Recipe #4: Jerk Chicken

So i don't usually eat meat here in Jamaica (except for fish) but I wanted to try cooking some Jerk Chicken before I head home for the holidays. I didn't get a chance to try all of the different brands of Jerk seasoning but the one I did try out was pretty good. Perhaps later I will attempt to make some Jerk from scratch. There are many different recipes out there with a variety of secret ingredients ranging from Soy Sauce to Orange Juice. However this one came from a bottle of Sunrite. The key to cooking Jerk Chicken is to cook it on a low heat. If you cook it too high the chicken will get tough. It is best to cook it over an open flame but the oven works good for those cooking inside. Also the chicken should marinate at least for 4 hours, and at best overnight. Some also recommend poking holes into the chicken beforehand to let the seasoning seep in. You can really jerk anything from fish to tofu, I even threw a little into my rice to spice it up a bit. I also hear the Jerk Pork is amazing but I won't be trying it anytime soon.

Quote of the Week #4

This quote comes directly from a short piece I recently completed by Kongolese philosopher Kimbwandende Kia Benseki Fu-Kiau. Thanks to the University of West Indies library, I was able to borrow a copy of his book, "Tying the Spiritual Knot: African Cosmology of the Bantu-Kongo: Principles of Life & Living." It covers a number of topics relating generally to the Bantu worldview and more specifically to Kongolese cosmology. Replete with proverbs, it seems only fitting that I should share one with you. I encourage everyone to investigate the philosophies of the Kongolese.

"Kanda i (mbundani a) bafwa ye bamoyo."

-- The community is the union of the ancestors and of the living. -- (p.105)

The above image is a picture of the Kikongo cosmogram imprinted on the floor of the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York. The rivers divide the the circle into the four stages of life: all beginnings, birth, maturation and death. Underneath the center of this particular cosmogram are the ashes of the late poet Langston Hughes.

Quote of the Week #3

This week's quote isn't a quote at all but is something that I think many of you would find very enlightening and has been keeping me entertained out here in Jamaica. For those of you in Washington, DC, you can tune into Dr. Jared Ball's radio show "Jazz and Justice" on WPFW every Monday from 1:00 -3:00 pm. But for those of the us who are out of town, you can go to VoxUnion and stream the past episodes free online. Dr. Ball covers a lot of issues from Chris Rock's movie, "Good Hair" to Robin Kelley's new biography on Thelonious Monk. For this week's show he had the newly appointed Chair of the Afr0-American Studies Department at Howard University, Dr. Gregory Carr discussing everything from DuBois to Obama. Hope you enjoy. The music is good too.

Recipe #3: Stuffed Fish

Alright so i kinda cheated for this week's recipe. I have been backed up writing papers, applying for graduate school and various other things so this meal comes straight from the grocery store. I went in and bought stuffed fish already prepared so there was barely any effort required -- the packaging even included a chunk of butter so all you have to do is literally put it in the oven. For J$322 (about $4) I got two properly seasoned red snappers already stuffed with, callaloo, onion, okra and green peppers. The food was amazing and although it required little effort, it wasn't all easy. This was my first time using the gas oven and it took a couple of tries to get the pilot light lit. Once the light was lit, I preheated the oven with the glass bowl inside and then added the fish, rotating it every 5 minutes for so for about 15-20 minutes total. The fish came out smoking . . . along with my finger. I realized I didn't have any pot holders so resorted to using a rag which was not thick enough. But in the end it came down to burning my finger or saving the fish and of course food always comes first. So while I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, my finger will take couple days to recover.

Rais wa Tanzania

The president of Tanzania came to visit Jamaica last week. Staying for several days, I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of his visit was but I got a chance to see him speak at the University of West Indies. The event opened with the University Choir singing the Tanzanian national Anthem in Swahili and a few other performances by student groups. Aside from all of the formalities of a visiting dignitary, he gave a speech on "Africa and the Caribbean in the Age of Globalization." President Kikwete began by referencing Walter Rodney, both a UWI graduate and former professor. For Kikwete, Rodney was a source of inspiration, having served as his professor at the University of Dar Es Salaam after being banned from Jamaica. After thanking the Jamaica authorities for banning Rodney and ultimately bringing him back to Tanzania, Kikwete continued on with the rest of his speech. He didn't really say anything new, mostly reiterating the negative effects of globalization on developing countries. He also stressed the need for governments to support education and highlighted the unfair practices of western countries subsidizing crops and other exports.

It was interesting to see how his speech related to the current political climate in Jamaica. He spoke of the ills of IMF policies at a time when the Jamaican government is trying to encourage the people to accept more IMF loans. During the question and answer section, I asked about the possibility of the Tanzanian government establishing a professor of Kiswahili at UWI -- seeing as the university doesn't formerly offer any African language courses. He said they were definitely interested but we will see if the two work together to form some type of collaborative effort.

In the end, he was generally we received. The overall event was rushed. The President arrived late and the facilitators were forced to condense much of the program. It would have also been better if the event were announced and open to the public. After his visit in Jamaica the president was off to Trinidad and Tobago to attend the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. It would be interesting to know where the rest of his tour took him.

