Signs like this one make me smile. Specifically, it’s the part that states, it is my intention to apply. As long as you intend to apply, you’re golden.
Liquor license sign
Like most places, business establishments in Jamaica that sell spirits must have a license. However, they can begin operating without one if they post a sign like the one above.
There are clear requirements for the sign: it must be in capital letters not below 5mm in height, and displayed prominently.
The business owner must apply for a license and submit the application form ‘21 clear days’ prior to the sitting of the Licensing Authority, but I’ve seen signs like these displayed on businesses for months or even years. I’ve often wondered if the owners just never bothered to take them down after they receive the license or if they ever bother to submit an application. After all, if the authorities ask, you can just say, I intend to apply.
Applying doesn’t mean the license will be issued automatically. Members of the community can object, but it has to be in in writing.
This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday, which is organized by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.
On July 21st, the Institute of Jamaica opened an historic exhibition entitled, Rastafari:Unconquerable! It is the first exhibition in Jamaica on the Rastas and as soon as I heard about it, I knew I had to see it.
Entrance to the exhibition
During the ride to the museum, I thought several times of One Love:Discovering Rastafari, the first exhibition on the Rastas that I had seen at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. I was excited to see that Rastafari, the small movement that began in Jamaica in the late 1930s and has since spread worldwide, was finally getting consideration and scholarship. Discovering Rastafari, which ran from November 2007 to November 2011, left me wondering if that was all there was. I hoped the current show would be the definitive study on Rasta.
Rastafari: Unconquerable!Artwork from Rastafari: Unconquerable!
Undoubtedly larger in space and scope, Rastafari: Unconquerable tells the story of the birth and evolution of Rasta through videos, installations, artefacts and personal stories. It covers several watershed moments in the history of the movement in segments organized around themes such as Revelation of Rastafari, its Philosophy and Evolution, and the 1966 visit to Jamaica of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I. It also features a review of the attempts at suppression of the movement by Jamaican authorities, by far one of the most appalling periods in our history.
Marcus GarveyVisionariesHaile Selassie in Jamaica, 1966
Rastafari has come a long way since Lionel Howell, the first Rasta, founded Pinnacle, the home he established for his followers, and Marcus Garvey advised the poor and downtrodden to look to Africa for the crowning of a black king who would deliver them out of poverty. It’s exciting to see the museum finally undertaking this important step in recognizing Rasta’s influence on the society, and their presence in the world.
Haile Selassie
One thing that struck me about the exhibition was its stillness, its flatness. It was as if the breath, power, vitality and passion that pulses through Rastafari could not, as the title suggests, be conquered even in this exhibition that celebrates Rastafari; the Movement which grew out of struggle, with larger than life visionaries who fought against the system, could not be tamed. Still, it’s an excellent first exhibition, a must see.
Rastafari: Unconquerable remains on view at the Institute of Jamaica, 10-16 East Street, Kingston. 876-922-0620, Admission $5
The passion fruit is a round yellow (or purple) fruit with a very distinctive flavor. It is used in juices, ice cream, pastries and even syrup.
The yellow passion fruit is quite common in Jamaica and is usually found growing on vines in backyard gardens.
Fruit
I was at my uncle’s home a few years ago when he asked if I’d like something to eat. I figured he’d buy us a meal so I was surprised when I heard the unmistakable sounds of pots and pans coming from his kitchen.
“You said you wanted something to eat,” he said, when I asked what he was doing, “I’m making us lunch.”
He noticed the look of shock on my face and burst out laughing.
“You think I can’t cook,” he said, still smiling.
When I offered to help, he shooed me out of the kitchen.
“I’ve been cooking since before you were born,” he added, chuckling.
Fruit
That did nothing to boost my confidence. I never knew Uncle Norris, the baby of the family, to cook. Whenever he came to our house, he’d head straight to the refrigerator for something to drink. If we didn’t have lemonade, his favorite, he’d call me to make him some. I was maybe 8 or 9 and hated having my playtime interrupted.
By now the smell of curry was wafting through the living room.
“What are you making?” I called out.
“Mind your own business,” he replied. “I said I’d make you lunch and I’m making you lunch.”
When I heard the whirring of the blender, I became even more curious. What could he be making now, I wondered.
I couldn’t believe the meal he’d whipped up. It was the most delicious curried chicken I’d eaten in a while. But it was the passion fruit drink that accompanied it that still has me talking almost four years later.
The slightly tangy taste of the passion fruit was the perfect accompaniment to the bold flavor of the curried chicken. It was so refreshing, I poured another glass.
How to Make Passion Fruit Drink
Ingredients
4-6 Passion fruits
Water
Sugar to taste
Directions
Cut passion fruit in half, scoop the flesh into a blender. Add water and sugar to taste. Blend until smooth. Strain. Serve chilled or over ice.
