SHOWING UP: Becoming a demo model after a lifetime of shying off

{JSON.stringify(article.attachments[0], null, 2)} --> Introducing your Food Editor to a roomful of smart women in Constantia, my host Pippa Smith explained that a decade earlier I’d turned her down when invited to do a demo from my earlier book. This time, I showed up.

After a lifetime of being more comfortable in the wings, I’ve chosen to stride on stage, if with a little trepidation. It was never my comfort space. I’d rather write a play and have somebody else stride out there for me.

Why? Because every time I say “yes” I inch closer to an imagined halcyon era when I am utterly at ease chatting to a roomful of many strangers. When I might even look forward to it. Like, to my surprise, how I’m looking forward right now to this Saturday’s appearance at Woordfees in Stellenbosch. Because I’ve somehow managed to negotiate three earlier events unscathed. Maybe it’s not scary... it could even be fun.

First stop was Kenton-on-Sea, which I wrote about here (everyone’s saying how funny this piece is, please read it); followed by a lovely lunch in Pippa Smith’s home in Constantia, and then Barrydale in the Klein Karoo, where I ran my own Karoo cooking workshop at the Karoo Art Hotel last weekend.

Only days after Kenton, I found myself at the kind of house in Constantia I could never afford, a much-treed affair with a pool that went on forever and beautiful pooches lounging on lawn and paving. They sure landed with their tails in the butter. The house had enough art to fill a small gallery, but everything in it seemed to revolve around the central kitchen hob and massive – what to call it? “Workbench” is far too tiny. “Table” suggests it isn’t also a kitchen work surface, which it is, sinks and all. “Kitchen island” maybe – but this was more continent than island. Nah. This is Cape Town, so I’ll go with peninsula. My host has a kitchen peninsula. With taps.

Pippa Smith is a bright, charming woman who likes to invite cookbook authors over to chat to a room full of people he’s never met. This was only last week, and she welcomed me as well as 16 or so women of her friendship or acquaintance.

In Constantia, Pippa interviewed me – expertly – in front of 16 unsuspecting people who appeared to be pretty well off and living lovely lives in the Constantia valley. I feel so different from the sort of people who are blessed to live such lives, although we should never judge books by their covers. Behind a gorgeous dress, exquisite makeup and a whiff of something very French can lie a troubled mind or a human who is going through great difficulty. The vagaries of life, good or bad, can touch us all.

Sometimes people bring a little of themselves forward, like the woman who seemed familiar to me, and who told me she was the widow of a former newspaper editor of renown. Or the woman who looked uncannily like a famous foodie who seemed to know the inner-boy me better than most. Sometimes people just get you.

And it was sunny, warm and lovely, and I’m not only talking about the weather on that fine Wednesday. Pippa Smith holds these events with cookbook authors often (she did one with Karen Dudley not long ago) and they are brilliant.