(By Melissa Leiter, USA, 1 month, Journalism)

For days, I had been trying to imagine what a Jack Daniels milkshake tastes like.  At work the other day, while exchanging places we’ve visited in Cape Town, one of my colleagues mentioned a great burger joint, where they make Jack Daniels milkshakes.  When I learned that our Projects Abroad social was going to be at Royale, I was beyond excited. 

Royale Eatery, a gourmet, indie-deco burger joint is located at the end of Long Street and has a solid rep, given by the number of excellent food reviews I found online.  The menu is extensive in cocktails and shakes and has a variety of burgers to choose from, including veggie and build-your-own burger options.

Now, while the idea of a Jack Daniels milkshake was hilariously intriguing, I was also concerned at the concept of whiskey and milk.   Turns out this peanut butter infused whisky treat is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. Though I probably should have saved it for desert- and ordered a small.  This thick shake tasted very much like a Butterfingers candy bar.  Though I’m never one to leave a drink, I could not finish this 298745235 calorie shake, namely because I had to save room for my ostrich burger.

I was told that ostrich was a very tasty and tender meat.  On the menu in many restaurants in South Africa, it is quite common, and often, more expensive than regular beef.  My burger was tasty and tender indeed!  The chefs at Royale cooked it precisely to perfection and accompanied the meet with an amazing beet-infused jam.

After dinner I went home exhausted, too full and satisfied.  I DID wake up at 6 am the next day and go for a much needed 45 minute jog. ;)  While a little pricer than other restaurants on Long Street and in Cape Town, Royale Eatery is worth every rand!

(Above: Some of the many Projects Abroad volunteers in Cape Town, enjoying their introduction to Royale Eatery!)

On January 26 of every year Australians at home and abroad celebrate being Australian!  Historically, it celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation of the eastern seaboard as a British Sovereignty. This does cause controversy, particularly among Aboriginal communities as it marks the arrival of the British, and subsequently the suppression of Aboriginal rights by white Australians for centuries to follow.

However, while this day is marred by its historical origins it has evolved to celebrate multiculturalism. There are citizenship ceremonies conducted across the nation. The Order of Australia is awarded to accomplished and outstanding Australians. The Australian of the Year is named, as well as the Senior and Young Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero. But for us everyday citizens it is a public holiday, so we celebrate with fireworks, boat races on Sydney Harbour, BBQ’s, beach parties, outdoor music concerts, sports events, or just spending time with family and friends. Of course Australia day is not complete without Triple J’s radio station Hottest 100 countdown.

So tonight in Cape Town, Projects Abroad’s mass of Australian volunteers will be hitting Long Street to celebrate! Keep an eye out for us and come and join in because we won’t be hard to miss… decked out in green and gold, or red, white and blue, and probably a beer in hand!   

The Old Biscuit Mill is the site of a market that gathers every Saturday out in Woodstock, the art district of Cape Town.  I have never seen such an eclectic group of enchanting people and food in my life.  EVERY person in the market is good-looking and unique in their own artsy way.  Not in the stereotypical “hippie” or “indie” sense, rather they are just beautiful people - in every sense of the word.  

The music that plays over the loud speakers varies from classic French upbeat songs, to Wax Tailor, to old classic blues.  People try to dance and cringe as they squeeze past each other, everyone sticky with sweat.  The smells change with every booth you walk past; from strong french coffee, to kebabs, to grills cooking various meets, to mushroom skewer sticks sizzling and cracking in truffle oil, to hand-made italian pizza, to flowers.  The market is famous for its organic food from all origins and its antiques…and the champagne! Everyone comes to drink champagne! I can hardly do the market justice with my words, so here are some pictures.  BON APETIT!

Thereafter we went further in the factory to see the litho printers. These machines were even bigger, and could print 4 colours – CMYK – which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. An interesting fact was that the printer is able to print 9,000 pages per hour and it runs day and night.

After these big printers Ryan showed us the rest of the printing process and all the different kinds of surface you can print on. For example they can print on golf balls, pens, cups, keyrings and a lot more. It was a really interesting tour and it was very nice to see how the process of our magazine works.