triple sundae

May 22nd, 2005

Me and a couple of friends recently went on a hiking trip in the Drakensberg Mountains. The key to enjoying any sort of outdoor hike definitely relies on some very important decisions you make before the hike, specifically regarding the choice of foods you plan to take along. The day before departing on our hike, my friend Chris and I went to the local food mart to shop for some “œlight-weight” yet “œheavy-in-taste” treats for the hike.

The next day, we were happily hiking along and enjoying the scenery. Secretly we were looking forward to our first evening in the wilderness and more specifically our feast of handpicked delicacies. Even a rainstorm straight out of hell could do little to dampen our spirits. We knew our 3-course meal was safely kept dry deep inside our backpacks, just waiting to be savoured in a few short hours.

Eventually evening came and we tenderly prepared our gourmet meal. It was nothing short of a taste sensation, as our first evening menu testifies!

Evening 1
Starter: Thick and creamy Mexican Chili and Tomato soup
Main Course: Tuna with fresh coriander and basil, smothered in a black mushroom sauce, served with Tagliatelle pasta
Desert: Mediterranean peaches in brandy, covered with fresh custard

Afterwards we topped it off with a steamy cappuccino, complete with warm milk and cinnamon.

The next morning we woke up, fresh spirited and ready to take on the new day with vigour and determination. The hike led us up to a height of 3 000m above sea level. By the time evening came we were thoroughly exhausted and eager to once again have a dinner fit for kings. We prepared our meal again, it was delicious, but afterwards I sensed a void in my stomach that somehow wasn’t filled by our meal. I couldn’™t quite put my finger on it…

Evening 2
Starter: Mexican Chili and Tomato soup
Main Course: Tuna with mushroom sauce, served with spaghetti
Desert: Peaches and custard

And off course no meal in the mountains would be complete without a warm cup of coffee to wash it all down.

Morning came on day three and a spectacular sight greeted us. A blanket of clouds covered the world and we were on top of it. We started our hike down the other side of the mountain, and no rain bothered us the whole day. Towards the evening we found a soft green hill with a beautiful view of the mountain to pitch our tents. Eventually we remembered we had to prepare our evening meal. We hastily fired up our stoves and cooked up another meal of dried out, single serving packets of “foil wrapped for extra freshness” 21st century outer-space food.

Evening 3
Starter: Tomato Quick Soup
Main Course: Tuna and 2-minute noodles
Desert: Peaches in a can

Afterwards I threw away my cup of black coffee and went straight to bed.

The next day we got up and all we could think about was food, normal food that didn’t come in a plastic wrapper! We quickly packed up and ran down the rest of the mountain to our cars. Everybody agreed to meet up at the nearest town for a quick bite to eat. We met up in the local steak house and studied the menu with concentrated interest, avoiding anything remotely related to tuna. Everybody had the same ideas.

“Waiter… Can I have a super duper steak burger, mega large coke and a double thick chocolate milkshake… oh and don’™t forget the triple sundae with cherries on top and a Grande Cappuccino with cream thank you very much!”