VOICES 06
MILE 8: A CHILDHOOD
David Higgs is a celebrated South African chef (pop into Marble Restaurant and Saint, both in Johannesburg, for a taste sensation). This is an extract from his recently released book, Mile 8: A Book About Cooking (Marble Group).
COOKING FOR ME STARTED ON A FIRE ON A BEACH IN NAMIBIA WHEN I WAS EIGHT
YEARS OLD. I’VE NOW COME FULL CIRCLE, COOKING ON A FIRE AT MARBLE. I’VE RETURNED TO MY ROOTS, TO WHERE MY LOVE OF FOOD BEGAN
W
hen I was a kid, weekends meant long summer days spent on the beach. The wind and shade cloths would be put up, umbrellas pitched and fires made. One thing
I remember very clearly, besides the fishing, is the sand. The combination of the sweltering desert sun and the wind would cause it to form a thick crust – sometimes a couple of centimetres deep. That feeling of sand under my feet, cracking beneath my weight, will never leave me. We used to break the crust, poke holes in it and make loads of different things with sand, shells and seagull feathers. It was during one of these long days at the
beach that I caught my first fish. My dad and I were camping at Jakkalsputz, just south of Hentiesbaai. After he’d helped me clean it, we made a fire on the beach and cooked it over the hot coals – with Aromat, believe it or not. I don’t remember this, but apparently the Mayor of Walvis Bay came over to congratulate me and, despite his title, I was by no means willing to share my catch with him. It remains one of the most special days of my life. Thinking back now, I realise that those
days spent at the beach camping and fishing with my dad gave me experiences very few people enjoy. We had a ritual: watching the colours of
the ocean, feeling its mood and listening to the breaking waves, wet sand underfoot. Choosing the right hook, stringing the bait, finding the perfect spot to fish from and deciding how deep to cast our lines.
I’ll never forget the excitement of the tug and the suspense of reeling in my line. The first glimpse of a newly-hooked cob. The smell of fresh white mussels as we cut them open. Eating with our hands while pelicans and seagulls watched for any scraps that might come their way. And, always, the smell of the ocean in the background. For me, fishing, hunting and gathering
food are as much about reawakening the senses as about the actual experience of catching things. To this day, my favourite way of cooking
seafood is the way my dad and I cooked that first fish. Fresh from the sea, braaied on the beach over hot coals – though these days, I pass on the Aromat! Whether you’re cooking dark red lobsters, black mussels that you’ve plucked from the rocks at low tide or a silver galjoen, a meal doesn’t get much better.
Two Lexus Life readers can each win a signed copy of Mile 8: A Book About Cooking by David Higgs. To enter, send your name and full contact details to:
connect@toyota.co.za by 25 March 2019. The winners will be notified by mail.
WORDS: DAVID HIGGS
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