Food is motherly love.

Food is a sense of home.

Food is nature.

Food is what makes you aware of what you are made of.

Food is nourishment.

Food is consciousness.

Food is a choice.

Food is basic and essential.

Food is best when minimal.

Food is what connects me with values.

Food is an exchange.

Food is an ancient civilization.

A fortuitous meeting leading to a foray into Food Rescue

It started off as a connection through Workaway, a global volunteering platform that connects hosts and Workawayers, who offer their skills in absolutely anything, for being able to assimilate with local culture, and living with locals. This was my second trip to South Africa and I finally made a real attempt to meet Hanneke, and this is how we initially connected on my first trip. We kept in touch, had a few meetings and on one of those occasions, I was invited to something called an ‘Odd Plate Dinner’ hosted at a culinary school. The set up was beautiful and the fact that everything was prepared to serve from scratch with rescued food supplies, fruits, and vegetables, was something that hit the right cords for me. I then expressed my interest to host a dinner as well at NOSH, a small gathering of people who appreciate the value that lies in simple home-cooked meals. After much back and forth on dates, Hanneke suggested June 7, 2023.

We got there around 9:30 am and found at least around 30-40 crates of fresh vegetables and fruits, and some other supplies, alongside which we had a lot of grocery items and basic spices at the NOSH kitchen. The first sight of everything that was there was overwhelming, and it is great to have a small team to work with. It was me, Julia and Kenneth, with Hanneke helping us with anything we needed. With Julia’s suggestion, we planned a menu with whatever we had, and then got to work. We started at 10:30 am and worked straight until 6:30 pm. We did all the preparation and cooking, and Hanneke helped set up the place to accommodate the 15 people we had expected including ourselves.

The way Hanneke shuffled tables and chairs to accommodate our guests comfortably, and the way she threw around some personal elements is where her soulful touch and magic lies in her initiatives with NOSH.

We had a four-course meal that was set up buffet style so that everyone could engage actively with the food that was being served and the people serving. The idea was to put together a bunch of preparations that one could enjoy all along, so there was no exact synchronicity in the way the recipes were put together, except the larger arrangement and sequence to the courses.

We had fresh orange juice for a refresher drink. For starters, we had a soup made with butternut and sweet potato. Along with the soup, we had potato patties with cream cheese dip and tomato chutney, seasoned cucumber, tomato salad, and guacamole.

For main course, there was buckwheat pita bread, spinach curry with corn, black-eyed bean curry, stir fry vegetables (seasoned with Sichuan pepper, used extensively both in Nepal and China), boiled beetroot-white sesame salad, and pan dry-fried mustard greens.

Finally for desserts, we had an assortment of rescued cakes and pastries, Yogs’ home-baked cookies, brownies and store-bought ice-cream brought by a friend, and mixed fruit salad from rescued fruits.

To go with all the edibles, we had some wines shared by Hanneke from her prized collection, orange juice, and cocktails made on-the-go by Justine, another friend who we met at Victoria Yards.

There is a lot that was felt and exchanged in the process of prepping, serving, and savoring the condiments and delicacies, but one must be involved in the process to experience the intention behind what is being served and shared. All thanks to Hanneke for all the heart and effort she has been putting into NOSH and everything she stands for.

Written by: Shivani Saria