I poured the boiled water into the bowl of crumby Kellogg’s Cornflakes and carefully added a few granules of Knorr powder soup over the crushed smithereens. I mixed it all together, gnashed my teeth and forced down each bite with ample struggle. I was hungry. For most it would be unfathomable, eating a meal that wasn’t one. But I wanted to graduate with a Rhodes University degree so badly that ‘Knorr cornflakes’ seemed like a reasonable supper to allay the aching pangs.
‘This is not so bad,’ I tried to convince myself as I forced down the putrid slush. In truth, it was horrible. I was all too aware that the inedible concoction was the price I must pay for my education. When the plate was clean, I washed down the meal with a glass of warm water. Then I rinsed my zebra bowl, the plastic spoon and the glass and wiped them dry. For dessert, I wept quietly.
Tafadzwa’s drive to conquer a world steeped in impenetrable hardships and prejudice is inspirational. He is a multi-faceted man: a son, a brother, a husband, a father to be, an immigrant, a waiter, a Catholic, a rebel, a graduate, a man bent on self-destruction, a man seeking redemption. Above all Tafadzwa is a true survivor.
The Educated Waiter is a groundbreaking memoir giving voice to the previously unheard plight of the immigrant graduate. A go-getter African, Tafadzwa’s story is a powerful recollection of his quest to find a better life in South Africa, Germany, the UAE and Zimbabwe. Both witty and poignant, The Educated Waiter indefatigably confronts poverty, racism, xenophobia and classism, all the while making you laugh.
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I poured the boiled water into the bowl of crumby Kellogg’s Cornflakes and carefully added a few granules of Knorr powder soup over the crushed smithereens. I mixed it all together, gnashed my teeth and forced down each bite with ample struggle. I was hungry. For most it would be unfathomable, eating a meal that wasn’t one. But I wanted to graduate with a Rhodes University degree so badly that ‘Knorr cornflakes’ seemed like a reasonable supper to allay the aching pangs.
‘This is not so bad,’ I tried to convince myself as I forced down the putrid slush. In truth, it was horrible. I was all too aware that the inedible concoction was the price I must pay for my education. When the plate was clean, I washed down the meal with a glass of warm water. Then I rinsed my zebra bowl, the plastic spoon and the glass and wiped them dry. For dessert, I wept quietly.
Tafadzwa’s drive to conquer a world steeped in impenetrable hardships and prejudice is inspirational. He is a multi-faceted man: a son, a brother, a husband, a father to be, an immigrant, a waiter, a Catholic, a rebel, a graduate, a man bent on self-destruction, a man seeking redemption. Above all Tafadzwa is a true survivor.
The Educated Waiter is a groundbreaking memoir giving voice to the previously unheard plight of the immigrant graduate. A go-getter African, Tafadzwa’s story is a powerful recollection of his quest to find a better life in South Africa, Germany, the UAE and Zimbabwe. Both witty and poignant, The Educated Waiter indefatigably confronts poverty, racism, xenophobia and classism, all the while making you laugh.
Imprint | Jacana Media |
Country of origin | South Africa |
Release date | October 2019 |
Availability | Expected to ship within 7 - 10 working days |
Authors | Tafadzwa Z. Taruvinga |
Dimensions | 235 x 155 x 27mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback |
Pages | 240 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1-928420-58-3 |
Barcode | 9781928420583 |
Categories | |
LSN | 1-928420-58-3 |