A Father Christmas wearing a tin helmet, walks along Regent Street, London.
23 December 1940

DID YOU KNOW!

According to historical records, Christmas was first observed in Trinidad in 1569. The festival was celebrated by six priests of the order of Observantines headed by Fr. Miguel Diosdados (Reyes). They visited several villages and were treated to local cuisine.

CHRISTMAS IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

It is a very joyous occasion. Families commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ by going to church. For many, this means an annual pilgrimage to church on Christmas Eve to celebrate Midnight Mass. Christmas is also a memorable event that is celebrated by large gatherings of families and friends. Sumptuous meals are prepared, and visitors are invited to partake in the feast. These visitors include not only friends and family, but also those groups of people who go from house to house serenading the members of the home with indigenous Spanish carols, known as Parang. (Parang is an upbeat Venezuela-Trinidad hybrid music normally sung in Spanish. Now there's also 'soca parang' where songs are sung in English).

These groups are called Paranderos, and they sing traditional Parang songs. They trek through neighbourhoods, evoking the spirit of the season with joyful melodies and infectious rhythms. The cuatro, bass box, mandolin, ‘chac-chac’ (maracas), flutes, tambourines, guitar and other instruments are all used to accompany the Paranderos. The vibrant rhythms of Parang music encourage one and all to sing along. The Paranderos are rewarded for their performances with Christmas food & drink offered by the host of the house.

Traditional food served at Christmas time consists of generous helpings of ham, turkey, pastelles, fruit cake, sweetbreads, and other selected delicacies, along with traditional drinks such as sorrel, ginger beer, and ponche de crème.

Christmas is a very important time in Trinidad & Tobago. It is the fusion of the end of year excitement while ushering the imminent Carnival season. It is a time when loved ones gather to reminisce on the past year while celebrating the presence of each other. It is a time of food and drinks, music and celebration, and peace and love, as the birth of Christ is honoured and celebrated.

The Churchill Roosevelt Highway as seen circa early 1960s.

WOMAN SMOKING A PIPE- 1952

 Tobacco was one of the indigenous plants cultivated by the Amerindians  when the Spaniards made their first permanent settlement at San Jose de  Oruna (St. Joseph) in 1592. The first peoples used the leaf mainly in  spirit-ceremonies. Dried tobacco and other narcotics would be powdered  and inhaled through the nostrils by piaii (shamans) to induce visions.

 When the famous British marauder and explorer Sir Walter Raleigh descended on the  island in 1595, he was introduced to tobacco since he made contact with  Amerindians at La Brea, Mucurapo and Erin. He took back to England, a  quantity of cured leaf which he smoked in cigars. Since this was a  pastime unknown in Europe, it is alleged that his manservant, seeing  smoke emanating from his master’s head, doused Raleigh with a bucket of  water. Tobacco continued to be a crop of importance in 17th century  Spanish Trinidad, along with cacao and cotton. Not only was it  cultivated on the conucos (smallholdings) of the Amerindians, but  several Spanish settlers grew it in the area known as Valsayn today and  in Maracas valley. Tobacco needs light, rich soil, good moisture and  generous spacing. The large leaves were semi-cured until golden brown  and then packed onto canoes at Puerto Grande (the confluence of the St.  Joseph and Caroni Rivers, then a shipping place) to be sent to the  principal seaport , Puerto de los Hispanioles (Port of Spain) .
  Trinidad also played a part in sparking off the American tobacco  industry which is still a billion dollar enterprise. John Rolfe, a  colonist from the Jamestown Settlement, was the first to grow tobacco in  America. He arrived in Virginia with tobacco seeds procured on an  earlier voyage to Trinidad, and in 1612 he harvested his inaugural crop  for sale on the European market. In 1784, 132,000 pounds of tobacco were  produced in the island. At the conquest of Trinidad by the British in  1797, tobacco was one of the crops noted by Sir Ralph Abercrombie as  being of significance. By 1820, sugar was king and most of the lands  devoted to the older order of cash crops (cotton, tobacco, indigo) were  converted to sugar cane and the production dwindled. Quantities of  tobacco were being imported from Tobago and Venezeula to supply the  local demand, but in the old Mission settlement of Siparia, tobacco was  still an important crop. This may have been so for in that little  village, the old ways of the first peoples still were strong and many of  the villagers were of mixed Amerindian ancestry. Writing in 1848, a  traveler recounts

 “I entered a neat Spanish mud casa where two  men were busily employed in rolling cigars, the quality of which is  deemed by smokers to be very good. The celerity with which each cigar  was fashioned was quite remarkable and between them, these two can make  over 900 a day”.

 Production of tobacco in Trinidad declined  steadily throughout the 19th century until in the 1880s, Sir L.A.A De  Verteuil could write

 “Trinidad tobacco, from the district of  Siparia, was judged at the Exhibition (London, 1880) as inferior only to  Havana (from which the world famous Cohiba cigars are made) , yet its  cultivation is limited only to a few acres of land , the quantity of  which is consumed on the spot where it is grown , whilst a sufficiency  might easily be raised for the entire island’s consumption. The annual  quantity of tobacco imported into this island is 318,300 pounds equal to  10,000 pounds sterling.”

