TV Sport + a one-off experience

So yesterday it was England vs USA in the World Cup, so a crowd of ex pats are coming over.  But there are 3 matches played today, plus 3 rugby tests all being shown on TV.  Whilst the New Zealand v Wales game was on, I had my first example of a Malawi power cut - it lasted around 25 mins, and when the picture came back we'd just missed a try :-(

Whilst the TV was off, I popped down the garden to take a couple of snaps.  You can see them on Flickr.  A couple of things you notice about the garden: firstly it's big (we had a game of golf in it later in the day - well, chipping), and secondly it's steep.  This is the house taken from the bottom of the garden. 

Anyway, the power came back and we carried on watching the games and preparing for the football in the afternoon.  Rick had managed to blag a projector and so the games were being shown on our lounge wall.  Good quality picture too.  We use the DSTV satellite service from South Africa, and John Barnes is one of their pundits.

People started to arrive as the afternoon went on.  In the end we had about 20 guests - most of them volunteers or working for NGOs, and including americans, french, germans, australians, danish and british, all aged 20 - 35, I'd say.  And a very nice crowd.

My turn to do the barbecue today - steak, sausage, burgers plus a bit of vegetable (but not much!).  We all settled down to watch the England match, but 5 mins before kick-off, the power went off again.  There then ensued a mad rush of people out to their cars to drive round to any bar or club with a screen, but shortly after most had gone, the power returned, so it was a case of frantic phone calls to recall everybody.  England of course started quite brightly but then became a bit lacklustre.  I thought Wright-Philips and Lennon were poor, Heskey had one good moment, Green of course had is shocker, and Rooney didn't really get into the match at all.  In the house, there was a lot of banter between the americans + fellow hangers-on and those supporting England.  A fun atmostphere.

To "celebrate" Rick's impending departure, one of the crew had brought four cartons of Chibuku Shake-Shake (follow the link for the gory details of this concoction), which was consumed by everyone standing in a circle and passing the box round one by one, taking a sip each turn until it was all gone.  This stuff is seriously weird, and I heard tales of the effects it can have if consumed in quantity.  However, a few sips was fine just for the experience, and here's hoping I don't have to do it again.  This stuff is the original Chibuku Shake-Shake and not to be confused with the tub-thumping clubs in London, Liverpool and elsewhere in the UK that use the same branding.  I'm not sure which version is better for you! 

I found a review on the internet: 

This is the commercialized version of the "village beer" of Malawi.  This is a very unique brew. It’s served in cardboard cartons that swell with the carbonation. Ingredients are maize, water, sorghum, yeast, and enzymes. Pours the color of a vanilla malt with tons of grit and grain in it, hence the "shake shake" to mix it all up. Smells very acidic/vinegary like a Belgian [beer], but simply tastes like white vinegar mixed with cornmeal. Thick, pasty, and gritty. A one-of-a-kind experience, but definitely tough to get down.

Another review said:

It is mixed, cooked, packaged and shipped the same day. The cardboard carton has a vent in it to release the gas. It is really a slurry and it does coat the mouth. There is a lot of acidity in the flavour and if you don’t like that in a Belgian beer, you sure won’t like it in this concoction. Apparently the locals still make a lot of home made chibuku, and I think that Shake Shake is the only commercial one in Malawi. It is a must try, but I don’t ever want to try one again. 

Can't say I disagree with those sentiments.  I prefer my beer when you don't have to spend five minutes picking the bits out of your teeth.