I searched ten Asian markets for breadfruit to go with stewed saltfish, spicy plantains, and coconut dumplings, the national dish of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Four of these grocery stores were in the Inland Empire and six in Los Angeles. Gladys was such a good sport to participate in this scavenger hunt with me. We met a produce worker who told us stories about his childhood in Guatemala when his grandfather would pull a breadfruit from the tree and roast it. Another employee called various other stores to narrow my search. I didn’t find the breadfruit in time for the meal, but I found the salt fish at We Yone African market in Rialto and the rest of the ingredients were easy. I even picked up plantains in several places so Raquel could show me how she judges their appropriateness for various recipes.
Raquel had such patience, both teaching me how to cook this delicious Caribbean food and picking the bones out of the salt fish. It was so good with the vegetables, coconut dumplings, and plantains: https://jiriecaribbean.com/stewed-saltfish-with-spicy-plantains-and-coconut-dumplings-the-national-dish-of-saint-kitts-and-nevis/
I found a second website with recipes from Saint Kitts and Nevis, and I hope to try them soon: http://www.theintegrationistcaribbean.org/recipes/recipes-from-st-kitts-and-nevis-and-anguilla/
Having had a great meal, I started to read. If I were in a Caribbean literature class, my paper would be on The Lost Child by Caryl Phillips. It’s a frame story (see my blog on Guinea-Bissau for how chiasms use frames). Several reviewers say the novel starts and ends with the backstory of Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, but I think the parallels to the story of the lost boy from our own lifetime add complexity. Besides the form, I also wonder about the affinity Caribbean writers feel to the Brontë sisters (see my Dominica blog for comments on Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys as the backstory for Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë).
Being interested in more about Caryl Phillips, I found that The European Tribe is available free online: https://archive.org/details/europeantribe2000phil and his lecture and then conversation about The European Tribe are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOWqwAwGgQo
Besides The Lost Child, Saint Kitts and Nevis has another story of an outcast and her orphaned son, the story of Alexander Hamilton. I signed up for DisneyPlus in the summer of 2020 specifically to watch Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton and I watched it again last weekend with Tris and Carmyn. A webpage covering Alexander Hamilton’s history on Nevis is here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/alexander-hamilton-nevis-caribbean-island-180964047/ and if you want to go really deep on Alexander Hamilton, you could always read The Federalist Papers: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1404
When reviewing music for Saint Kitts and Nevis, I was surprised to find an old favorite, a new favorite, and a worldwide favorite:
· How many times while Kaitlin was growing up did she listen to “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae? I don’t know, but it is worth listening again! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWQl00LWEwE
· This is my new favorite, “Already There” by Joan Armatrading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChMcN0ke1eA
· Saint Kitts feels so much affinity to the song “Amazing Grace” that they built a museum outlining the writer John Newton’s connection to the island. Here is my favorite version of the song as sung by Pentatonix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obp-9BEZe1c
Among the many festivals:
· Saint Kitts has the music festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A43Pbkfl3nw
· Nevis has the parade at the Culturama festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f46JlGUZZ1Y
I would be so excited to go to Saint Kitts and Nevis! Here are only a few of the things to do: https://vacationidea.com/caribbean/saint-kitts-and-nevis.html. I look forward to that time when we can travel broadly again. In the meantime, I’m hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace, health, and safety to flourish in Saint Kitts and Nevis and throughout the world.
Photo credit: Diego Tirira https://www.flickr.com/photos/diegotirira/17073127048/
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