Quote of the Week #2

The quote this week comes from someone who was instrumental in organizing and theorizing the Civil Rights Movement. She largely worked behind-the-scenes training and mentoring many of those whom would become famous in the movement.

In the words of Ella Baker: "You didn't see me on television, you didn't see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don't need strong leaders." (Participatory Democracy)

Recipe #2: Cabbage and Saltfish

For my next Jamaican recipe, I went for a breakfast dish; Cabbage and Saltfish. For those of you who like salt and codfish without all the bones, it is a nice alternative. It might be hard to find saltfish back in the states but if you can, it is quick and easy make. Surprisingly, it came out good the first time I tried it and lasted me three days. In this case the meal was served with a quartered boiled potato on the side. Usually if you go to a restaurant you will find it with a your choice of fried or boiled dumpling, boiled potato, boiled yam or a boiled banana. There are also other variations of saltfish such as and Callaloo and Saltfish and the national dish, Ackee and Saltfish. For the recipe check out: http://www.jamaicans.com/cooking/fish/steamedcabbagesaltfish.shtml.

Quote of the Week #1

I will post quotations on a weekly basis with the intent that they will stimulate your mind as they have mine. Many of these adages you will not find in a book of quotations. They were the words of people who were, and are, largely underrepresented in the greater society. Many of them did not acquire significant degrees from universities but all have one thing in common; they were people who experienced life and shared those experiences with the hope that they would one-day help to foster a better humanity. Hopefully, these quotes will cause you to explore further the people who uttered them. So with this in mind, I leave you with the first quote of the week from the Guinea-Bissaunian revolutionary, Amilcar Cabral:

". . . to support those who are suffering and fighting for their liberation, it is not necessary to be courageous; it is enough to be honest." (Return to the Source, 16)

Recipe #1: Rice and Peas

Today I cooked Rice and Peas for the second time. The first time was alright but the peas came out too hard. This time I resorted to the good old can-of-peas (if you don’t mind the preservatives it’s a faster and easier alternative). Hopefully this will become a part of a larger project to get these Jamaican recipes down to science before the end of this Fulbright. If I learn nothing else, at least I will be able to cook up a little taste of Jamaica. For the recipe check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWCl7USUtWw

The usefulness of a cup is in its emptiness . . .

Yesterday I took my sister to see the new apocalyptic movie "2012." While I didn't anticipate that much from the film, I was intrigued by one part. Not to give away the film, but there is a scene where two monks are discussing their views on worldly matters and the junior monk is clearly fixed in his judgement. In the midst of the discussion, the senior monk proceeds to refill the younger one's tea beyond the point of overflowing. The young monk tells him that the cup is already full and can't hold anymore. In reply the elder likens the cup to the younger monks mind; you must first empty your cup before you can properly accept what others have to offer.

I'm not sure exactly where this story comes from but I came across it several years ago in paper on Jeet Kune Do (click link to download) authored by Bruce Lee himself. Jeet Kune Do means "the way of the intercepting fist" and is the martial art style he created some years ago. In this paper a similar story is told with reference to a Zen master and a "learned man." I liked the fact that the filmmakers were able to translate such a meaningful tradition into an audiovisual form. Maybe one day we will be able to see a visual representation of the Tao Te Ching.

Nyabinghi 2009

"There is not in this world a more disgraceful denial of human brotherhood than the Jim Crow car of the southern United States; but, too, just as true, there is nothing more beautiful in the universe than sunset and moonlight on Montego Bay in far Jamaica.” (Darkwater, 1920)

These words penned by W.E.B. DuBois in 1920 still resonate today. On the 1st of November, two bus loads of students embarked on a journey from the University of West Indies campus in Kingston to Montego Bay for a Nyabinghi. Every year Rastafari from around the world gather in Mo Bay to celebrate the 1930 coronation of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. This year was no different. While the turn out may not have been as large as previous years, the caliber of the event was nothing short of monumental. Rastafari from at least America, Jamaica and Japan were represented. When we arrived at the campsite around 10 p.m. on the 1st, the drumming and chanting had already began. An elder came out to greet the group and provide some background on the history and meaning of Rastafari before everyone was ushered into the campground to witness the 12 a.m. lighting of the Nyabinghi fire. The lighting of the bonfire officially marks the start of the weeklong ceremony and is kept burning for the entire duration. Throughout the ceremony songs are sung reminiscent of church hymns, while others are particular to Rastafari. At various times the drumming is interrupted to allow for elders to pass down oral histories and for readings from the Bible. People came as went as they pleased. Noone is designated tasks but everyone plays a role. If the fire is dying out someone will add firewood. If a drummer retires, another will take his place. There is even a member from the local community who voluntarily cleans the camp at daybreak.

For the students the event seemed to be very enlightening. Many of them admittedly knew very little about Rastafari prior to the Nyabinghi and professed to have extinguished many negative views afterwards. We stayed until around 10 a.m. the next day, taking sleeping rotations in the bus before finally heading back to campus. Some went straight to work the next day with no sleep; thankfully I have no classes on Mondays.