I recently noticed that the humankind turned into something that was never intended for us to become, a self-centered and selfish species. Something that not only other people turned into, but what has even become evident in my own life. The recent roadworks that are literally a 100 meter from my home are causing major traffic disruptions and I can truthfully say it is impossible sometimes for me to maintain the lady inside me! Being a "Loskopdolla" means that I sometimes take my time getting ready for wherever I need to be, thus resultig in me rushing at the last minute through traffic, in the hope of arriving on time. Needless to say, the last couple of weeks, I had to add an extra hour or two to my routine. With this said, I became aware of how life is just passing by these days, I am not even present at certain times. After work, we are all in a hurry to get home. Yes, home a place that we deem safe and where we live as a picture perfect family, where we enjoy our "out of the magazine" home-cooked dinners. We get home, relax and enjoy the company of our family, until our heads rest on pillows transporting us to the next day. We can't even be bothered by the change of season. In my house it simply just mean "time for that warm pasta and soup". Well we are not home yet, because the traffic law does not apply to any taxi’s, so I have to sit back and watch how a whole bunch of them force themselves into the queue. I make peace with the fact that dinner is not going to be on time tonight. All I want now, is some comfort food, a warm bath and my bed, accompanied by my family. I’m singing along to the songs on the afternoon radio shows, when all of a sudden my daydreaming is interrupted by a man signalling all sorts of gestures, standing next to my car. I’m quickly looking if there are any valubles lying around in my car and I quickly swallow my ham and cheese Woolies pancakes just to avoid any guilt feeling, I also apply a very common technique, I ignore the problem and it dissapears. I notice the man in my rearview mirror and I see him eventually admitting defeat, whilst walking towards the bridge... I realise that this is his home and that this is where he might be sleeping night after night. The lane finally opened up and I can now rush home to finish this wonderful dinner I started preparing this morning: sweet potato soup. I’m busy warming up the soup and measuring the fresh cream, but the face of this man is haunting me. Although I ignored him, I couldn't ignore the cry for help... his eyes were screaming. I just could not make peace with it that someone had to live like that everyday. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you from or what colour your skin is, no one deserves a life like this. I finally finished this wonderful soup and called my hubby. While he was thinking to sit down, I gave him an empty 2lt Ola ice cream tub and asked him to pour the soup into it; his face was priceless! We took the soup and a bread purchased from Checkers, got into the car and off we go, ready to feed these people. Just before we left, I told my husband about the idea and we thought it best to remove our wedding rings and I even removed my earrings, because the uncertainty of where we were going made me nervous and so many questions and doubt filled my mind. Is it safe to go there? Will they even understand us? We parked under the bridge and hesitated for a little while about getting out the car. Well there he is, the very same man I saw in traffic, sitting under the bridge amongst a pile of rubbish and the saddend smell of poverty in the air. We approached him and asked if he was willing to talk to us. Well, what an open and humble host he was. I could not help to notice his companion under a plastic sheet. He was lying on the cold, hard floor, covered with an old, what seemed to be a dog's blanket and plastic bag to help him through the night. Word got out that a hot meal made its way to the bridge and another three men joined in. My husband took charge and started a conversation, not being too judgemental, but talking about normal things one would at a braai; politics, work etc. It wasn’t long before we all spoke about who they were, where they came from, although it was difficult to hear them at times. Seeing that they enjoyed the warm sweet potato soup, filled my heart with great pleasure! But it’s the man covered in a plastic bag that struck me. He doesn’t eat, nor does he join in the conversation. I kept on asking him, if he was sure he doesn't want to eat some soup. His friend even tried to feed him, but he seemed to weak to lift his head. His story shocked us. He’s been sick for a while. Where could he go? Who is looking after him? A man, in his early twenties (practically just a child), who has no family, no home and no mother to rub Vicks on his wheezing chest, instead he was met with a cold hard floor, a wet box (that was once used as fridge packaging) and a plague of rats, almost as big as my Jack Russell and this is this man's only memory of a loving home. We left them, with an ice cream tub of soup and a loaf of bread and something called hope. The hope that their situation might change. We went back to our warm, cozy home where we were fortunate enough to take a warm shower and get into a warm bed for the night. Nothing changed, we couldn't save the world and we didn't buy them a house, but I feel we made a difference! Therefore I want to present you with the recipe of a wonderful and delicious sweet potato soup, a soup recipe that gave me new perspective about the cold harsh life out there. Maybe called a sweet potato soup against the cold bridge-nights. I hope that you enjoy this soup with your loved ones, or even strangers like we did and that we learn to be inspired to "do" more, I had the best food critic this night and he said: “Madam, this is the best soup I ever had.” So I thought maybe I can share the recipe with you. Roasted Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
Ingredients: 500 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks 300g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 3 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, finely chopped 2 garlic gloves, crushed 1 l vegetable stock 100 ml crème fraîche, plus extra to serve Method: 1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and put the sweet potatoes and carrots into a large roasting tin, drizzled with 2 tbsp olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Roast the veg in the oven for 25-30 mins or until caramelised and tender. 2. Meanwhile, put the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep saucepan and fry the onion over a medium-low heat for about 10 mins until softened. Add the garlic and stir for 1 min before adding the stock. Simmer for 5-10 mins until the onions are very soft, then set aside. 3. Once the roasted veg is done, leave to cool a little, then transfer to the saucepan and use a hand blender to process until smooth. Stir in the crème fraîche, a little more seasoning and reheat until hot. Serve in bowls topped with a swirl of crème fraîche and a good grinding of black pepper. Recipe from Good Food magazine, September 2015 PS-Since I consider cooking my worst characteristic, I just processed all the ingredients in the food processor and dumped them into a slow-cooker. It rescues me all the time!
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