Durban's Bunny Chow

[SurfnSpear]

Some of you may have already seen these but this is the way us people from Durban, South Africa eat curry!!

The exact origins of the Bunny Chow are shrouded in myth and legend but one school of thought has it that it was invented by a chef at the Queen's Tavern.
Another theory is that it was invented for the Indian caddies at the Royal Durban Golf Course who were unable to get off from work for long enough to nip into Grey Street for a curry at lunchtime. The story goes that they got their friends to go and buy the curry for them and that it was brought back to the golf course in hollowed-out loaves of bread because there were no disposable food containers at the time. The explanation that Bunnies were first made in Grey Street does hold a bit of water because the shopkeepers there were known as banias and therefore, the phrase Bunny Chow could mean food from the shopkeepers. If the origin of the Bunny was in Grey Street, then a prime candidate for the place where it was invented Is the G.C. Kapitan Vegetarian Restaurant which operated at 154 Grey Street between 1912 and 1992. Whether the bunny was invented there Or not, G.C. Kapitan's beans bunny was famous and enjoyed by ordinary people and such luminaries as Indira Gandhi.

Whatever the truth, however, the Bunny Chow has earned itself an enduring place in the affections of Durbanites and there are many of us who couldn't exist for very long without them.

The correct way to refer to Bunny Chows when talking about them or asking for directions to the nearest purveyor, is as Bunnies. The use of the word Chow will indelibly mark you as an outsider, and a pretty uncool one at that. When talking to friends it would be quite correct to suggest 'Let's go get us some Bunnies'. You could say to your host, taxi driver, tour guide or concierge 'I'm really desperate for a Bunny', 'I need a Bunny', 'Show me the nearest Bunny', or ask 'who makes the best Bunny in town?'

Bunnies are mostly made with quarter-loaves of bread but you can ask for a half or full loaf if you're very hungry. There is a taboo when it comes to ordering a Bunny and that is that you can't mention the word Bunny. You should ask for the Bunny you want based on its size and the curry it is to contain as in: Gimme a quarter beef! They'll know what you mean.

The Bunny Chow should always be eaten with the fingers starting with the lump of bread, or virgin, on top. Aficionados treat the virgin as an appetizer for the main course and it is considered very bad form to seize and eat someone else's virgin without their express invitation. You should then help yourself to the curry and tear pieces off of the side of the loaf and dip them in the gravy. The trick here is to avoid tearing off pieces of loaf which are below the current gravy line otherwise you end up with a steaming-hot mass in your lap. For much the same reason you should check whether your Bunny Chow was made from the end of a loaf or whether it is a Funny Bunny made from the middle and, hence, without a crust at the bottom.
A Funny Bunny isn't any less tasty but you do have to be careful to support the base in case it gives way and gives onlookers something to laugh about; you begin to see how it got its name?

While eating your Bunny you may sweat and blow your nose often, Say "Whooee!! We'd better put some toilet paper in the fridge for tomorrow morning”, drink beer, a soft drink or milk and throw your mutton bones, if applicable, at passing yachts, if available. You may not betray that you're in pain if the Bunny is too hot for your taste. Just relax and think of those nice endorphins you're going to get when your brain finally gets into gear. Steer clear of the gravy if you are in real difficulties as experience has shown that it is the hottest part of the curry. Stick to the meat and, after a decent interval, scrunch up your Bunny in its wrapping and fling it quickly into a bin saying, "Damn, but I could eat two more of those."

[Spaniard]

Mmmmmmmm bunnies....................

[deep thinker]

Cool story but do I detect a bit of homesickness in that post bud...
Guess whats for dinner, as us capies can also get some of those

[fcallagy]

They sound good, problem here would be getting a loaf of bread that wasn,t already sliced. Will have to go looking even though I,m not a huge curry fan

[Oldsarge]

No problem, here. In fact, given our very large and growing South Asian population, I wouldn't be surprised if one couldn't sweettalk some small restaurant operator into making one up. Surfy, old chap, you may just have increased the vast diversity of the SoCal cuisine. (Diversity, code word for "We have more kinds of restaurants and more shades of pretty girls than you do, nyah, nyah, nyah!) Thanx, I'll get right on this as soon as Mrs. Sarge gets over her tummy upset.

p.s. i read the attachment. it got me thinking. hmmmmm . . .

