Thoughts of a minibus traveller

Stabroek News March 18, 2007 Culinary Delights II ( Georgetown : The Women's Club of the Indian Cultural Centre) 'Fainting Imam' is the name of one of the interesting recipes in Culinary Delights II, the second edition of a collection of recipes edited by the Women's Club of the Indian Cultural Centre of Guyana. The production of Culinary Delights is one of the activities which the club embarked on to strengthen cultural ties between the peoples of Guyana and India, while the funds raised from the sale of the book support the club's charitable projects. The purpose of the book is to bring together a "lively blend of cooking methods from Guyana and India" while "promoting the use of locally available ingredients enhanced with herbs and spices from both countries." Each section is prefaced by colourful illustrations of some of the dishes. This second edition was published as part of the club's 25th anniversary, and features over a hundr...

[Ms Magda Pollard asked me to review this recipe book. ] Published in Stabroek News - 17 December, 2006 Baked eel and crapaud soup are two interesting foods which we will not find on many Guyanese menus. The recipes for these and many other interesting dishes are in the book An Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine produced by the Caribbean Association of Home Economists (CAHE). CAHE was founded in 1972 and has membership from among home economics educators, health educators, nutritionists and dieticians from the English-speaking Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the USA. This book is a product of the Research Committee of CAHE, and it is intended also to serve as a guide through "the romance of the traditional, and the excitement of the contemporary in Caribbean cuisine." The book is organised into two parts. The first part presents some of the traditional recipes from 17 Caribbean states. The second part, entitled 'An Invitation to Adventure' presents what appear to be the...

[From Weekender in February 2006] Last year October, Guyana Chronicle writer Ruel Johnson referred to SASOD' s efforts at organising a gay and lesbian film festival as 'pseudo-intellectual posturing'. That condemnation was interesting, since at the time SASOD did attempt to open up and also ground the discussions around gay and lesbian issues to people who do not read the letter columns of the newspapers. How do you feel about the level of intellectual stimulation in Guyana? How do you feel about having your own intellect stimulated (as opposed to other parts of your being/body)? Do you feel that there is enough objective conversations in Guyana? Do you view intellectual pursuits as 'elitist'? Or that they are beyond you? Do you feel that now you have finished school/University, you need a rest from thinking or being innovative? Guyana's dysfunction has resulted in a paucity of places for any kind of intellectual pursuit – rum shops aside. This however,...

(Viewpoint from 2005) How tolerant are you? How much difference of opinion and views can you handle? How rigid are your own thinking and views – have you changed your opinion about anything recently? What has caused those changes? To what extent would you go to get others who think differently from you to convert to your views? How much would you accept others trying to confront your beliefs and values without wanting to pick a fight with them? I believe these questions are important at a time when it would appear that there is rising intolerance and displays of prejudice, which have resulted in violent conflicts - between nations or between people. In Guyana, it is important for us to address our own prejudices and levels of intolerance as we create a plural society. My parents this year were accosted by a Christian missionary who felt that the jhandhi flag in our yard was a symbol of our evil and hence it was necessary to save us. My normally tolerant family were shocked at th...

First Published in the Weekender in 2006 Sanity A man urinated on me in front of Igloo Ice cream parlour on Camp Street. It was a Sunday evening, and there were a lot of people buying ice cream . The man was standing around begging and then started to urinate, Yes, right there in front of everybody. And no, nobody could do anything. There were mutterings around him from the crowd, some embarrassed shouts and curses, but the man was in his own world and happily ignored everyone. I passed behind him, thinking a good distance, when he turned around and moved suddenly. His face had this expression of happiness, he was smiling and his eyes were toward the sky, oblivious to any of the people around him. It is not very often you see such expressions of pure joy and glee on any of the adults around Georgetown. My preoccupation with his face caused me to neglect what was going on at my feet. What would you have done? The man did not care about any reaction from the sane people around him. ...

First published in the Weekender in 2005 How was your Christmas? Did you spend a lot of money? Did you have a good Christmas? How much Christ was in your Christmas? Are you like me, a non-Christian who enjoys Christmas as much as any other Guyanese? Many people have 'come home' for this thing called a Guyanese Christmas, probably the closest thing we have to a national festival which encompasses a diverse set of traditions and practices which encompass lack of interest, religious devotion and decadent consumption and celebration which are as far removed from Christ as I am. Some people have talked about the distancing of Christ from Christmas. There are many who believe in Christ and who do not celebrate Christmas as the time of His birth. Only one of the about twenty cards which encouraged me to have a Merry Christmas actually referred to Christ as the reason I should. It is said that the celebration of Christmas as we know it has 'pagan' origins. There is probably...