So here’s the thing. January is over, and I’m not quite sure where it went, but that’s probably because my days were all wonderfully full. My second semester of teaching is swinging, I rocked a job interview and I finally got my eyes tested – it had been 4 years. 😮 Happily my eyes are…
Juju Season
It’s juju season here, and every chance I get I’m in the yard of my childhood home, hunting for ripe fruit to pop into my mouth and stuff into my purse. The house is vacant now, and the garden is overgrown. I’m always a tiny bit nervous that someone is going to stop and ask…
Sorrel Iced Tea
One set of my great-grandparents was Scottish. Brother Tom’s father’s parents. They were the McKenzies, and Cotton – what they called my great-grandfather, moved to Jamaica with his three brothers. I guess they came for land, and the chance to be their own independent, successful men. They spread out across the island, didn’t really keep in…
Brother Tom’s Saltfish
Friends! I am in the best mood today because the sun is out. It has been so rainy here recently that I told my mum a couple days ago I wasn’t sure I really lived in The Bahamas. I know bringing up the weather is the cliché thing to do when there’s nothing to talk…
New Year’s Day Junkanoo, 2018
Hello friends! Happy New Year! How’ve you been? I had every intention of writing through the holidays, but I surely did underestimate how busy I was going to be. I mean, I knew I was going to have a lot going on, but I wasn’t prepared for the reality of it, you know? Hours after…
Ackee and Sorrel
Hello friends! We’re two weeks into December, can you believe it? I’m still in Jamaica with my family, doing the things families do. Last night my dad, stepmom and I went to hear some live music at this chill outdoor restaurant. We stayed out till almost 1am, like they didn’t have to go to work…
Steamed Callaloo and Boiled Food
I don’t know about the whole Caribbean, but in The Bahamas and Jamaica boiled starchy vegetables are called ‘boiled food’. If you see that written on any menu, you can expect some combination of pumpkin, cassava, green banana, plantain, sweet potato, savoury potato and yam. Boiled food is an option in basically any situation where…
Pictures from My Days
It’s a rainy Tuesday night, and I’m sitting here with a mug of soursop tea. The tea is decaf, and the mug is a pretty pink, gold and white, with the word “Bridesmaid” written on the side – a bridal party gift from my sweet friend Maria. When you read this I’ll be in a…
