Soweto tour and the kwota
This is no Brazilian favela. It's interesting how a lot of cities now offer tours of their shantytowns, and I thought the Soweto (South West Township) of Johannesburg would compare to Rocinha in Rio. But there really is no comparison.
Townships were where South Africa's blacks were put during the apartheid era, and Soweto is probably the most famous, as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu both used to live here (Tutu still has a home here, but apparently also spends time in other homes). With a population of 3-4 million (estimate), it's bigger than San Diego county. There is a new mall here, and richer and poorer neighborhoods, e.g. the neighborhood where Winnie Mandela lives is the "Beverly Hills of Soweto" apparently! There are also a lot of BMWs around, supposedly the "bikes of Soweto."
I took a tour with two Afrikaans as guides, which was actually really interesting. At a memorial to the Soweto Uprising where schoolchildren protested against a mandate to be taught in Afrikaans in school, one commented on another guide "there's always a big sob story with the big groups here." Or about the growing divide of rich and poor within Soweto, "some want to improve their lives, others just wait for the govemrnment to give them money."
It's surely a complex relationship, but the guides did seem to love eating in Soweto - and for me it was a highlight to discover a new type of snack food. Called a "kwota," it gets its name from "quarter," as in a quarter loaf of bread. It was developed because it wasn't until recently that fast food chains opened up inside of Soweto, so they developed their own fast food.
Basically a quarter loaf of white bread is hollowed out, and every kind of processed food is put inside. Hot dog, bologna, and lunch meat, with cheez whiz and french fries. One guide said he didn't eat breakfast because he knew he'd be eating in Soweto today. The other said "it's the saddest day ever" when his favorite stand that sold the kwota was closed, but that this other place that made the kwota was just as good, "they make it with love." I have to say, when you combine so many processed foods, plus french fries, the result is quite tasty. Smoky, cheesy, greasy, and loads of refined white bread - it's a good mix!
