Jo, Richard and their daughter treated our family to a warm, intimate evening filled with great food, wonderful South African wines pulled from the cellar beneath the kitchen floor and loads of stories, old and new about their decades of living in Cape Town.
When they learned upon our arrival that my daughter-in-law had numerous food allergies, Jo went to her freezer, pulled out GF pasta and turned it into a delicious entree without missing a beat in the conversation.
It was a delightful surprise to talk with their daughter, who is at the tail end of her high school experience, an experience which is radically different than what my kids had growing up in Chicago. We had never considered the tight security under which Cape Town teens need to live to be safe. It was fascinating to learn about her life.
I wish I could tell you the names of the traditional dishes that Richard and Jo cooked for us, but I don't recall them. What I do recall is that everything was delicious and plentiful.
It was a memorable dinner in a two week trip that was filled with great dinners.