The Scot, the Frenchman and two Cape Dutch 'fraaie meisjes' - Family Tradition Contest
The Scot and his bonnie Lassie
The handsome Scot with the broad accent could not speak a word of Cape Dutch when he met the bonnie Lassie of his dreams but she actually was a fraaie meisje who could not speak his English!
The Frenchman and his jolie Mademoiselle
My other great great great! grandpa was a Frenchman from Dieppe who fell head over heels in love with his jolie mademoiselle who also happened to be a fraaie meisje from Cape Dutch descent.
Add to this mix German and English in the generations to follow, and you will begin to understand why we have such diverse family traditions here in South Africa.
Fast forward a couple of generations later, and here I am today; living proof of these unusual unions.
Some of the descendants today.
Family of Fishermen
Family holidays were always spent camping by the sea, and this tradition continued while our children were still at school.
The men and boys would spend most of the day at the fishing waters with the gals swimming, sunbathing (yep, no worries about skin cancer back then), catching up on the latest family scandals, making typical camp food like potbread (bread baked in a pot with the lid on, surrounded and topped by coals placed in hollowed out earth – a make-shift earthen ash oven) and cooking silvery delights from the ocean.
Mom Lily used to join the menfolk now and then and would often come back with the catch of the day!
The kids would spend the day finding treasures amongst the rock pools and swimming all day long with the cousins. Mom told me how she used to count the number of blond heads in the surf to make sure no one’s drowned – there were five of us!
Much laughter would be heard in that campsite!
Hubby and I continued with this tradition when our sons were growing up.
Exploring our Game Parks
Family holidays would sometimes take place in a Game Park where there would be a Braai (BBQ) every night in the Boma with loads of meat, wine and beer, salads, Roosterkoek, which is kind of a bread bun baked over coals with a crispy crust but soft and spongy inside, or Braai Broodjies, which is a BBQ toasted sandwich, all absolutely delicious with gorgeous smoky flavours!
The fire pit would be stoked afterwards and we'd sit in a big circle around that crackling African bush fire with a good South African wine or homebrewed beer close at hand; talking well into the night trying to solve the problems of the world, with much good-natured jesting and laughter in between.
The only other sounds would be that of nocturnal animal calls in the dark.
Seeing the Milky Way and the stars ever so bright with no city lights around, always is the added bonus!
Laughter is something that our family has in abundance despite all the trials and tribulations – can I call this part of our family traditions?
Mom Lily would always make her special herbal tonic wine, a spicy herbed red wine full of health benefits and guaranteed to warm the cockles :) Another firm family favourite especially on a cold Sunday night to end off the weekend, is Pancakes, not to be confused with American Pancakes which we call Crumpets or Flapjacks. Our pancakes are almost like French Crepes except they are ever so slightly thicker and light and fluffy. The gals would be making them with some of the guys joining in to show off their pancake flipping skills. Served with fillings like Savoury ground Beef; Ham/ Mushroom & Cheese Sauce and ending off with sweet fillings like stewed Apples or the traditional Sugar & Cinnamon and a blob of creamy Vanilla Ice Cream, this is comfort food at its best.
Special Times
I think those who know me aren’t surprised to see all the food here when I’m talking about Family traditions, but I’m sure you’ll agree there is nothing like sharing family favourites with loved ones to bind us together again! Special birthday celebrations and Christmas times always means much cooking and baking but the load is shared by all the gals; Biscuit (cookie) tins need to be filled as we need to have teatime treats for the gathering of the clans not so! Homemade Fruit Mince Pies with a light flaky pastry is a must at Christmas time, and often is finished long before the special day arrives, so a second batch ALWAYS has to be made as this is everyone’s favourite!
We take turns to host Christmas lunch, but as the clan has grown it’s mostly just our close family. The tables are taken into the garden as it's summertime, and always loaded with food, so there's plenty of leftovers to enjoy on Boxing Day which used to be spent picnic style on the beach or a nature reserve, but nowadays we spend it at home.
My job at all family gatherings is to make the dessert, and there are many favourites, but I’ll let your eyes do the feasting.
Mom Lily is famous for her Milk Tart and Lemon Meringue Pie, but I've had to take over so she's now the sergeant-major making sure I do the job right as she sadly is getting too frail, but still very determined that the job gets done right!
That just about sums up some of my Favourite Family Traditions – Vacations, loads of Food and much Laughter, and it all started with a Scot, a Frenchman and two Cape Dutch fraaie meisjes!
This has been my contribution to @sultnpapper's Favourite Family Tradition Contest, and here is the how-to:
Post your entry on your home page and drop a link back here in the comments of this announcement Dash to enter. One entry per registered HIVE account only.
Contest deadline for entries is 10:00 PM Texas time on 08/08/2020.
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