The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock
In five minutes, I managed to inch forward about five feet. In front of me was a girl in a bright floral summer dress, with a brown streak down one side, evidently caused by the Nutella crepe she was struggling to control. It was oozing its creamy hazelnut contents through multiple punctures in the thin crepe designed to hold it in. She seemed equally exasperated as she was to determined not to let it go to waste, seeing as she had just queued for over twenty minutes to buy it.
All around her was a crush of humanity, each one either in the process of frantically waving at the stall vendors trying to get their attention, or trying to gingerly negotiate their way (laden with the culinary bounty they had just picked up) back to join their friends and family. The crowd pretty much ensured that neither group was seeing much success in either venture.
It was almost like being back in Hong Kong.
But we were at the Old Biscuit Mill on a Saturday morning. Situated in the heart of Woodstock in Cape Town, South Africa, this little bohemian hideaway turns into a The Neighbourhoods Market each Saturday, with specialty food stalls, craft beers, artisan producers and other fine-food purveyors. This is of course, prime fodder for the local Capetonian hipster crowd. In between masses of overly tight trousers and overgrown facial hair, there was some really excellent food to be had, which is probably why so many people make the pilgrimage here religiously each Saturday.
I must have been gripping on to my now soggy steak sandwich for about 15 minutes before I managed to make it back to our table. Long tables lined the floor, forming a canteen style communal eating area. We perched on the edge of a wooden bench and savoured our food, feeling just a little sorry for the those that had to eat their food standing up, being jostled by the crowd on all sides.
I was back in South Africa again, and loving it.
