An Evening with (possibly) the Most Offensive Man in South Africa

David Bullard was in fine form last night as he entertained the audience at Tokara restaurant just outside Stellenbosch with stories of his time at the Sunday Times, his days as a trader and his views on newspapers in South Africa. The sunset over the Hottentots-Hollands mountains provided a stunning backdrop for an evening of great entertainment and equally brilliant food, with chef Richard Carstens introducing the offerings. These included mushrooms with turnip, garlic creme, goat’s milk cheese, pea sponge, macadamia & chardonnay dressing for starters, and herb-crusted Kingklip, chlorophyll potato creme, vegetables & bouillabaisse sauce for mains, as well as a selection of delectable desserts to follow.

David began his talk by asking if there were any ‘lefties’ present in the room – which kicked things off with a burst of laughter. He then went on to talk about the journey the Out To Lunch column had taken, and how, after his ‘sacking’ from the Sunday Times, it had reappeared in 2008, much to the embarrassment of his previous employer, Avusa. A critical problem with humour today, he claimed, is the political correctness of ‘lefties’, which is in turn killing newspapers: ‘I’m afraid that political correctness, along with a large pinch of poor management is leading to poor newspapers.’ He backed this up by quite astutely pointing out that the word rate for columnists today is the same as it was in 1984, leading to a loss of incentive for quality reporting.

The most entertaining tales of the evening came when the former journalist spoke of his days at Car Torque, when he used to park his loaned Lamborghinis and Ferraris on the Sunday Times premises and watch his colleagues in management turn green with envy. He also provided a particularly insightful moment when he recalled a piece he had written (for Empire magazine) titled ‘The Creeping Mediocrity of Avusa’. His then-editor, Mondli Makhanya, ordered David to apologise to the newsroom, but his colleagues would have none of it, commending him for what he had written.

David’s laughter-filled talk and a Q&A session was thoroughly enjoyed by all – including many well known Cape wine personalities and an Olympic gold medalist – and was followed by a choice of fantastic desserts, including an unforgettable strawberry and champagne sorbet, with black pepper and vanilla mousse & pink peppercorn jelly. A perfect ending to a fine night’s entertainment.

A big thank you to Chef Richard, Wilhelm, and the team at Tokara for putting on such a wonderful event.

View the complete album on the Two Dogs/Mercury Facebook page here.

Stuart from Burnet Media tweeted from the event using the hashtag #OTLUTokara.

Book details

• Out to Lunch…Ungagged: The best of Bullard since THAT column by David Bullard
  EAN: 9780987005823
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