Have a foodie post you’d like to share? Join the #FoodieTuesday linkup and add it here –
Add the link to your foodie post in the link tool below
As a courtesy, please include a link back to this post.
Leave a comment.
If you Tweet, G+, Facebook use the hashtag #FoodieTuesday
While waiting in the immigration line at the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay a few years ago, I heard the unmistakable sound of a mento band. They were playing a familiar tune, Take Her to Jamaica, and as I waited, I tapped my feet lightly and hummed along.
The singing got louder as I exited immigration on my way to pick up my luggage from the carousel. By now, I could see the musicians – three or four of them. One was playing a rhumba box, a percussion instrument that I hadn’t seen in years.
Rhumba box
The rhumba box is a two foot square wooden box. It has a hole in the center to which is attached five metal strips that are tuned to different pitches. At that size, it’s also a seat for the musician and allows him to reach the metal keys.
The rhumba box originated from the African mbira, or thumb piano. It made its way to Cuba, where it’s called the marímbola, then to other countries. In Jamaica, it’s synonymous with mento, the folk music that is a precursor to ska and reggae.
Sitting on the rhumba box, he strummed the metal strips to hold the rhythm for the guitar and the maracas players as they belted out the words to another song, This Long Time Gal.
I watched many stoic faces relax and smile as they heard the music. I was still humming to myself as I walked out of the airport.
Click here to listen to the sound of the rhumba box and here to hear a mento version of Amy Winehouse’s Rehab by the Jolly Boys.
I’m linking this post to the weekly photo linkup, Travel Photo Thursday, at Budget Travelers Sandbox. Be sure to head over and check out other photos from locations around the world. Enjoy!
I never made it to St. Thomas, located on Jamaica’s southeastern coast, until I was in high school. As part of our graduation celebration, our teacher organized a day trip around the island that brought us not to Morant Bay, its historic capital, but to Prospect Pen to view the Jamintel Earth Station* that had opened some years earlier. I still have the grainy photo of us posing primly in our navy school uniforms with part of the satellite station in the background.
St. Thomas, the 9th largest parish on the island, is bordered on its northern end by the Blue Mountains. Its diverse landscape includes mountains and wetland areas. The island’s only east-west river, the Plantation Garden, is located in the parish.
Plaque at Bath Fountain
St. Thomas was established in 1662 and named for Thomas, Lord Windsor, who was governor of Jamaica at that time. It was known then as St. Thomas in the East. The name it was shortened to St. Thomas around 1866 when the number of parishes was reduced from 22 to 14.
St. Thomas has been home to the indigenous Taino Indians, Spanish, British and Maroon communities. Archeologists have found remnants of Taino settlements, dating to 650AD, in several locations in the parish.
Adding the link to your foodie post in the link tool at the bottom of this post
Leaving a comment.
As a courtesy, please include a link back to this post.
Tweeting, G-plusing, Facebooking using the hashtag #FoodieTuesday
Today, Jamaica celebrates her 51st year of Independence. There have been many changes in the country since 1962, notably in the way we eat.
Take rice and peas, for example. (Rice and peas is affectionately referred to as the Jamaica Coat of Arms, though I haven’t been able to find out why.) When I was growing up in rural Jamaica, we had rice and peas only on Sundays and on special occasions, like Christmas or Easter. Now, there’s rice and peas on almost every restaurant menu every day of the week.
The Easter bun and cheese that we had only at Easter is just as commonplace.
Sunday meal – rice and peas with vegetables and meat
Back then the patty, a meat-filled turnover, was our main fast food and a popular lunch item for school children. With international chains like KFC, Burger King and Domino’s, along with the homegrown chains, Island Grill, Tastee, and Juici Patties in almost all fourteen parishes, we have a variety of fast food restaurants to choose from now.
Sundays still are special. For most of us, it’s the day we pause, bring family around the dining table to share the meal.
But it’s not always rice and peas. I’m no longer wedded to the Jamaican Coat of Arms on Sundays because I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. But I wouldn’t plan a Christmas or Easter dinner without it on the menu.
How has your eating habits changed in the last twenty years?
How to Make Rice and Peas
Ingredients
3 cups of rice
2 cups of fresh red kidney beans (or Pigeon peas or a can of kidney beans)
5 cloves of garlic
1 can of coconut milk
1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
3 scallion (spring onions)
3 sprigs of fresh (or 2 teaspoons of dried) thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Preparation
Wash and soak peas overnight or put to boil in a medium saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Add garlic and a little salt to taste.
When peas are soft, add coconut milk and seasonings – thyme, Scotch bonnet, 2 sprigs of scallions, black pepper, and remaining salt, if needed.
