Zurie

about me

Updated Oct 09: The photo is of me as granny Zurie, with our second grandchild, Aleza, now already more than 8 months old. Both of us have brown hair, not red — that was the colour cast by the umbrellas! (Sorry: Aleza is still a baldie!)

The photo is a "happy snap", taken in Stellenbosch in August 09 while having lunch at a student haunt with our son, DIL, grandson (2) and this little bundle of joy.

I am a very uninteresting person. I've been married for 42 years to the same great guy, whom I met when we both attended Stellenbosch University. That was way back when the world was young.

We live in a tiny coastal village in the Eastern Cape Province now, as my husband is retired. I still do the housework and cooking, so I doubt I've retired with him... Before that, we lived in Johannesburg where we spent 30 of our married years.

I was born and raised in the green and pleasant Western Cape, however.

Our seaside village is quiet and boring, but also very unspoilt and really beautiful. I like my own company — but it does get lonely, which is why I can be found on Zaar often — my cyber social life!

We have tons of great friends, but unfortunately, by now, we are spread out all over South Africa and abroad!

In my working days I've graduated from teacher to journalist to food editor, and from there to college lecturer, to writer ... a "checkered career", as they say, but very interesting!

Hobbies ... Is housework a hobby? You bet not, but that's part of my package! I love doing pottery, and like to relax doing sketching and aquarelles. I'm a voracious reader. Apart from the amount of money I spend on books I'm sure I'm single-handedly keeping the magazine industry in SA alive.

And, of course, I am deeply interested in all food-related subjects!

Although we live on the sea, we have a small farm about 10 minutes' drive away. I keep my organic veggie garden going there. It is completely covered in green nylon shade-cloth, against the myriad wild birds, destructive monkeys, guinea fowl, porcupines and other little raiders, otherwise nothing will be left!

We now also have a tiny cottage in lovely Stellenbosch, and we try to go there every 3 or 4 months to be close to our son and his wife. The lovely little grandson is now about 2 1/2, and Aleza was born at the end of Jan. '09.

I am co-host of the African Cooking Forum and also of Celebrity Chefs and Famous Cooks.



I have taken part in many tag games and other competitions, in PAC 2006, in RSC 8, 9 & 10 — but was too stupid to get the banners in here. At last I have some to show! Pity about the missing banners.

Favorite Foods:

I usually prepare plain but flavorful meals, preferring lots of fresh veggies with our meats. We are not fond of anything pre-prepared except some very good bottled sauces and marinades. I cook from recipes when taking part in a Zaar tag or a cooking competition. But when a creative mood strikes me or I come across a really interesting recipe on Zaar, it gets printed and made.

I like "developing" recipes, something I had to do a lot of as a food editor. Most of my recipes are my own inventions, but not the old traditional ones I posted.

Preferred foods: Well-prepared whole roast chicken — please, no skinless breasts! Mom's roast potatoes. Fresh asparagus, green beans, mixed lettuces, garden-ripened tomatoes ... an endless list .. I don't have a sweet tooth, and we rarely eat desserts.

And, aaah, a deeply-flavoured fish soup in winter, with home-made bread — peasant food. Sheep offal. (Oh, sorry about that, please don't puke!!) Comfort food!

Fresh Cape Rock Lobster, fresh oysters, fish just off the boats (we have a large variety). And cheeses! We have great cheeses in SA, and an endless choice of world-class wines.

HOW I RATE A RECIPE NOW:

I've learnt a lot about this delicate issue in the years I have been a Zaar member!

A very good, tasty, reliable recipe gets 4 stars, but a 5 really has to be an almost perfect recipe, no matter how simple.

I do tweak recipes sometimes, but in small ways, and I'll explain what I did in the review.

If it's a 3, I'll spell out exactly why, which at least gives the cook an idea why the recipe didn't rate higher with me.

If I test recipes in a cooking contest, I might make recipes worth no more than 1 or 2 stars — and I'll also explain exactly why because if the cook so wishes, she can still edit her recipe — but normally I would pass recipes by if I can see it will not work well for me.

But still — ratings and reviews can be very tricky, as we are from all over the world, and tastes differ so much. I never realised how much until I've been on Zaar for a while.

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