Monday 1 March 2010

Woodstock is Cool, Officially.

I was very excited to read in the magazine section of yesterday’s Observer newspaper a page feature on Woodstock, where I lived (or stayed, if we’re speaking South African) in Cape Town.

Woodstock is described as follows: largely inhabited by a Cape Coloured community that was spared segregation under apartheid law, the ramshackle suburb of Woodstock runs from the docks to the foot of Devil’s Peak mountain, east of the city. It’s home to a new set of artists, designers and foodie haunts, though, as in most of South Africa, there’s still incongruity – donkey carts piled with scrap metal are often seen limping next to shiny 4x4s trawling for the finest artisanal bread or must-have artwork.

Yes, all true, though it leaves out the bread shop that looks like a brothel (all red with a leather sofa in the window – no sign of any actual bread), the endless stretch of rustic frames shops, the dodgy Nigerian nightclub/sports bar and the crack-dens (alleged crack-dens, Mammy, ALLEGED) and the many 5Rand Chinese shops (though I found these fascinating and visited them often on my way to or from Greatmore Studios.)

I was especially excited to see Neighbourgoods Market featured (you can read my post here) and also the Superette (the same people run the two). Superette was one of my absolute favourite places in Cape Town, conveniently located just between where I lived and where I worked. Like an eedjit, I never got round to taking any photos of it, so I’ve screen-grabbed these from the Superette website, so I can pay tribute to them (if you can't visit Superette itself, the website is still worth a look. Not if you're feeling hungry, though.)

The coffee was great, the cakes were divine, the sandwiches sublime, and their cheese on toast world-class. Loved the concrete floors, the light fixtures and the touches of yellow everywhere.

Oh, I miss you Woodstock!

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