Mercy’s fish cakes and further adventures with food in Namibia

We have discovered what are quite likely the best fish cakes on the planet, served at Mercy’s take-away and catering near the northern road out of Swakopmund. It’s a difficult decision whether to have potato salad or French fries (here “chips”) on the side, as both are exceptionally tasty. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss from the Sleep Book, “Mercy’s is grand for having a bite/ if you happen to be there with your appetite.” Mercy herself reports that she will look for a location closer to town, because most of the people walking by cannot afford to eat out. This was yet another reminder of the economic gap between visiting Americans and most Namibians, as we find it quite incredible that we can feed the two-and-a-half of us for about $US8.
We have been learning more southern African terms for food: Pawpaws are papayas, Peppadew is a slightly spicy red pepper, Naartjies are small Satsuma oranges (it’s citrus season here), Mahango is millet, a staple in parts of the north that we have not yet eaten, and maize of course is corn (we have had mixed experiences with fresh sweet corn, but continue to try it because the best ears are really good – again, it’s the late-summer/ fall season for it). Rusks are like biscotti, available in a variety of flavors (buttermilk, muesli) and chocolate-dipped for holidays. According to the Ouma Rusks package, they are “a unique crunchy snack,… a truly South African icon, sought after in many countries around the world. The ideal treat, they can be served any time of the day or night and are equally delicious with tea or coffee.” After passing by entire aisles of rusks in the grocery stores for the past several months, we made an impulse buy to try them… and we’ll buy more! Katie is in a phase where she loves to dip food, and JR (as mentioned before) is happy with any excuse to have more 5 Roses tea. Alan was excited to learn that the basic rusk recipe includes some coconut!
At least one mystery still remains with respect to Namibian food: Monkey gland sauce!