Let cook for a few minutes then add the rice.
Cover and cook until the rice is tender and there’s no more liquid.
Plate and garnish with remaining scallion. Serve with your choice of meat or alone.
It wasn’t hard to miss this colorful object, called a dove harp, that was part of an exhibition on view at the National Museum of Jamaica (formerly the Institute of Jamaica). I thought I recognized the work as belonging to one of our local artists but I wasn’t sure.
A quick look at the caption confirmed that the object was the creation of intuitive artist, Everald Brown, popularly called “Brother Brown.”
Dove Harp
Continuing, the caption noted that Brown’s “art and spirituality are bound together and are distinctly indicated through his work. His art work is the visual representation of a generously all-inclusive world view, in which just about everything is regarded as being spiritually meaningful. Brother Brown’s musical instruments bring together sound and vision, the two most important components of his mystical experiences. Their shapes and decorations are laden with intricate symbolism and were originally meant for collective ritual use by his church band.”
Everald Brown, a self-taught artist, was born in Clarendon, Jamaica in 1917. He embraced Rastafarianism and Revivalism and founded the Assembly of the Living, a mission of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, in Kingston.
In 1973, Brown moved his family from Kingston to a community in rural St. Ann where they lived off the land. There, his art and spirituality flourished and he painted and carved his dreams and visions of the world around him. He also created handmade musical instruments, like the dove harp, and star banjos.
Following his death in 2002, the National Gallery of Jamaica mounted a retrospective of his work in 2004. It featured more than 100 paintings, carvings and musical instruments.
This week, I’m linking up with Travel Photo Thursday, which Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox organizes. Be sure to head over and check out other photos from locations around the world. Enjoy!
Don’t answer just yet. Read on then let me know later.
Cornmeal pudding wrapped in banana leaf
Jamaicans have a knack for christening people and things with more descriptive names. Some members of my family did it. If someone reminded them of something else or if the person had a prominent feature, they’d call that person, behind their backs, of course, by that name.
That’s what happened with Blue Drawers. But no one seems to know how this little pudding ended up with this colorful moniker since it’s not blue – though during the cooking/steaming process the banana leaf turns the water a slightly blue color – and it’s not drawers either.
Blue Drawers, also called Tie-a-Leaf or Dukunnu came to Jamaica from West Africa. Dukunnu, in the Akan language, means boiled maize bread.
Ready to eat – blue drawers from my family reunion
Blue drawers is typically made from cornmeal, but it can also be made using green bananas, cassava, sweet potato or yam, which is grated and mixed with sugar and spices. It is then cut in squares, wrapped in banana (or plantain) leaf. tied in small packages with a string (or banana bark, hence the name tie-a-leaf) and boiled or steamed. It can be eaten at anytime.
I hadn’t thought of, or seen, Blue Drawers in several years and was surprised to see it this past weekend at my family reunion. It wasn’t on the official menu but there it was, stacked three or four deep in an aluminum container, next to the usual breakfast items. I didn’t try the blue drawers right away. When I returned later, the container was empty.
How to Make Blue Drawers
Ingredients
1 pound cornmeal
2 ounces white flour
1/2 pound sugar
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 cup raisins
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. vanilla
2 -1/2 cups coconut milk
Banana leaf or aluminum foil
Banana bark or string
Water
Method:
Cut the center vein of the banana leaf. Soften or ‘quail’ the leaf by holding it over an open flame or boiling water until the green leaf turns dark. Set aside.
Put water in a large pot to boil.
Blend dry ingredients and grated coconut thoroughly. Mix wet ingredients, then add to dry ingredients. Stir briskly.
Place enough of the mixture into the center of banana leaf to make a 4-6” square. As if you’re wrapping a gift, fold each side of the leaf to the center; making sure it overlaps to keep the parcel waterproof. Use twine to wrap the bundle lengthwise and crosswise. Repeat until the batter is used up.
Place each package gently in simmering water that should be just enough to cover all the parcels. Cook for about 40 minutes, or until filling feels firm to the touch.
Plate and serve blue drawers.
Serves 8.
Here’s a video demonstrating how to make blue drawers. (As you can imagine, as young people, we would’ve only been able to use name with our friends. In front of parents and adults, it’d be either dukunnu or tie-a-leaf.)
So would you eat blue drawers?
You can join the #FoodieTuesday linkup by –
Posting a foodie photo on your blog
Adding the link to your foodie post in the link tool at the bottom of this post
Leaving a comment. As a courtesy, please leave a comment on the other posts.
Tweeting, G-plusing, Facebooking this post using the hashtag #FoodieTuesday
Hope Botanical Gardens or Hope Gardens, as most Jamaicans call it, is a popular spot especially for those who live in Kingston and surroundings. It’s where they go to relax on Sunday afternoon, or to enjoy nature.
