Mingle. Drink. Eat. Mzoli's.

We left the house around 10:30 a.m. to embark on a day full of meeting new people and eating meat at a well-known “restaurant” in Gugulethu, a township about 15 minutes from Rondebosch, where I live. 

Mzoli’s is not a typical restaurant. People go to Mzoli’s for their amazing meat — chicken, steak and sausage — but it’s more than the food that attracts people. Mzoli’s is an outdoor eatery on the corner of a township street that quickly turns into a block party with loud music and lots of fun on Sundays.

I went to Mzoli’s with my house (about 30 people) as an outing arranged by the RAs. When we arrived at, all of the tables were reserved, which seems to be typical of any Sunday when people — black, white, colored, South African, Kenyan, Ugandan, etc. — all flock to enjoy delicious meat served on big platters or large buckets, depending on the number of people at the table. There are no vegetables and no side dishes to order along with the meat. You go to Mzoli’s to make friends, drink, and eat meat only.

The number of people eating at Mzoli’s at once is outrageous and makes the waiting time for the food very long. Like you could have guessed, everyone drinks and mingles to fill the time while waiting. Mzoli’s doesn’t seem to sell alcohol though. People can either bring their own drinks or buy some in the neighborhood, where everything is relatively cheap. There are small trailer-like structures that sell alcohol through small windows with bars, but there are also several people in the area who sell alcohol from their homes.

One of my RAs, Buhle, led us to a person’s house where he usually goes to buy alcohol when at Mzoli’s. It was strange to walk in the side door of someone’s home and into their kitchen to buy a 6-pack of cider from their endless supply; however, the weirder thing was that it wasn’t weird at all. For these people and their kids who are running around the house, this process of selling alcohol is completely normal. This is how they make their money. It’s simply a small business run from their home.

 In addition to alcohol, there are many other things being sold all over the neighborhood, such as hats, sunglasses, cups made from old beer and cider bottles, earrings and more. At first I wondered how those vendors make money, but as the day progressed and more people filled the streets while drinking all day, it became very obvious that a good profit can be made from drunk people.

Once everyone was content with their alcohol purchases, we all hung out, chatted with one another and met other people who were enjoying themselves at Mzoli’s. I spoke with a couple guys from Uganda and Kenya, who are currently working in Cape Town. It was interesting to speak to them, particularly because none of us had ever experienced anything like Mzoli’s before.

Mzoli’s is known for their meat. Everyone who goes to Mzoli’s says that they have never before tasted meat that delicious. I ate chicken, which was very tasty, but in order to enjoy the food, everyone has to overlook the barbarous way in which the meat is served.

For my group of 30, we ate the meat from a large crate that was full of chicken, steak and sausage. There’s no such thing as forks, knives, plates or napkins at Mzoli’s; you just dig in with your hands and forget all manners you were ever taught. Part of the experience is being messy and not judging anyone for having food all over their face and hands.

When all the meat is finally gone, everyone continues to drink and mingle until someone decides it’s time to go home. After impulsively buying red Ray Ban-style sunglasses, meeting a bouncer of a trendy club in Cape Town and feeling full of cider and chicken, I went home with people from my house around 4 p.m.

The whole day was a new experience that forced me to throw myself in a very unique environment rich of South African culture. I ate an all-meat meal without a fork, knife or napkin, which I can say is a first for me.

We’ve already begun planning our next trip to Mzoli’s…