Being a vegetarian in Cape Town is a nightmare. Never mind the Jewels of India, Bukharas and Tarkaris lining the waterfront, lovers of dal-chawal have little option but to fall back on their own resources. The other day, I met a Set Max cameraman, who will be here for the entire duration of the two-month-long tournament. Like many others in for the long haul, he has rented a flat. And everyday, he organises whole-sale langars for those hungry and veggie. So what was the spread today? ‘‘Roti, sabzi and dal,’’ he replied. ‘‘Rotis? Wow,’’ I said, doffing my hat to him and remembering my own misadventures with dough. Then comes the admission: ‘‘First we drink up a storm with the small Castle bottles. And then we use the bottle to roll perfectly circular rotis.’’ Big Fat Greek Salad For those not privileged to have friends in rented places, the options at non-Indian restaurants are rather limited. But the unanimous favourite among hoi polloi is the Greek salad. Possibly even the Mediterraneans don’t consume quite the quantities of this dish of feta cheese, olives and greens that the Indian brigade is putting away. Craving for crayfish For those less particular though, the going couldn’t have been better. The menus seem to be in Latin and are anyway greek to us, so we usually ask the waiter to bring around the main ingredients, and he happily obliges. At Sea Point, which has the most brilliant views of the sunset, he produces a wriggling cray fish which looks like something out of Aliens III. We gulp, decide to be adventurous and order the fish. It comes, thankfully motionless, dressed in spicy sauces on a bed of rice. The waiter, highly amused by our reactions, takes great delight in informing us that the fish is also called the ‘rock lobster’. Who cares? It melts in the mouth, forkfuls of rice disappear and so does the cavernous hole in the stomach. Settling back into my chair, I spot a half-eaten plate of Greek salad on the next table. All that’s left are the greens. Time, maybe, to take a leaf from the neighbour’s choice? Er.is that coffee or sambar? A tip for those planning to make a trip to South Africa. Home food-starved journos are reportedly using the coffee-makers in their hotel rooms to boil rice and concoct sambars. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.Or is it that we’ve tipped you off?
