CARIBBEAN JOTTINGS

DRINKING FROM THE BITTER CUP 

Many people still remember the family ritual observed in childhood of drinking from the bitter cup. In much of the Caribbean, amargo bitters (Quassia amara)  has been  regarded as good medicine for a number of ailments, including fever (especially malaria), stomachache, a laxative, appetite stimulant and tonic. 

Chips of amargo wood were soaked in a cup of water and drunk. Another way it was used was to obtain a cup commercially produced on a lathe from the wood itself. Water, wine, or other alcoholic beverage would be placed in it and allowed to absorb the bitters.

The bitter cup was generally taken during the weekend. 

JOHNNYCAKE

A dense flatbread used in many parts of the Caribbean, usually made of cornmeal, shaped into a flat cake and baked or fried on a griddle. The type of batter and method of cooking varies from place to place. For example, Bahamas johnnycake, rather like a sweet cornbread, is sweeter than Barbados johnnycake. In Jamaica, johnnycakes are often made with wheat flour and without cornmeal and is usually fried. Varieties of johnnycake are also made in the U.S. New England states and in the upper Midwest.

RADIO CARICOM

Radio CARICOM, the Voice of the Caribbean Community, was launched on Tuesday, July 4, 2004, at the Opening Ceremony of the Twenty-Fifth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, held in Grand Anse, Grenada. Radio Caricom is being managed by the Secretariat of the Community and is expected to be established in all member states shortly. Barbados, Belize, Grenada, and St. Lucia, regarded as “pilot states” in the project, were the first to hear the broadcasts of the new service. The Secretariat’s staff will use a “test and fix” approach in refining and expanding the system. Radio Caricom’s initial test frequencies are: Barbados: 100.7 FM; Belize:  02.5 FM; Grenada: 102.5 FM; St. Lucia: 102.5 FM.

More information is available on the service’s web site:
www.radiocaricom.org

INDIAN FOODS

Some of the delicacies that available when Indians celebrate their major festivals include phulourie, potato ball, bigany, bara, gulgula, prasad, channa (chick peas), chutney (mango, tamarind), ghoja, mahambhoog, and kheer or sweet rice.

CAN IGUANAS BITE? 

Yes. They can and they do bite humans. Many people who keep iguanas as pets have come to learn this the painful way. Even small or young iguanas can inflict nasty flesh wounds. Large males can tear flesh, causing wounds that need for stitches or even surgery. 

In some places, including New York City, the keeping of iguanas as pets is banned.


HURRICANE NAMES

When a hurricane is born, it is given a name that stays with it until it dies. Hurricanes formed in the Caribbean used to be named after the particular saint's day on which the hurricane formed. In 1953, the U.S. National Weather Service, the federal agency that tracks hurricanes and issues warnings and watches, began following a practice initiated by an Australian meteorologist and used women's names for tropical storms. In 1979, the agency began using men’s names as well.

The World Meteorological Organization, which prepares the list of names, selects one name for each letter of the alphabet, except the letters Q, U, Y, X and Z. English, French, or Spanish, the major languages spoken in countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean, are used  for Atlantic Ocean hurricanes. The name of the first hurricane of a season starts with the letter A, the next with the letter B, and so on. Six lists of names are used for the Atlantic - one list a year. The first list is used again, after the sixth year. Names of notable hurricanes are retired and never used again.

Atlantic Hurricane Names
More about Hurricanes

THE FIRST CARIFESTA THEME SONG

 WELCOME TO CARIFESTA
composed and sung by Guyanese calypsonian Malcolm Corrica (Lord Canary) for the first ever Carifesta

Welcome to CARIFESTA '72
Oh what a great cultural break-through
The whole Caribbean territory,
South and Central America will be
Getting together and taking part
In this Festival of Creative Arts
Where Drama, concerts, folk groups and dance,
Art and literature will be in exuberance.

CHORUS

CARIFESTA '72
CARIFESTA I'm inviting you
To twenty-two days of education,
frolic and fun,
CARIFESTA '72
CARIFESTA it's a big to-do
We welcome you to CARIFESTA '72

The dark hand rising grasping the sun,
Depicts the skills and aspirations of
the tropical man with talent untold.
All of this CARIFESTA will unfold,
The children pageant, the children
art exhibition
Will sure please your heart.
So book your passage B.W.I.A.
For CARIFESTA '72 right away.

CHRISTOPHENE or CHO-CHO

Christophene (scientific name: Sechium edule) is a small edible pear-shaped vegetable, that is well-liked in the Caribbean. Light green or cream in color, it is a native of Mexico and is known by many other names including Cho-cho,  Chayote or  Mirliton. Most North Americans call it "vegetable pear". However, in markets frequented by people of the Caribbean in the United States, it is called cho-cho. A member of the squash family, it grows on a vine and is mostly eaten boiled.