Laughing through culture shock: Shimmy Isaacs shares her braai experience in LA
South African comedian Shimmy Isaacs shows fans what happens when a traditional braai meets LA BBQ culture.
Image: Picture: Instagram
Comedian and award-winning actress Shimmy Isaacs has always had us rolling with her videos, but this time, she’s gone international… and things aren’t exactly going as planned.
Isaacs is spending KeDezemba (aka the December holidays) in Los Angeles, and apparently, even the braai doesn’t travel well.
“Hello, South Africa, I don’t know where to start. I’m in LA, Los Angeles, and I’m currently busy braaiing. But now, I have to braai the American way,” she shared on Instagram. And yes, it’s way funnier when said in Afrikaans, but here we are.
She was quick to apologise to her fellow South Africans, joking: “So I have to ask my fellow South Africans for an apology. Because this isn’t the way we do things.”
Isaacs explained that a braai in America is a completely different ballgame. “I’m braaiing in America, but they don’t have wood. There’s not even flame. It’s a BBQ, like they say,” she added.
For Isaacs, and honestly, for all of us, the magic of a braai isn’t just the meat.
It’s the flames, the smell, the whole set-up. Even in 32-degree weather, South Africans need to see and feel that fire. “I just want to move the coals, but I can do nothing. It’s a gas situation,” she said, shaking her head at the modern barbecue set-up.
Still, Isaacs is making the best of it.
“Anyway, I’m here to experience culture, and you guys at home will not be judging me for this. This was out of my control. Otherwise, I must start chopping up furniture if I want wood,” she laughed.
But don’t worry, she promises, “A braai is what these people are going to get.”
Beyond the flames, the "Skemergrond" actress also got her comedy fix with an improv night, rubbing shoulders with some big names. She met Dean Cole from "Black-ish", who is apparently hotter in person and comedian and TV host Loni Love from "The Real".
So, while LA might not do a braai the South African way, Isaacs is still keeping us entertained. And if anyone can make a gas grill feel like home, it’s her.