With the nearby Hope Zoo, Hope Gardens is also a favorite destination for school trips – it’s on almost every school’s excursion schedule.
Entrance to the lily pond
Hope Gardens sits on 60-acres of the Ligunaea Plains at the foot of the Blue Mountains. The property, originally part of Hope Estates, was acquired around 1881 and experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, assisted in laying out the formal gardens. They introduced several varieties of endemic plants, rare flora and exotic species.
The gazebo
I’ve read that Queen Elizabeth II was so impressed by the Gardens that she gave permission for it to be called the Royal Botanic Gardens, Hope.
Part of the gardens
Through a series of unfortunate incidents, including devastation from hurricane, vandalism, and mismanagement, Hope Gardens fell into disrepair in the 1980s. It is now nearly back to its former splendor.
Blue Mountain forms a beautiful backdrop to the gardens
Hope Gardens has a lily pond, sunken gardens, orchid house, bougainvillea walk, and other attractions. It’s a great location for bird watching. Several species, including doves, egrets, Jamaican mango, yellow- and black-billed parrots, and different varieties of the hummingbird (Jamaica’s national bird) can be seen in the park.
Hope’s expansive space and lush environment make it a popular venue for weddings, reunions, picnics, festivals, yoga classes or a leisurely stroll.
Hope Botanical Gardens Particulars
Hours: Daily from 6:00 a.m. except on Labor Day and Hero’s Day.
Current Entrance Fees: Adults $5, Children (3 – 12 years) $3
Today, I’m linking up with Travel Photo Discovery‘s Travel Photo Monday. Be sure to check out other photos from around the world.
This week’s Friday Focus visits with Kristi Keller, a Calgary native who fell in love with Jamaica and has visited the island about twenty times since 2003. Kristi has also spent months at a time in Jamaica.
Kristi relaxing on the dock at Pelican Bar, Black River
1.Tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised in Calgary, Canada. As a youth I was a dancer and a country girl, spending most of my time riding my horse. As an adult I spent my time being a single mom and working for a communications company, and then for the municipal government. My corporate time totaled roughly 15 years. Life was pretty normal and uneventful and I just blended in….until I started traveling.
2.What brought you to Jamaica?
In 2003 I won a trip to Jamaica through a local radio station here in Calgary. Before that I had never considered traveling abroad at all. Travel was not on my radar other than visiting family in the USA.
Kristi at Blue Hole waterfall, St. Ann
3.What were your first impressions of the country and how did those match up with what you knew or had heard from others?
Since I had never experienced a foreign country or a different culture EVERYTHING about Jamaica struck me from the very first minute on the ground. Landing at a tiny airport (back then), stepping off the plane onto the runway, the amazing greenery and palm trees everywhere I looked, and the heat. In that first week on the island I was part of an organized group and had to stay with them and participate in the excursions they took us on, but I distinctly remember wanting to get the hell off of that bus and go explore! I wanted to know everything and everyone! From that first trip I knew that I hadn’t even seen or learned a fraction of what Jamaica is all about. Staying in resorts and spending time with an organized tour group doesn’t let you learn anything except how to eat, drink and shop a lot.
4.What made you return, how many times have you been back and how long, on average, do you stay?
I returned to Jamaica 2 months after my initial trip and the reason I went back so soon was because I received an offer I couldn’t refuse by a Jamaican police officer I briefly met. He said that if I ever want to come back to Jamaica he would show me what the island was REALLY about. It was a done deal and I went back, stayed at a home in the countryside and toured the entire western half of the island. I went to places that tourists don’t normally go, shared a yard with a family of donkeys, met people I would have never met if I had been staying in a hotel, and just absolutely fell in love with the island.
I’ve been to Jamaica twenty times (and counting) since 2003. My trips evolved from 7 days, to 10, then to 14 and eventually I quit my job and left Canada for months to stay in Jamaica. I’ve done that twice now.
Crashing waves in Hanover
5.What does your family think of your visits?
For that second trip where I flew back to hang out with a complete stranger, my mother thought I was on crack. She was very worried about my safety, knowing that Jamaica has a bad/dangerous reputation. Now, after all these years and trips I think my family just doesn’t care anymore. My mother wonders how I can just keep going back to the same place every single time and wonders why I don’t want to discover something new. But what she doesn’t understand is that every single trip IS new. If you do Jamaica the way I do Jamaica there is no sameness in any trip. I drive around the island solo and discover something new every trip. I stay in local guest houses (not hotels), experience new things to do, meet new people and learn something new every single time. Continue reading “Friday Focus: Kristi Keller”→
Loading InLinkz ...
