A "Kind of" Caribbean Cookbook

A “KIND OF”

November 2023 Issue 1

CARIBBEAN COOKBOOK Lizzy Lomax Author + Photographer

LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF FOOD LEARN HOW TO COOK CARIBBEAN DELICACIES LEAVE WITH A FULL STOMACH LEAVE WITH AN OPEN MIND

LETTER FROM OUR EDITOR Growing up, the center of my world was the kitchen.

It was the heart of not just my home, but the universe.

I wish this were a hyperbole. My father grew up the same way, my mother grew up the same way and by defect, I grew up spending my childhood by the stovetop helping my father prep his meatball recipe and my mother and grandmother with their traditional Caribbean delicacies. Food was our love language.

Consequently, I gained a mild to major fixation on how this relates to my blackness and how it has shaped me into the person I am today. On the outside, many people looking in have been perplexed about our deep relationship with the food we prepare. Inlaws have deemed us food aggressive during Thanksgiving looking on in fear as we make our Thanksgiving plates. I have had partners come home and would need to give them the “pep talk”. If my parents offer you food, you take it and try it.

Growing up in a multigenerational, multicultural household has shaped me into the person I am today.

Being a public relations major has underscored the necessity for storytelling. I urge you to go watch Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Ted Talk, The Danger of a Single Story to understand why storytelling is a way to take control of your identity.

This magazine is a collage of information about food and its relation to blackness. I have opted to delve into my Carribian roots and understand the complex history of why I am the way I am in a grander context.

As you read this paper, I hope you understand why people are the way they are. Most times, there is a historical rationale.

Lizzy Lomax EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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“When we go to the doctor, he or she will not begin to treat us without taking our history—and not just our history but that of our parents and grandparents before us. The doctor will not see us until we have filled out many pages on a clipboard that is handed to us upon arrival. The doctor will not hazard a diagnosis until he or she knows the history going back generations.”

-Isabel Wilkerson

IN THIS ISSUE “Food, prepared in the Caribbean/St. Lucian, tradition, connects me to my culture. Eating things like plantains, rice and peas, callaloo and codfish and curried goat reminds me of where I was born, where I lived, my parents, my family and all of my ancestors who came before me. It connects me back to slavery, and the African traditions brought over by slaves to the Caribbean. They lived off of the land and made the most of the food that was grown from the land“-Keris Lomax

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Food History?

Contextualizing Caribbean Food

By Lizzy Lomax

Contextualization is key 3

A black and white film photo I took in Rome, Italy.

First, readers should understand where the Caribbean is located.

The island groupings of Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas, plus certain coastal zones of South and Central America sharing a cultural and historical relation to the island plantation societies (e.g. Suriname, Guyana, Belize)” (Sheller 2003:5)

Slavery and voluntary migration have shaped food cultures. Recipes have been passed down generations and hold as a method and sort of conduit to remember our ancestors.

The transatlantic slave trade, one of the greatest tragedies in human history, inflicted effects beyond its time period.

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It is estimated that 12 to 20 million Africans were enslaved in the Western Hemisphere (United Nations, 2022).

Additionally, it is estimated that 40% of Africans enslaved were taken to the Caribbean Islands (United Nations, 2022).

Chattel slavery, the most common form of slavery allowed people to be considered legal

property (Freedom Center, n.d.). They could be bought, sold and owned for any amount of money or time.

In the Caribbean, chattel slavery “took its most extreme judicial form in the instrument known as the Slave Code… Passed in 1661, this comprehensive law defined Africans as “heathens” and “brutes” not fit to be governed by the same laws as Christians.”

(United Nations, 2022).

The town of Soufrière, where my mother grew up.

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Stereotypes

By Lizzy Lomax

How counterstorytelling can be utilized

It is essential that things like this happen because we need cultural intelligence within the professional world.

Cultural intelligence “refers to the ability of people, businesses, and organizations to relate to the diverse cultural situations as well as work effectively in them.”

(Fries, 2020).

We say we need cultural intelligence, but the question being asked is how do we achieve it?

The answer is through counter-storytelling.

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A study conducted by Srividya Ramasubramanian from *** revealed a correlation between media and the perpetuation of racial stereotypes. It is suggested that stereotypes are strongly shaped by first-hand experiences and second-hand information from mass media, friends and family (Ramasubramanian, 2007). One of the strategies to counteract this finding is a messagebased approach. It provides counter-

stereotypical news stories without explicit instructions (Ramasubramanian, 2007).

Counter-storytelling is a method used by minority groups to allow for their stories and experiences to be told in a manner that more accurately reflects their human experience.

Think of it as challenging the status quo. This magazine, for instance, could be considered a form of counterstorytelling.

WHAT IS A STEREOTYPE? “Stereotypes are created and altered based on first-hand experiences with members of stigmatized groups and second-hand information from sources such as mass media, friends, and family.” - Srividya Ramasubramanian

FRIED CHICKEN The fried chicken stereotype dates back to the early 1915 film, Birth of a Nation. The film, an ode to the Ku Klux Klan, depicted Black people acting erratic and aggressively indulging in fried chicken.

