It got even grassier farther on down the road.
Gather ’round Children, for a fabulous culinary fable is about to be confabulated. The weary travelers needed food to sustain their long journey across the South African veld. So they stopped at a café operating in the same room as a fitness gym. (Of course!) When one sojourner told the lady behind the counter overlooking the weight benches that they would try the chicken curry, they were denied because there was no chicken curry that day despite the fact that it was listed on the chalkboard menu beside the counter. Another tried to order a fruit juice. Similarly denied. When asked what the café did have available from the menu, the lady walked over to a small freezer and pulled out a bag of about 20 frozen sausages. Denied. Our travelers moved onwards, disappointed and on the verge of losing all hope.
Shortly after resuming the crossing of the burning sands, guided onwards by forces beyond human understanding, a beacon gleamed ahead, promising a two-fer combination of botany and comestibles: Indigenous Nursery and Country Café. (Of course!) So our travelers turned down a dusty lane overgrown with grass, indicating that few had passed this way. A foreboding warning sign and no sign of café life left us feeling the threat of divine abandonment yet again, but after wandering for 40 minutes in the deserts we summoned the strength to continue.
It takes faith and fortitude to go forth in the face of such dire warnings.
We entered the patio in front of a modest manger and were attended to by a nice lady who spoke limited English. We asked for food. What did she have? Scones and Cokes. No more, no less. So scones and Cokes it shall be! We heard the sounds of scone batter being mixed and wandered the Indigenous Nursery in search of rare plants and birds. Soon enough, scones magically appeared. However there were only five, for six people. And four of the Cokes were ginger beers. No matter, for our intrepid exploratory constitution would dictate that in faith all needs would be met.
Astoundingly, the five scones were dressed up with butter, strawberry jam, and real whipped cream, and then washed down with six Ginger Beers/Cokes, and all of the tribe were fed. It was a true blessing from above, and proof that the heavens know how to provide for true believers. A lesson of celestial providence was learned and our travelers rested in the arms of the Creator.
Scones, Cokes, and mostly Ginger Beers. A meal fit for royalty. At rural South African cafés with few visitors, you take what you can get.
And that, Children, is the story of the Miracle of the Scones and Cokes.
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Addendum: Here is the same story as told my my friend Mark Dimmitt, as written in a Facebook post on Sept 10, 2016.
Sep 8. Adventure. On the road to Drakensberg, we drove for over an hour without seeing an appealing place to eat. Finally we saw a sign “Indigenous plant nursery and country cafe”. A mile through a dense forest on a rough dirt track overgrown with weeds there was indeed a nursery with dozens of species of native plants for sale, although no one was there to sell them. In the center was an empty parking lot and a shed roof enclosed by canvas side panels with clear plastic windows. Inside were several simple tables and chairs, and a woman. When asked what was on the menu, she replied “only scones and coke”. They were delicious, topped with butter, whipped cream, and jam. See post by Jan Emming for more detailed, mostly truthful, account. Don’t shy away from the unknown; it’s unlikely to be boring.
