Corn or maize and it’s bi-products are today widely used ingredients in so many products we consume. This common grain is cultivated all over the world now that we may no longer even wonder where it may have originated. If you drive through the Midwest in the USA, you will see acres upon acres of…
Category: culture
Memories of Guyana: Strength in Community and Pow Making
Have you ever noticed that there are certain powerful triggers which can induce a wave of nostalgia in us? Sometimes it can be seeing images of a place which can take us back in time or even seeing a familiar food which perhaps you have not eaten for many years. It’s amazing how things such…
Learning to let go
Last week I made a trip which I had been planning for the one year. It was much like one which I had first made 10 years prior, under the very same circumstances. I felt the same bittersweet wave of emotions that come with the excitement of new beginnings; coupled with the anxiety of having…
An Unforgettable Fundraising Evening in Haïti and Culinary Voyage Through South Asia
People often ask me if I cook everyday. The answer is yes! I enjoy creating new things as well as cooking for my family and friends. My kitchen is always a busy place and truly is the heart of the home. Last week however, I cooked for a very special event which I had been…
The Positives of Growing up in a Culturally Diverse Society
Can you imagine a world where everyone looked as though they were all from the same family, spoke in exactly the same manner and had no differing opinions on any subject? How boring and monotonous would our existence be if we lived in homogeneous societies lacking diversity and individuality. These days it seems like there…
Haitian Hot Chocolate “Chokola Peyi”
Chocolate has often been referred to as “The food of the Gods.” The Aztecs and Mayas drank a spicy libation made from the cocoa bean during their religious ceremonies and was considered a drink of the elite. Cocoa was a very important commodity in Mesoamerica and was even used as a currency and payment for…
Guyanese Girl Haitian Soul Pt 3: My Life Connection in Haïti over 30 years
I just celebrated a milestone birthday. For most of us, reaching fifty is a huge deal. For some it’s middle age, for others (namely people born after 2000 ) it’s just old. I don’t subscribe to either of these thoughts…I feel that 50 is merely number and that being healthy and happy far outweigh the…
Tea Party in the Tropics
I have always loved tea and tea time. On week days when I am busy with work and my daily activities, tea time is just a pot of good strong English tea and maybe a slice of cake or a small pastry if I have fresh baked goods on hand. I also really enjoy the…
Carambola Jam
In my yard in Guyana stands a beautiful,mature and very prolific carambola tree. In my memory it was the perfect tree. It was not too tall that the fruit were inaccessible, nor too flimsy that it could not bear the burden of the fruit it bore; it was just right. Its mature trunk was thick…
The Best Rice and Beans
In this part of the world, Rice is a staple and eaten at most meals. Growing up in Guyana, white rice was a faithful part of practically every meal; with the exception of days that cookup rice was on the menu. Rice is both comforting and filling. Eating these familiar grains, whether they be brown,…