Shining the light on chinese raw food
Filled Fungus and Tempeh SaladWhen we received the phone call tip-off to attend the EarthShine Chinese-theme raw food evening, Grant (my boyfriend / photographer) and I shared puzzled looks.

"Doesn’t Chinese food use a lot of rice?" asked the only vegan coloured boy in Cape Town.
"… and noodles?" I added. We were curious as to what the evening might bring.

After negotiating a car, we made our way to the Afrikaans Development centre in Pinelands and upon entering, we were greeted by piano music and handed a taster. I take a small bite on my chrysanthemum leaf (tasting somewhat like garlicky cabbage) and marvel at the professionalism of the set-up - I was half expecting some smelly hippies in a cob house.

Tables display health foods in the lobby and clients that are interested mark paper bags to purchase after that evening’s event. Well-dressed attendees mill around nibbling leaves and murmuring pleasantries, while the grand piano plays on. At last we are called inside the auditorium, where chairs have been set up around a table displaying electronic paraphernalia: blenders, mixers, juicers and something called a "dehydrator".

"I used to think it was just a typical hippy fad," says Natalie, one half of EarthShine, as the evening gets underway. "But when I actually ate some raw food I was like ‘wow!’ and had to swallow my words.