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Yoliswa Moyo

IF food were a love language, it would be mine. Although I’m not particularly a Michelin Star chef, I love flavoursome food. 

I also love people and good music. What better way to have it all at once than visit the much-hyped about Munch & Sip food market? 

Now in its seventh edition, the event was for the first time held indoors at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Hall 2, last Saturday. 

I took my one-year-old son with me because the organisers of the do said it was a child friendly event and true to their word, they even had jumping castles set up for the little ones.

As soon as we walked into the venue, my son had his hands in the air. The music was popping. The vibe was correct! I knew we were about to have a good time out. 

One of the first stalls we visited had some attractively garnished chips, chicken, fish and salads. The chef manning the stall was hard at work whipping up some barbeque wings. They were sizzling away in a pan and browning quite nicely. The aroma was delectable, I could’ve made a purchase in a heartbeat. 

Next to him was an authentically Zimbabwean food stall with T-bone steak, pork chops, isitshwala\sadza, vegetables and chakalaka on offer. This seemed like an option for me considering I was starving. 

But I had the good mind of seeing what the other stalls had to offer before making a decision. Pizza, paella, wings, burgers, a variation of kebabs, confectionery — you name it! It was all there. The choices were limitless, a couple of dollars were enough to buy the perfect dish for your palate.

Not to be outdone was the gin bar in the middle of the room. Of course, other beverages were on offer including craft beer, soft drinks, whiskey, wine, tea and coffee. 

We went around the hall to find somewhere comfortable to sit and before we could even find the perfect spot, people we knew started popping from all over. It was heart-warming. Getting to a place with two people and ending up with 10 spread around your table.

Not only were we in for a real food and drink treat but we would also enjoy the company of friends while listening to some great music.

Being the meat lover that I am, back to the steak stall we went. A hearty meal was set before me. Sadza, T-bone steak, vegetables and chakalaka. 

The food looked amazing. The steak was tender and the herbs, spices and garlic used to marinate the steak gave it a burst of rich flavours. The chakalaka was mild but hot enough to raise the hairs on your skin and tingle the tongue in indescribable ways! 

The creamy vegetables brought a cooling and refreshing taste, complementing the spicy chakalaka well. As you know, things go better with Coke (which I got as a complementary drink). I was a happy foodie.

My only issue was the ventilation of the hall. The culinary artists were using various types of burners to cook their meals and the room had become incredibly smoky. I actually got home reeking of smoke. The outdoors is probably better as there’s a constant supply of fresh air. 

Being the germ-phoebe that I am, I couldn’t help worrying if the dirty floor my son was playing on would make him sick. A quick wipe of his hands and you had a filthy wet-wipe.

I was frantically on the look out to make sure he didn’t put his hands in his mouth before we had the chance to wash them under running water. Having a sick child is the last thing any parent needs. Nonetheless; we ate, we drank and we had a good laugh. Fun was had!