PODCAST | ‘Why do you guys eat your caviar like that?’: SA restaurants and dining etiquette

A few weeks ago, content creator Mimi Mvakali asked a question on X that she probably didn’t expect to blow up the way it did: Why do you guys eat your caviar like that? The tweet has since been deleted, but not before it kicked off a whole thread of people explaining that the utensil you use, or even popping a scoop onto the back of your hand, doesn’t just look fancy – it actually changes how the caviar tastes. Between ‘old money’ aesthetic content, TikTok etiquette coaches, and people filming their first omakase experience, there’s a real appetite for knowing the ‘rules’ of the table.

But is any of this actually about eating properly, or is it just performance? This week,The Lifestyle Scenepodcastunpacked restaurant and dining etiquette in South Africa – what’s real, what’s gatekeeping, and what actually changes your experience of a meal. This week’s guest is someone who’s eaten at more industry tables than most of us – good, bad, and cringe-worthy – PR pro, content creator and MC, Thulane ‘Toolz’ Radebe.

Toolz doesn’t just review restaurants – he puts them through his signature Destiny’s Child Index, rating everything from the food and service to the full experience: Is it solid Kelly Rowland energy, full Beyoncé slay, or somewhere in between? With his sharp eye, infectious personality, and no-filter honesty, he’s become one of Joburg (and beyond)’s most trusted voices on where to eat, how to behave at the table, and what truly makes a dining experience unforgettable in Mzansi. The Lifestyle Scene Podcast Host: Kaunda SelishoPodcast Producer: Kaunda SelishoDirector, Editor, Engineer: Shaun HollandProduction Assistant, Second Camera: Caslian Scott