Breaking Bread Together

My dear friend Mama Golo likes to make this delicious bread we call dumpling, “le dumbolo” in Tswana. I absolutely love it! I always look forward to when she brings me a slice or two once a month.

She always smiles and says, “Mama Samanta come and eat your dumpling!” Mama Golo is like a mother to me, and so when I asked her if she could teach me to make dumpling someday, she was so very happy. “You are my daughter, I love you very much,” she always says.

On Sunday I picked up my ingredients at the local tuck shop and walked over to her house. I was surprised when she said I only needed a few things!

 

Ingredients:

-1 kg Cake Flour

-1 10 g packet of instant yeast

-A pitcher of warm water 

-A small handful of sugar

-A few pinches of salt 

-A touch of vegetable oil 

-A lot of sunshine and a lot of love

 

“It’s very simple!” she told me. First, we grabbed a big bowl and mixed the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Then we slowly added the water and oil, and kneaded the dough. We did this until it was a perfect gooey texture. Then we covered the bowl and set it outside in the sun for the dough to rise. It took about an hour for the sun to get the job done, then we put our dough in a plastic bag we lined with a drop of oil. From there we got a big pot and put a metal bowl inside. We placed the bag of dough in the bowl, and filled the pot with a few inches of water. We put the pot on the stove on high to boil for about 3 hours, and just like that we had delicious dumpling!! I was surprised at how simple the whole process really was. The prep time took only a few minutes, and Mama Golo showed me that what was most important was a lot of time and good company. 

I was so thankful for Mama Golo to go out of her way to teach me how to make dumpling. But actually our work didn’t stop there! As we waiting for the dumpling, we cooked A LOT! Typically people in my community spend their Sundays cooking after church and serve it throughout the week. Together we cooked so many things! We made coleslaw, chackalaka, beet root, rice, cabbage, chicken, and gravy! Mama Golo also made mashed potatoes and mashed pumpkin! I learned so many tricks and secrets she uses in the kitchen. She was telling me how much she loves to cook, and she is very good at it! We used everything, wasted nothing and composted the scraps in her garden. Even though at times I felt incapable and slow, she continued giving me tasks and thanking me; “I would still be cooking for hours if you weren’t here to help me.”

 

The more we cooked together the more I wished I had done this more with my neighbors back home. As I live and experience this year in SA, I continue to reflect on how much I have let time negatively impact my relationships with others. And why is that? We are socialized to prioritize time, to have a full schedule. “Sorry, I’m busy.” Maybe I’ve gone through the motions of “breaking bread together,” but there is more to it. As Mama Golo and I chatted about life and hummed to the radio in the kitchen, I found a sense of comfort in losing track of the time. She taught me that there’s always a time to learn, and it’s doesn’t have to be on a schedule because it’s never too late. 

When we finished cooking, we sat down and ate, it was a feast! Mama Golo is always feeding me, much like my mom. In South Africa, wherever and whoever I am with, there is always food being shared with me. Even if it is just a slice of bread, a half of a corn stalk, or a cup of juice, we share. It’s an understatement to say food brings people together. Food nourishes our bodies, and we need it; just like my community reminds me how much we need each other. 

Now when I think of breaking bread together, it’s more than just the pieces of bread. It’s about taking time that’s not on a schedule for others. Its about being vulnerable and not the expert. It’s about the process, not the end result. It’s an invitation to learn and listen. It’s about literally breaking down barriers and sharing stories with one another. And it’s all these things that actually fulfill us every day. 

When the dumpling was finished, Mama Golo called me into the kitchen. It was absolutely beautiful. “You did it!” I said. And she responded with a big smile, “We did it.”