[island_sands]

mmmm bunny chow - best thing after a night at Magoos Bar - best bought at Macdonalds (the original Macdonalds in Durban, which is the Indian takeaway on West Street)

[capetownguy]

now ive gotta have a bunny chow for lunch today! im gona be in woodstock later anyway....hmmmmmm

[SurfnSpear]

Originally Posted by island_sands

mmmm bunny chow - best thing after a night at Magoos Bar - best bought at Macdonalds (the original Macdonalds in Durban, which is the Indian takeaway on West Street)

Sara! You are spot on! Mcdougalls or whatever was lunch for us guys working at Surf Centre/Surf Beat/Larmont in the old days! I quite often asked them to chop up and make a steak and chips bunny with chilli sauce, then off to Casbah for the chocolate double thick milkshake...Mmmm....those were the days

Sarge...I asked a guy over here in Slough to do one for me and he was quite taken by it. I have often thought of a small kiosk takeaway over here with some big pots of curry on slow cook serving just bunny's and sambals as fast food, and maybe some roti's. Chicken, beef, mutton, fish, vegetable and bean all ready to go!
Going on the english love of curry, it's got to work! Whenever I make one up here in my office they go crazy for a taste....

[BennyB]

That would work well here in Putney in the South West... Saffas everywhere! (says the token aussie...)

There's a Sth African restaurant near the tube station called Chakalakas, does a fantastic Kudu steak and a mean Bobotie too. Nothing in the way of Buny Chow though, may have to make a special request...

[SurfnSpear]

Damn...to late....they have even registered Bunnychow as a trademark!!!
Rafikis

[SurfnSpear]

Do not think we would have to worry about you standing in Sarge!

[Oldsarge]

Frank must have been from Minnesota or some other part up north. Now if he had been from SoCal or New Mexico or (God forbid!) Texas . . .

On our first safari to Mozambique, the usual Africa Wins Again syndrome set in and we were unable to fly out the day we were scheduled so our outfitter put us back up in the hotel in Baira and took us out to dinner at a tiny restaurant called The Pikinik. I'd been told that in Moz one must try the prawn dinner so we did. Fabulous! The prawns came off the braai smothered in garlic butter and a large pot of piri-piri was put on the table. Crude sort that I am, I stuck my fingertip into the pot, sucked on it and nodded in approval. Next I shoveled some onto my prawns and handed the piri-piri pot to Jim who did the same. "Hey, be careful, that stuff's hot!" called out our worried outfitter. "Nah," we replied, "we're from California. This ain't hot, it's good!" It was my attempts to repeat the experience that led to Bwana Walt's Safari Hot Sauce (coming eventually to a market near you) and the renowned Prawns Mozambique recipe now residing in the archives. However, as I age, I find that I am more likely to order my Aloo Gobi, curry, and Tikka Masala "mild" rather than the way I used to prefer. There may be snow on the roof but the fire in the furnace needs to be kept at glowing coals, now, rather than inferno!

[Oldsarge]

SurfnSpear,
I don't see that as an insurmounable problem. Have they trademarked Bunichow, Bunnichau, Bunichau, Bunnychau, etc.? I'll bet they haven't. Personally, I'd start up a kiosk called something like Durban's Own, the Kurry Kings and use one of the bunnychow varients to describe the dish but keep it all in lower case to avoid bringing unfriendly attention from solicitors.

Years ago, I encountered a small storefront restaurant, about kiosk size, called the Chili Shack. It had everything going for it except its location and we all know that can be the most important part of all. He served either three or four chili conconctions in increasing levels of spice, had sawdust on the floor, bar stool and tables and served his chili in either paper bowls or, similar to the bunnychow, in tortillas fried into cones. If the silly fellow had placed his business near a large college campus, he'd have made buck! If he had then franchised his operation and put one next to every college in the state, he'd have been the next Ray Kroc. Think about this, think very, very hard.