Dinner with a friend
I sat down to an expertly-cooked steak with my mate Xand last week and we discussed everything from marriage to Marmite.
J: May as well start on a light note. Ever ingested any illegal substances?
X: A: I’ve smoked some weed, but nothing more than that. Not my vibe.
J: So Xand, if you love cooking so much why don’t you just marry it?
X: Well, my wife doesn’t cook much, so I cook dinner pretty much every day and most meals on the weekend, so I kinda did.
J: Cool, well on the topic of marriage, if you could marry a food which food would you marry and why? This is from @HannahDelit (follow her on Twitter she loves sneakers.)
X: I’d marry Parmesan cheese. It is the king of foods. (Thanks Hannah.)
J: I’m one of your most loyal IG Story fans. What inspired you to start cooking meals and showing them to your followers and where do you think you’ll go with it? I’d buy a recipe book, just saying…
X: There’s a much longer answer to this question, but here’s the shortish answer: When I was using Snapchat (before IG stories made them obsolete for me) I used to show my process for making coffee in the morning. It was often more complicated some of the food I cook, but people seemed to enjoy it. Then I noticed two things: first was that most of the people I followed were sharing food on their stories, but it was only ever the final product and second was that people went nuts for those BuzzFeed tasty videos on Facebook. So, I saw it as an opportunity to share my love of cooking with people in an earnest way and give them something that I don’t think they were getting, but that I think they would enjoy. The response was immediate, with it quickly becoming my “thing”, so I went with it. As to where I’ll take it in the future, I’m not sure yet. The most obvious step would be YouTube, but I’m not sure I could pull that off. I have started publishing some of my recipes on my website so that people can find them after watching the stories, though.
J: What’s your favourite/specialty dish? Or is that very much dependent on mood, budget and weather?
X: That’s a tough one, as it does depend on the context, but all things considered I think my favorite thing to make is Beef Shin Tacos. It combines a bunch of my favourite cooking methods and uses some great ingredients.
J: By the way, thanks so much for having me over the other night. That’s one of the best ribeyes I’ve ever devoured. What’s the secret to cooking a perfect steak?
J: Which 5 words would you use to describe yourself? Preppy isn’t allowed to be one of them.
X: Introverted, Rational, Calm, Argumentative, Awkward.
J: I know you have a much loved dog named Rosie, but are you a cat or dog person? Careful with this answer.
X: Even though my wife is in denial about it, I am a cat person. I love Rosie unconditionally, but I’m just drawn to cats. I think it’s because I feel like if I have more in common with cats than dogs. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to both, so my life is a constant struggle between resisting the urge to cuddle an animal and debilitating itchiness and a blocked sinus.
J: Other than Rosie, Megs and cycling, what makes you tick?
X: I think the obvious thing here is cooking, but I have quite a few things I love. My family in general is very important to me, that includes my closest circle of friends. Reading is up there. Hiking with Megan and Rosie makes me happy. Sport in general. I wish I could travel more, but I just don’t have the time or money, but I think that’s something I’ll focus a lot more on in the next few years.
J: Who serves the best coffee in Cape Town?
X: Tough question, but here’s my honest opinion: If you want the cup of coffee that the most people will like, Deluxe is the one. It’s caramelly, nutty and just delicious. They’re the beans I use at home and at work and they’re definitely my favourite. However, if you want an amazing coffee experience, with people who obsess over their coffee, then I’d say Rosetta are the winners there.
J: Bovril or Marmite?
X: Bovril. Every time. I don’t trust people who choose Marmite over Bovril.
J: Do you think that cyclists maybe need to start respecting motorists a little bit more? Roads are kinda for cars.
X: I do, but it really does go both ways. I’m a cyclist and a motorist, so I have a balanced perspective. Here’s the thing: Cycling is an expensive sport, so there tend to be a lot of rich people on bikes and rich people tend to be assholes, ergo a lot of cyclists are assholes. But people in cars need to chill the fuck out. If there’s a cyclist in your way, be patient or change lanes, it doesn’t need be the most dramatic part of your day. Also, realize that cyclists are insanely vulnerable on the road. Motorists are traveling in a giant metal box that if it collides with a cyclist might get a dent and a scratch, but that cyclist could very easily die. It still pisses me off when three guys are riding abreast on a single lane road, but I don’t hoot or scream past them, because them being idiots is enough for me to endanger their lives.
J: I’ve a feeling that your death row meal would be a cheeseburger. Am I right? You’re LITERALLY OBSESSED with those.
X: You’re probably right. But, it wouldn’t be a big ungainly thing with complicated shit on it. It would be simple. Toasted buns, nothing but beef in the patty, melted cheese, lettuce, red onion, tomato and pickles, with some variation of mayo. Done.
J: I know you work in digital. What’s your favourite thing about the internet?
X: I think my favourite thing is the best thing and also the worst thing about it. It’s the unrelenting possibility of it all. It allows people do do whatever they want, whether that’s publish their Harry Potter fan fiction or start a neo-nazi forum. It’s great and it sucks and that’s the way it should be.
J: If you could sign any footballer for Chelsea today, who would it be? Not allowed to say Messi or Ronaldo.
X: I hate to say it, but Harry Kane. I don’t think a player who was all hype would score 20+ goals three seasons in a row. He’s the real deal and I think he will be for the next 10 years. I’m certain he’d never sign for Chelsea, but I could see him at United or Madrid at some point.
Follow me on Twitter for bad jokes. Follow Xand on Instagram for great recipe ideas. Check out Xand’s awesome blog too.
