GLASS HALF FULL and a large fridge for drinks), it was also cosy enough to be a place you wanted to visit time and again. Each member was required to bring a bottle, be it wine or something stronger (depending on the severity of the episode), and we’d rotate who
looked forward to the most. Turns out cracking open a bottle of Steenberg MCC in the middle of a traumatic episode is incredibly therapeutic… On one Monday, a friend made umgqusho for the group. Umgqusho is a Xhosa
“THERE’S NOTHING LIKE WATCHING WAR, TREACHERY AND BETRAYAL OVER A QUALITY SYRAH.”
THE VIEWING PARTY How do you survive watching the last ever season of Game of Thrones with your nerves intact? Make like number-one fan Sibongile Mafu and turn it into a group activity – and don’t hold back on the wine!
ILLUSTRATION: PATRICK LATIMER
Is everyone surviving the winter? Or rather, did everyone survive winter? By the time you read this, the final episode of Game of the Thrones would have aired. We’re probably all still dealing with the after-effects and collective trauma of what it means to be a fan of the show. For those of you that haven’t gotten around to watching it yet: spoilers ahead!
Before the final season started, a small group of my friends and I decided to watch it together every Monday night. Our viewing party, creatively called Game of Thrones Monday, was
compulsory: no excuses, unless you were dying or travelling somewhere that required a passport. One friend was the main host because she had the best house – a beautiful home
in Cape Town’s Hout Bay. It was the perfect location: not only was it equipped with all of the things needed for an exceptional viewing party (a big balcony with a great view, a fireplace
brought dinner. The viewing party was a celebration of a TV show that the six of us had grown to adore, but it also became a place where we’d sip our Monday blues away while mourning characters that had died inevitably horrible deaths. It became the soft place to land after a long day. The place where we fed each other wine – and theories from the episode we’d just watched. There’s nothing quite like watching war, treachery and betrayal over a quality bottle of Syrah. I, for one, fully understand why Cersei had a goblet of wine permanently attached to her hand. It’s the only way to deal with the insanity of the Seven Kingdoms! Halfway through the season, my friend Marcee started drinking bubbly instead of wine. At first, I wasn’t that into it, because what on earth are we celebrating? A dragon just wiped out a whole city! I judged her, until it became the ritual I
dish of samp and beans, best served when you’re in the mood for a bit of comfort. It became the blanket we all needed when a favourite character was killed off in the first 10 minutes of the episode and another dragon had died. And let me tell you, paired with a fullbodied Merlot, the grief became just that little bit easier to deal with. When it was my turn to bring food, I decided to make butter chicken. The old me would’ve taken many shortcuts, but the love and care my friends showed in preparing every dish, inspired me to do the same. The hard work was worth it. Paired with Jordan's Cab Sav, the food was a hit! Our viewing parties became the highlight of my week and a great antidote to the rollercoaster of a show we were all watching. Game of Thrones Monday became a sharing experience. It became a special memory. It became home. And for that, I’ll forever be grateful for winter.
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