We Found Our Tribes

There’s Something Special About Having a Sense of Belonging. These People Tell Us How They Found Theirs

Six years ago, six couples started a tradition of coming together on the last Friday evening of the month over an amazing meal. The catch? The dinners had to cost the hosting couple less than R200 to provide. ‘We got the inspiration from our varsity days, when we had to scrimp on meals using our last cents towards month-end. That usually meant eating noodles, cereal and Vienna sausages, if we were lucky,’ explains Heather.

Each couple hosts a full three-course dinner, although – given the rising cost of living – the budget they’re permitted has since increased to R275. Cheating isn’t possible because the group’s treasurer, RITA SPRENZEL, collects their receipts as proof of expenditure.

‘All the ingredients must be bought; the only things we can use from the kitchen are condiments,’ she says.

‘To keep things interesting, we’ve added themes and made it a competition of sorts. Every couple writes the name of a country on a piece of paper and puts it into a hat. Each couple then draws the name of a country. The hosting couple then has to do research on the specific nation they’ve drawn and ensure that the meal they’re providing reflects that place.’

The couples have come up with some amazing dishes over the years – most memorably a wonton soup, made by ROWLAND AND CANDICE MUNDELL, and a borscht (Russian beetroot soup) made by ALAN AND ANTOINETTE DOS RAMOS. ‘I don’t mean to brag, but the winning soup for 2018 was our sopa de lentejas, a Columbian recipe!’ grins MALCOLM DE VOS.