Getting in the water again feels like coming home. A photo or a video won’t do it justice but it’s better than nothing, a hint, a little taste.
For good and bad I have a very creative brain, I constantly have new ideas and want to learn and try new things. What’s bad with that?, one might wonder. Well, there’s only 24h in one day and 7 days in a week. When filled with new stuff the good old things might be forgotten. And I forgot.
Life moves in circles, sometimes they spiral up and sometimes down but I have seen a pattern in mine. I circle back and overlap where I left off. The things that doesn’t serve me are sorted out to make room for new experiences. That is at least how it would be in an ideal world. In reality I swish by some of the most meaningful things in my chase for the next fun one. I’m getting older (as in wiser) I’m starting to see the pattern, I’m slowing down. The trip to South Africa brought me back to the water and made me see how important the sea is for me.
Home is many things for me. It is the place where I live but it is also where I was born. Some places I used to live will also forever have that home-feeling to me. Home is my family and friends in Sweden and my cat, house and friends in Spain. And coming back to the sea, to be freediving again is also coming home, like a hug from someone I haven’t seen in a while, who knows me and whom I’ve missed. Dearly.
I was at the cape of good hope when I found my way back to the water. The sea was as moody as ever and the first few days I even got sea sick while diving. I endured and took my punishment for keeping away. The last couple of days though, all forgiven, we recognised each other, we danced.
And she offered deliciousness!
Alikreukel (Turbo sarmaticus) or giant periwinkle, (or olly winkle, giant turban or south African turban…so many names for the same thing…) is a large sub aquatic snail. They are endemic to South Africa which means you only find them there . To forage them you need a permit and you’re only only allowed 5. Despite their look (I forgot to take a pic of them out of their shell after boiling but it’s really not a pretty sight) they are delicious. You’ll need to get rid or their intestines and rinse then to make sure there’s no sand left.
It was my last afternoon in Cape Town when I swam through the kelp forested and found them on the ocean floor. I collected 3, not sure if I’d like them or not. To experiment with new produce I prefer having both extra time and ingredients. Being my last evening I was short on both. But I recon’ I pretty much nailed it when I first boiled them and then fried then with a bit of shallots, garlic and a squeeze of lemon to finish, a bit of aleppo pepper could have been nice but not crucial. Simple is usually the best when it comes to preparing delicatessens.
The texture was a bit like like a very fresh and tender calamar/squid but a bit more meaty. Would also have been great in a paella type of dish or in a pasta. Marinated and put on the bbq before slicing thin, also could have worked. I didn’t have enough time to try but I do have another reason to come back to South Africa.
And the shells, they came with me home to Spain and now they (together with the Mama Wata’s and other travel treasures) remind me of the necessity to visit my other home, the sea, every day.
