I moved to South Africa! I received a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Stellenbosch University for two years, 2021-2023. Stellenbosch University is in the Western Cape province, an hour drive east of Cape Town.
I toured Cape Town for a week before settling in Stellenbosch. With views of the Indian Ocean and Table Mountain, Cape Town is filled to the brim with sites, sounds, flavors, and aromas.
The Waterfront is active with harbor tours, sunset cruises, and fishing boats, plus seagulls, fish, and playful Cape fur seals.One of the most picturesque and recognizable mountains- Table MountainV&A Waterfront (V&A stands for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) offers restaurants, shops, live music, entertainment, and superb views.A legacy of Cape Town’s World Design Capital program, Table Mountain Frames are at various sites throughout the city.Victoria Basin, once one of the main piers of Cape Town Harbour. Also here is the iconic Cape Wheel.Table Mountain Cableway is a fun and easy way to go to the top of this magnificent mountain and look down over the city. Hiking trails weave up the mountain too.It is windy and bitingly cold at the top of the mountain. Go in the morning or in the evening for the best visibility, so that you can avoid being wrapped in the cloud known as the ‘tablecloth’. Groot Constantia vineyard, 20 minutes drive from Cape Town, is the oldest wine-producing farm in South Africa and was founded in 1685.In 1679, Simon van Der Stel was appointed by the Dutch East India Company to govern the Cape of Good Hope. His manor house is a superb example of Cape Dutch architecture.I met Tina Smith, lead author of the cookbook, District Six Huis Kombuis, and head of exhibitions at the District Six Museum in Cape Town. The cookbook is one genre within foodwriting (also called nostalgia cookbooks) that are exploring connections between food, place, and memory. The postdoctoral fellowship study will investigate identity and memory through food and memory cookbooks.
