Food is the staff of life, they say. An army marches on its stomach; a hungry man is an angry man. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Even songs have been written glorifying food, “Food glorious food, what wouldn’t we give for
That extra bit more
That’s all we live for
Magical food
Wonderful food
Marvelous food
Beautiful food
Food, glorious food, glorious food.”
‘Oliver’ movie soundtrack
So much has been said about food, and yet we hardly hear about the sin of gluttony. Imagine serving eternity in Hell for eating too much? “Why are you here in Hell my brother, mass murder, robbery?” “No, I committed the sin of gluttony, I ate my way to Hell.”
Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean, and so between them both, they licked the platter clean.
And so it is with many people, fat, slim, short, tall, rich or poor, many are besotted with food.
Just check out any buffet line and see how people overindulge on food, piling their plates higher than yonder mountain as they just have to indulge in everything. As for those ‘all inclusive hotels’ where food is always available, their behavior borders on being animalistic
Caribbean people love to eat, and we eat everything, from pork, beef, chicken, fish, conch, lobster, goat, sheep, cow skin, cow tongue, cow foot, chicken foot, pig trotters and more. If it moves, we’ll eat it.
Oxtail and pigs tail are still favourites, but people still can’t understand why oxtail is so expensive. “Me don’t know why oxtail cost so much when is just bone and little meat.” In contrast, many tourists abhor such delights, and would die first before they partook of the tail of any animal. Some even refuse to eat fish head. “I just can’t stand to see the little eyes staring up at me,”
And look how we love fish head? It’s probably the best part of the meal. As for curry goat, our love for it is legendary, and yet many Americans balk at the idea of eating goat. Jamaicans love goat so much that curry goat patties are in vogue.
Have you noticed how in foreign countries, many people have all sorts of food idiosyncrasies? Many are lactose intolerant, vegetarians, vegans, allergic to this and that, can only eat gluten free foods. Not so Caribbean people, who have no such luxury. We eat all that we can get.
“Lactose what, gluten what, vegan who? Man, just pass the box of milk and the half dozen patties.”
What I have found is that most of the persons I know who are vegetarians or vegans are always sickly. Every virus, every cold, every flu, every chick, zik and bik V they catch it. They’re always coughing, sneezing, blowing their noses and fighting fever. I tell them, “If you had a nice thick juicy pork chops or stew peas with pig’s tail you wouldn’t be so sickly.”
As for dieting and fasting, those never really caught on in the Caribbean, except for a few uptown people. Don’t be fooled by those who are always talking about their diet this and their diet that. Don’t believe them, it’s usually only a fad that exists in their minds only. When they’re alone they eat like it’s feeding time at the zoo. They’re the ones who eat the biggest triple burger but have a diet Pepsi with it.
If you notice, it’s always the fattest ones who are always carping about dieting. “I’m going to resume my diet as soon as I leave this buffet.”
The food choices of the people of the World are based on culture. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. Cubans don’t like spicy food, but Mexicans do. The Masai of Africa subsist on cow’s blood and milk, drunk directly, fresh from the animals. The Inuit live on whale blubber. In some places roast cat and field rats are prime fare. Some relish snakes and lizards. In the Western World, some folks have fast food every day. Food glorious food.
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