Ribs, ribs & more ribs...

Yesterday at 2pm I was invited down to IAPO (International Academic Programmes Office) on UCT's Middle Campus to recieve my prizes for coming second AND third for this years UCT Africa Day photography competition. Yes that's right, second AND third place, after I won it last year. So of the 4 winning prizes this event has held since it's inception I have bagged 3! I think the deputy vice chancellor is getting a bit sick of shaking my hand and giving me money for being at the right place at the right time with my camera (which with me is everywhere all the time!). But anyway I gratefully accepted the two little envelopes of cash with a few customary cocky chirps on the way. People still find my corny humour funny so it's fine.

So last night I took my delightful little family out to dinner for a treat with my new-found wealth of R375. After much debate we ended up at Cattle Baron, a local steakhouse I've been slobbering at the thought of trying out for a while now. You see, I'm a proper carnivore, an intense lover of all things meaty, and their menu of steaks, etc looks absolutely delicious and I was positively excited at the thought of a few options such as the 400g garlic rump steak, just about chomping into my own tongue a few times on the way there in anticipation.

We get there, the place is fairly quiet, the atmosphere serene and serious, the staff overly professional (probably because we're plebs!), we take up residence at a nice table in the corner, and order a round of drinks.

At about this time my brat of a daughter discovers there's no play area for kids, something she's used to associating an excursion to the restaurant with because we usually frequent kak places like the Spur with complex play areas and jungle gym's. I'm seriously sick and bored of the Spur, so I insisted on this place.

Well did my high-pitched spawn of beelzebub embark on one of her epic tantrums because she doesn't want to be there because she can't play! The waiter quickly brought paper and crayons to diffuse the impending destruction to no avail. So we decided to scrap it and head home.

I was furious with Tammy for ruining a nice evening with her spoiled brat attitude and I was happy to go home and make sandwiches and save my hard won money for another day.

But no, mom decided she still wants to go out... to the effing Spur. I was even less impressed, because I was not keen on wasting my hard-won money on that crap food but it did not give a good impression on Tammy if she sees us giving in to her tantrum. I wanted to go home with her horrified that I was being serious because by now she wanted to go back to the restaurant just to not have to go home.

Well halfway home I reluctantly gave in to their demands (two strong-willed females versus me) and headed for the Spur at Big Bay with solemn promises from Tammy that she would behave.

It actually turned out to be quite a good decision because Tammy hit the play area immediately and had an absolute ball for hours playing on the massive jungle gyms and all the other fun stuff they have there, making new friends along the way.

Better yet they were having a special on spare ribs - for R70 eat as much as you like. I don't normally buy ribs at restaurants because they are so expensive, but last night I did and I ate like a pig. Ok that's a bad analogy, seeing as I was eating pig, or more like a couple of pigs! I had SIX portions of deliciously sticky BBQ spare ribs. By the time I threw in the towel with the last rib my throat was no longer allowing me to swallow any more, my stomach was stretched rock hard with the 3 or 4 kg of fatty pork meat within! I felt disgustingly satisfied but oh so uncomfortable!

I never want to see spare ribs ever again. Or at least not for another week or two.

Liezel had enchilado's, I still don't quite understand that concoction. Tammy ordered fish fingers, of which she ate none, though she did tuck into a rib which ended up all over her face!

The other positive is that I spent half the amount of money as what Cattle Baron would've cost, but I will still go to the 'Baron sometime for that garlic steak, this time leaving tammy with a babysitter.