Election Food

On 27 November, Namibians will, once more, be given the opportunity to vote for the presidential candidate and political party of their choice. While everyone agrees that such elections are the lifeblood of any democracy, many Namibians will no doubt choose not to participate. This is perhaps not surprising given the current state of the economy and a growing sense of discontent. But still, democracy is important and so is voting, therefore everyone should register and vote.

There seems to be little energy for this year’s election campaigns. There is none of the ‘pyrotechnics’ of past campaigns and I am not sure why that is the case. It could be caused by any number of factors: Complacency, disillusionment, lack of resources, despondency, cynicism, lack of trust, excessive boredom with all things political or all of these combined. Whatever it is, it poses a threat to our democracy and should be confronted.

Elections should be made fun again. Elections ought to be celebratory affairs for all who live in our democracy. All celebrations involve food, so why not turn elections into food festivals?

Or am I the only one who believes that elections are worthy of celebration, and if we can lure lethargic voters to the polls with food, music and generally good vibes, why not?

Perhaps the best example of turning elections into proper social events comes from Australia where they use the ‘democracy sausage’ to raise funds on election day.

Democracy sausage is a dish that consists of a link of sausage, cooked on a barbeque grill and served folded inside a slice of white bread and topped with a sauce (mustard or ketchup). Its popularity has much to do with the way Australians approach their elections.

Voting in Australia is compulsory and thus secures a very high turnout. Polling day is a Saturday, i.e. the day most Australians (and Namibians, may I add) would spend with family and friends doing a ‘barbie’ (Australian slang for ‘braai’ or BBQ) and having fun.

Most polling stations are hosted at schools, community halls and churches (as is the case almost everywhere else in the world). Someone saw an opportunity to raise funds for these organisations and to benefit from the large numbers of voters visiting the polling stations. The democracy sausage really took off during the 1980s when the portable barbeque grill became widely available. It is hugely popular. In the 2016 elections, approximately one third of the nearly 2 000 polling stations had a stand selling sausages and ‘democracy sausage’ became the Australian term of the year. For some of the participating organisations, election day is the biggest fundraising event of the year.

Sweet treats such as cake and fudge and drinks are also sold and add to the fun and humour that often characterise these events. Invariably, politicians are brought into the fold, mostly with good humour. Some even have sweet treats named after them – ‘Malcolm Turnballs’ named after then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is but one example.

In the USA, ‘election cake’ is a confectionary item that dates back to before the American revolution. Originally called ‘muster cake’, this yeast-leavened fruit and spice cake was prepared by women to be given to the men who were summoned or ‘mustered’ for military training by order of the British army.

Later it became known as ‘election cake’. Women, who at the time were prohibited from voting, would prepare it in large quantities to encourage men to vote and come to town hall meetings. Back then, election day was a much more festive occasion, with lots of food and drinks. Ultimately, the election cake offered an opportunity for women who didn’t have access to formal political channels to nevertheless participate in a civic culture surrounding voting.

There are many different ways food and drink could be used to create awareness of and interest in elections. Special edition, election-branded products are one of them.

In the USA, anything goes – from cakes and sweets to hot sauces, chocolate, ice cream and beer, and big brand names such as Ben and Jerry’s get involved.

Elsewhere in the world, restaurants offer dishes inspired by parties and/or candidates and offer discounts for voters who can prove that they voted. Food is styled and coloured to represent party colours and dishes are devised to honour political leaders and personalities.

In some elections, food and food security are prominent issues.

Plenty of food is consumed during the organisation of elections. One tender issued by the Election Commission of India shows that sometimes elections are organised while eating with style. Their catering tender calls for food to be served in an acceptable and proper manner and for the crockery to be bone china.

Talking to my fellow citizens as I always do, I have the impression we are expecting desperation cake, rather than election cake. It would be easy to blame our reluctance to vote on those who organise elections for not doing enough and for blaming politicians that they don’t care or change enough. But ultimately, we all have a stake in our democracy, and we need to make our contribution too.

Getting people together for fun seems a lot easier than for boring old elections. So, should we, the (food) people, not take the proverbial bull by the horns and turn our elections into something we can be proud of? After all, we already have our own version of democracy sausage, it is called ‘pap en wors’. Here is a poshed-up recipe to prove it.

Polenta With Cold-Smoked Sausage and Mushrooms

The Polenta

• 1 cup polenta

(the quick-cook variety)

• 1 cup milk

• 3 cups water

• 1 cup Parmesan cheese

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 500 grams button mushrooms

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

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