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Food and Drink
A thriving agricultural sector yields excellent meat, fruit and wines and the long coastline produces very fresh and cheap seafood. South Africans like to eat out so there is an excellent and diverse range of restaurants. This is especially so in cities, where all international cuisines are represented. Fruity and sweet Cape Malay cuisine can be found in Cape Town, while the Indian influence in Durban provides some authentic Asian food on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and Mozambique peri peri spicy chicken and prawns are popular all over the country. Braais (barbeques) are hugely popular and every campsite, self-catering accommodation and picnic spot has a braai pit. Meat is a well-loved staple in South Africa, although vegetarians are offered at least a couple of dishes in even small-town eateries.
Things to know: All restaurants and bars/cocktail lounges have waiter service and you pay your bill at the end. Some restaurants close on Sundays or Mondays. ‘Liquor stores' are open weekdays 0900-1800 and Sat 0900-1300. Supermarkets are permitted to sell wine but not beer or spirits. No alcohol can be sold from shops on a Sunday.
National specialities:
• Sosaties (a type of kebab).
• Bobotie (a curried mince dish, of which waterbolmmetjiebredie, made with a local water plant, is particularly good).
• Potjiekos (a casserole cooked for hours in an iron pot, usually outside).
• Bredies (meat, tomato and vegetable casseroles).
• Biltong (seasoned dried meat).
National drinks:
• Umqombothi, a home-brewed sorghum beer.
• Excellent local red and white wines (including chardonnay), sherries and brandies.
• Rooibos, a red-leafed tea grown in the Western Cape.
• Amarula Cream, a sweet creamy liqueur made from the fruit of the Marula tree.
Legal drinking age: 18
Tipping: Normally 10 to 15% if service is not included. It is customary to tip waiters. By law, hotel rates do not include a service charge.
Things to know: All restaurants and bars/cocktail lounges have waiter service and you pay your bill at the end. Some restaurants close on Sundays or Mondays. ‘Liquor stores' are open weekdays 0900-1800 and Sat 0900-1300. Supermarkets are permitted to sell wine but not beer or spirits. No alcohol can be sold from shops on a Sunday.
National specialities:
• Sosaties (a type of kebab).
• Bobotie (a curried mince dish, of which waterbolmmetjiebredie, made with a local water plant, is particularly good).
• Potjiekos (a casserole cooked for hours in an iron pot, usually outside).
• Bredies (meat, tomato and vegetable casseroles).
• Biltong (seasoned dried meat).
National drinks:
• Umqombothi, a home-brewed sorghum beer.
• Excellent local red and white wines (including chardonnay), sherries and brandies.
• Rooibos, a red-leafed tea grown in the Western Cape.
• Amarula Cream, a sweet creamy liqueur made from the fruit of the Marula tree.
Legal drinking age: 18
Tipping: Normally 10 to 15% if service is not included. It is customary to tip waiters. By law, hotel rates do not include a service charge.
Nightlife
Cinemas show a variety of international films. In the cities, art cinemas show grittier releases and foreign language films and occasionally host film and documentary festivals. All the large cities have theatres, comedy clubs and various performance venues showing plays, operas, musicals and symphony concerts. The local music scene is thriving, and there is a unique South African township jazz style, exponents of which can be seen in all large cities.
There are a number of annual local music festivals and in Cape Town and Johannesburg, open air concerts are held in botanical gardens over summer. Sports stadiums host international pop and rock stars. Most restaurants and cafes double up as bars in the evening and some have large screen TVs to watch sport. There are a number of nightclubs open until late and Cape Town has a thriving gay scene. The large hotels usually have live music, while the glitzy casinos not only have gaming floors but also entertainment such as bowling alleys, restaurants, and sometimes supper theatres for comedy and cabaret.
There are a number of annual local music festivals and in Cape Town and Johannesburg, open air concerts are held in botanical gardens over summer. Sports stadiums host international pop and rock stars. Most restaurants and cafes double up as bars in the evening and some have large screen TVs to watch sport. There are a number of nightclubs open until late and Cape Town has a thriving gay scene. The large hotels usually have live music, while the glitzy casinos not only have gaming floors but also entertainment such as bowling alleys, restaurants, and sometimes supper theatres for comedy and cabaret.
Shopping
South Africa is home to the mega-mall. Increasingly more and more shopping malls are being built to serve the needs of any sizeable community. These generally have long opening hours and parking for hundreds of cars. Apart from shops, they feature post offices, banks, cinemas, restaurants, fast food courts and supermarkets. The Gateway Mall in Durban is reputedly the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere and coming in second is the Canal Walk Mall in Cape Town.
In the tourist areas, malls feature shops selling crafts and souvenirs - particularly at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront where there are a number of upscale African art and curio shops, and in Johannesburg's Rosebank Mall, which is also home to an African craft market.
Away from the malls, African curios markets can be found in all the cities and along the coast. The bewildering variety of items to buy from across the continent include wooden sculptures, hand-crafted wire objects, cloth and batiks, jewellery, carved soapstone products, drums, ‘Africanised' stationary and homeware and a vast range of pictorial books on Africa. Gold and diamonds make for good buys in South Africa and local wine, brandy and liqueur are cheap and usually excellent.
On departure at the airports or land borders, visitors can claim 14% VAT refunds on any unused purchases over the value of R250 bought in South Africa. You need to show your passport, flight ticket and original tax invoice for the item to the customs officer at the VAT refund desk. For more information look online (website: www.taxrefunds.co.za).
Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1400, although there is an increasing trend to open later and all weekend in major tourist spots and in the large shopping malls. In the cities, there are 24-hour convenience stores.
In the tourist areas, malls feature shops selling crafts and souvenirs - particularly at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront where there are a number of upscale African art and curio shops, and in Johannesburg's Rosebank Mall, which is also home to an African craft market.
Away from the malls, African curios markets can be found in all the cities and along the coast. The bewildering variety of items to buy from across the continent include wooden sculptures, hand-crafted wire objects, cloth and batiks, jewellery, carved soapstone products, drums, ‘Africanised' stationary and homeware and a vast range of pictorial books on Africa. Gold and diamonds make for good buys in South Africa and local wine, brandy and liqueur are cheap and usually excellent.
On departure at the airports or land borders, visitors can claim 14% VAT refunds on any unused purchases over the value of R250 bought in South Africa. You need to show your passport, flight ticket and original tax invoice for the item to the customs officer at the VAT refund desk. For more information look online (website: www.taxrefunds.co.za).
Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1400, although there is an increasing trend to open later and all weekend in major tourist spots and in the large shopping malls. In the cities, there are 24-hour convenience stores.
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