Thus, the stereotype was born. (Demby, 2013)

WATERMELON Prior to it being deemed a derogatory stereotype towards black people, watermelon symbolized self-sufficiency among African Americans (AA Museum). After emancipation, many Black people would grow and sell watermelon as a means to carve out a living. In response, Southern white people responded to the self-sufficiency by considering it a symbol of poverty. (NMAAHC, n.d.).

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How Food Choices Can Fuel Radical Transformation

By Lizzy Lomax

A Public Relations Perspective on Nourishing Our Planet, Communities, and Well-being Food? Radical change?

Yes, it is feasible. Food history offers up a unique lens to look through to view the world. Beyond the kitchen, food influences and intersects with culture, identity and ultimately the way we live our lives through environmental, social and economic lenses.

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Intersectionality “refers to individuals’ interdependent and simultaneous identities that affect how publics confront issues.”

(Vardeman‐Winter et al., 2013). The concept of intersectionality is something…

The agricultural industry is leaving an undeniable impact on our environment. According to the world wildlife fund, it is the leading source of pollution in many countries (WWF, n.d.). Deforestation, soil erosion as well as greenhouse gas emissions are a consequence of the food system.

Something that aids the environment? Supporting your local farmers., the economic dimensions of our food choices are just as important. A study conducted by researcher Tiffanie Stone found that locally grown produce produced less greenhouse gases compared to produce grown in a largescale food system. (Stone et al., 2021). Through compelling storytelling, it is possible to highlight the advantages of supporting local economies. .

At the very least, food sovereignty should be an undeniable right to all.

Yet, we bear witness to abhorrent circumstances on a national and international level. Take Philadelphia for example, there is a correlation between the neighborhood you live in and your lifespan. The access you have to food is affecting the health of residents and “a study by Philadelphia’s Department of Health, those who live in North Philly, as opposed to Center City, have a decreased life expectancy of nearly 20 years.”(Go Red For Women, n.d.).

Our plates hold potential to affect change that is bigger than ourselves. As we look through environmental, economic and social lenses, we understand the importance of intersectionality to this discussion. It prompts us to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions we may hold.

Maya, my sister, in St. Lucia.

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How to Cook...

Carribian Dishes

These recipes are from Cook Book St. Lucie. This book has been in my family for decades and I am pulling specific recipes I grew up eating.

Calalloo Soup 2 lbs. spinach (or young dasheen leaves) 1 doz. okra 2 tablespoons butter 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped 1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons salt 1 hambone or pickled pig tail 6 cups water 2 small crabs 1 large onion, chopped

How to Cook “Boil ham bone covered with water for about half an hour, or if pig tail is used, cook it until it is soft. In the meantime, chop spinach, okra and onion and set aside. If you are using dasheen leaves, remove skin from stalks before chopping Then prepare crabs (live), clean and wash thoroughly discarding backs and break into fairly large pieces. Then in a separate skillet melt butter, then add thyme, onions and garlic and saute for a minute. Then add crabs and saute for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. When ham bone or pig tail is ready, add enough water to make 6 cups. Then add spinach and okra and cook over medium heat until tender. Then swizzle mixture or pulverise, so that a smooth thick liquid results. Then combine spinach mixture with crabs and simmer slowly for about 20 minutes. Add pepper and salt as required. Serve very hot with Ton Ton and salt fish souse. Salt fish is roasted and then made into souse.

Note: Dumplings and tanias may be added at simmering stage.”

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How to Cook...

Carribian Dishes

Caribbean Beef Stew 2 lbs. stewing beef 1 tablespoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon flour 1 stalk celery, chopped 3 potatoes (cut in quarters) 1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons margarine 1 tablespoon oil 2 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 onion, sliced 2 carrots, cut in rounds 1 parsnip, diced 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme

How to Cook “Method: Place large skillet over heat and add sugar. Allow to become dark brown and then add margarine and oil and heat until it is gently smoking. Prior to this, beef should be seasoned and allowed to marinate for about 3 hours, by placing beef in a deep bowl and adding salt, pepper, crushed garlic, vinegar and thyme and about ¼ cup water. Drain beef, and put into smoking fat over heat. Stir from time to time adding a little of the marinade to prevent sticking and continue this process until beef is dark brown in colour. Then add enough water to cover beef, bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover. Simmer until beef is tender. Add vegetables and dumplings and cook until tender. Then combine flour with a little warm water and add to gravy. Stir and cook until thickened for about another ten minutes. Then serve hot.”

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How to Cook...

Carribian Dishes

Rice and Peas 1 cup dried pigeon peas 1 clove garlic 1/4 lb. salt pork, beef or ham 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup rice

3 green onions 1 bunch thyme 1/4 hot green pepper, finely chopped 4 cups water

How to Cook “Method: Wash and soak peas overnight in cold water. Next day wash salt pork and cut it up in small pieces. Then in a pan, place salt pork, peas, garlic, thyme, pepper, salt, green onion and water and cook until peas and pork are tender. Check liquid and, if necessary, add enough water to make two cups. Wash rice, drain well and add to peas in pan. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes uncovered. Then lower heat, cover pan and cook until rice is soft and grainy. Serve hot.”

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LIZZY LOMAX