a lot of villagers to her yard, including musicians who play instruments made from organic materials. In spite of economic, social and psychological challenges that people in Venda villages face, they have a greater sense of wellbeing, a more intimate, eco-friendly and rewarding community life.



Venda is blessed with a wonderful balance of nature: away from the cities are hills and mountains

; streams,  and rivers; fruit orchards and vegetable gardens

and
fresh air

and its super GREEN even in near-drought!

Venda lashu la manaka-naka mani!