Our Guest Today: Gaston le Roux

Front cover of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston le Roux

We were sitting under a billion stars when Rebecca told us she wanted to invite Gaston le Roux to the next Eating is Believing. He wrote The Phantom of the Opera (I found out later) and it is filled with gothic mystery, dank and dark dungeons and the love between Christine (an opera singer) and Erik (a phantom who initially appears as a ‘voice’)  I was excited about this, because it could be a gloomy Eating is Believing and a little on the horror side of things. Something we haven’t had before. 

What I liked even more than the doom&gloom, was that Erik the ghost was actually just a deformed man, that had to hide from public view. My cup of tea for sure. I so wanted to write about the ghost we all fear, only to discover a darkness inside of us. A darkness we had to make peace with. My mind went wild, especially after I heard that there might even have been some real prisoners under the Parisian opera house. 

 

But then Helen had other ideas. She invited five real guests to this dinner. And  in doing so everything changed. The evening became so rich and so layered that I wondered if I could ever convey it all... Here is my humble attempt to try. 

 

Helen: Arrival

The house smelled of onions and warmth and autumn when we arrived. It  felt unpretensious and cosy. We stepped over the threshold and Gaston le Roux  welcomed us with background music, simmering pots, a long white table, already set. Dawn wrapped this house and everyone inside it and it was like that very first time that you feel you belong. Only a feeling Helen with her huge heart could accomplish. And because of her choice in guests, there could be no gloom. Not the gloom I had in mind anyway. 

Handcrafted to perfection... 

Hannes: The baguette

Hannes baked The Most Perfect Baguette I have ever seen. Okay, I’ve only been to Paris for a weekend, so maybe I don’t count. Helen cut it on the side table and every slice was begging to be dipped into soup. Eleven guests sat down to eat. Two of them stayed in the room next door. A bit like Erik?  But more about those two later.

Zenobia: Roasted Butternut Soup and socca

This soup was so smooth it melted. It melted in your mouth, and then it melted in your soul. We dipped the baguette and it was perfect. Just perfect. The children asked for seconds. We had socca (chickpea flatbread from Nice) on the side. The table was full, and we laughed. We all tried our best to charm our new guests. We told them of the previous blogs. Of carrying kitchen utencils around the farm. Of chopping wood for the rabbit paella. We talked about slowfood in Mexico and travel and music. They talked about the two next door. 

Zen's roasted butternut soup and socca

Nqophisa (guest 1): Salad and onion tarte tartin

The salad bowl surely looked bigger than Nqophisa... 

And I didn’t want to talk about age 

or race or 

money in the bank 

or skin colour or 

who you love or

how you look or 

preferred pronouns 

or any of those things by which people judge other people...I wanted humans to stand out... What makes us human? And why is it so hard to talk about being human without all of the above?

 

Nqophisa dished from the salad bowl, and said nothing about her masters in nuclear physics. I passed her a slice of Zenobia’s onion tarte tatin and she didn’t say anything about her resilience or strength. Hannes raised his glass and shouted out: 

“To the rocket scientist!!” And we all gaped at her. We gaped at her quiet way and her youth.

And then we toasted to love, and to open minds and to the two souls next door and to new friends. I salute her beautiful resilience. Nqophisa made the night so full in her humbleness and I can’t express myself well enough to show how rich we were to have her in our humble midsts. 

 Nqophisa on the right, Rebecca in the middle and Aidan tucking in far left 

Guillermo(guest 2): Coq au vin 

When the coq au vin and couscous appeared on the table, we understood why the house smelled as if we were all embraced for who we were. Just as we were. No judgement. Helen set the tone for this without even trying. I dished for Memo, and his hands were steady as he took the plate. The fresh coriander made the plate zing with colour. And in spite of the cold, in spite of judgement from the outside world, in spite of being in the middle of one of the toughest battles any parent can face, Memo blinked and his eyes lit up when he saw the beauty of the meal in front of him. Just then something made him stand up and go to the room next door. We listened. Nothing. All should be fine we thought. He came back and smiled, sat down and tucked in. 

Coq au Vin to die for

Mauritz: French Opera Cake

Mauritz isn’t a baker. He loves food, and he loves cooking. He especially loves new challenges. But baking. No. So there were bets going around whether or not he would manage the French Opera Cake.  It does have 7 layers. It does say difficulty level 10 out of 10. It does say take at least 3 days off work to make this... 

 

First attempt ever to Opera Cake 

He made it. And he made it beautifully. Because of his passion and his  perseverance and his strength of character. Maybe just because he has true grit. I love him more than anything. 

 

Galilei: (3rd guest) Second round of French Opera Cake

I didn’t think anyone could have two slices of French Opera Cake, but Gali could. I was impressed. Not only by the way he enjoyed it, but also by the way he led us all upstairs afterwards to sing to us! The moment Galilei started singing, I felt such an enormous pull towards him as a person. His voice made its way into my blood stream and all I wanted to do was weep. And shout out. Maybe even jump from the top storey believing I could fly. 

Gali flew down to Johannesburg to help Memo with the two beings next door. He is all hands. All heart. He is everything you want when you think of the word human. His passion for his music, his love for his friends, his pure heart and his optimism drove any kind of ghost away. 

Out of focus pic taken by the 6 year old Aidan... Left Gali and right Memo... 

Paula (guest 4) held by Emily: Coffee

And then. 

Calls from the other room: Paula woke up first. We could hear her moans. Gali and Emily went to fetch her. She is two months old. She is strong. Her eyes smile. She is happy to be held. 

Left: Emily and Paula, right Rebecca and Maya

Maya (5^th guest) held by Rebecca: Macaroons

Rebecca brought Maya into the room. Maya is Paula's twin sister. The teenagers gave the babies their milk.  They had their milk without putting up a fuss. 

 

The twins were unaware that a battle is being fought to get them back to Namibia.  Back to their home. They are unaware that their dad Philip and brother were anxiously waiting their arrival. 

This battle was fought because the twins have two fathers who love them. Because they have two fathers who love them, the department of home affairs in Namibia would not grant them travel documents. I marvel at Gali's helpful heart to be here till he returns to Canada to study music. I marvel at Memo who is still standing. Who is still smiling, and who is still awake enough to Eat and Believe with us. Never had our name hold such meaning to me. 

 

The perfect macaroon made by Rebecca: our barakat

Merle: Naïve departure into the night

The night got cold. We left the warmth of the house. It is hard to process the night. It was so full. The only ghost was Erik. And he belong to Gaston le Roux’s book. I got in the car, closed my eyes, and thought how naïve I am to believe that people would be able to see other people as people. Maybe one day. 

Extras, as always, almost more important than the blog: 

On the 18th of May 2021, Paula and Maya were granted their travel documents.  And on Friday the 21st of May, they flew back to Namibia, with both their dads and with Gali. There was a welcoming committee at the airport. I watched as parents with children came through the gate. I sobbed when I saw this. Parents who love their children and each other can travel with ease. Other parents who love each other and their children can not travel with ease. Read about Equal Rights Namibia and their fight to get Paula and Maya home here. I take my hat off to them. 

 

Want to make Zenobia’s recipes? 

Roasted Butternut Soup

Socca

Onion Tarte tatin

 

Want to know how to make an Opera Cake? 

 

And nothing can convey Gali’s voice. You have to hear it In Real Life. Honestly. 

Namaste

May peace be with you

May love be with you

May you celebrate the humans around you today. All humans.