 Another account from 1893 went thus :

 “The soil of certain districts of the colony is admirably adapted to  the growth of tobacco, and samples grown in the district of Siparia have  been pronounced by competent judges to be second only to the finest  Havana. As yet, however, the cultivation is confined to a few patches  scattered here and there throughout the colony, but principally in the  above-named district. During the administration of Sir William Robinson  the services of an expert from Cuba were engaged, and an experimental  cultivation established by the Government at Siparia. Although the  experiment has not proved a financial success, and has consequently been  brought to a close, it has, in other respects, been both useful and  profitable,”

 The 1892 report of the Superintendent of the Royal Botanical Gardens was as follows:

 “"The experiment of growing Tobacco at Siparia has been terminated. The  officer imported as specialist and employed temporarily by the  Government to superintend the culture decided at the conclusion of his  engagement to remain in the district and has purchased land on his own  account. This, I take it, is an encouraging feature, as in his hands I  believe the industry is likely to increase, the more so, as he has  identified himself with the people, and is prepared to settle for good  in the district. The last crop, like the former ones, was small, but  being of the nature of an experiment I could not advise the Government  to expend large sums in cultivating a sufficient area to become a  remunerative culture. The first question to be decided was : Can a  Tobacco of a suitable character for making good cigars be grown iu  Trinidad ? The second question : Can it be grown to pay ? is a question  which the industry of the people themselves should solve. The first ques  tion having been resolved in the affirmative, on the Report of London  brokers and manufacturers, on Reports of samples of cigars sent to  England, and on numerous Reports of local smokers, the second question  may safely be left to the hands of enterprising planters to whom it  properly belongs. In the meantime it may be said that the quality of the  produce of the district in which operations were conducted (always a  tobacco-producing one) has much improved. Tlie native cultivators having  seen and partially adopted the methods employed by the skilled  cultivator, and it may be confidently anticipated that the industry will  continue
 to make progress during future years."”

 The Sosa  family was involved with tobacco propagation in Siparia at least from  the 1870s. Much of the imported tobacco came from Venezuela and in the  early 20th century there were several small manufacturers of cigars and  cigarettes in POS, the principals being J. Orsini y Hijos and Machado.  These concerns lost out to the large-scale importation of Anchor  cigarettes beginning in the 1920s. Even so, pipe-smoking was commonplace  among men and even women of the lower classes. To supply this market,  small quantities of tobacco were still being grown locally. West Indian  Tobacco Co. opened here in 1948, but most of its raw material was  imported. Small quantities of tobacco were still being cultivated in  Siparia well into the 1960s for local consumption.

BRING OUT DE HAM

Author :An­ge­lo Bisses­sars­ingh

Christ­mas just ain't Christ­mas with­out a good ham. In Trinidad of yes­ter­year, the pre­cious leg of pork would be boil­ing in a pitch-oil tin for many hours be­fore be­ing baked, ei­ther in a coalpot tin oven or a bee­hive mud oven, to be served with oth­er tra­di­tion­al fare like pastelles and fruit cake.

Chances are the ham would be di­min­ished long be­fore the fam­i­ly could have a go at it, through the in­roads of "mop­pers," oth­er­wise known as vil­lage paran­deros.

The choic­es for ham lovers were not easy. Price was a ma­jor con­sid­er­a­tion as well as qual­i­ty. In the coun­try­side ar­eas, the ham every­one knew was a salty, well-cured leg of pork hang­ing from the rafters of the Chi­nese shop. This would be an Amer­i­can ham, im­port­ed in bar­rels of saw­dust with some of that still cling­ing to the sur­face.

Af­ter boil­ing the skin would be stripped off be­fore bak­ing. The skin it­self was kept un­til af­ter Christ­mas, when mon­ey was scarce, and would be used to pro­vide pro­tein in a meal of rice or as the meat in a sand­wich. It could al­so be fried crisp and eat­en as a snack. The fat was used to leav­en bakes. Even the ham bone did not go to waste. Bro­ken up in pieces, it was used in soups, callaloo and oil-down.

The low­est grade of ham was what was known as the "pitch ham." This was lo­cal­ly made and smoked. To pre­serve it, the pitch ham had a coat­ing of as­phalt on the out­side, which made the skin ined­i­ble and im­part­ed a min­er­al flavour to the meat which I am told was far from un­pleas­ant-al­though one can imag­ine that it was not the health­i­est food around.

In the ear­ly 20th cen­tu­ry, an Amer­i­can ham cost about $5, with the pitch ham sell­ing for $2 less. This was no mean ex­pen­di­ture in an era when it was a de­cent month­ly wage for a do­mes­tic ser­vant, mak­ing the ham an in­dul­gence.

The ham most Tri­nis were fa­mil­iar with was the York ham. The York ham is mild­ly flavoured, light­ly smoked and dry-cured, which is salti­er but milder in flavour than oth­er Eu­ro­pean dry-cured ham. It has del­i­cate pink meat and does not need fur­ther cook­ing be­fore eat­ing. It is tra­di­tion­al­ly served with Madeira sauce. Folk­lore has it that the oak used for con­struc­tion for York Min­ster in Eng­land pro­vid­ed the fu­el for smok­ing the meat.

York hams were sold from most city gro­ceries like Can­nings and the Ice House and al­so de­part­ment stores with pro­vi­sion de­part­ments, like Stephens. The fa­mous Ice House Gro­cery on Ma­rine (In­de­pen­dence) Square in­clud­ed a York ham in its fa­mous $5 Christ­mas ham­pers.

Packed chock-full of good­ies like Mus­ca­tel wine, nuts, im­port­ed sweets and dried fruits for the fa­mous rum cake, these ham­pers could be packed in­to a wood­en box and for­ward­ed by rail to cus­tomers deep in the coun­try­side.

Even though some pre­fer turkey, the hall­mark of Christ­mas is still a ham.

Photo 1. : Salt ham hanging at Sing Chong Supermarket on Charlotte Street, Port of-Spain. Photo Credit : BRIAN NG FATT.

Photo 2: Boiling the Christmas Ham- Drawing by Rudolph Bissessarsingh (2012)

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES.
Reminising about our childhood memories what vividly comes to mind is our carefree childhood days of playing and having fun in the rain ( like children in the photo) without any thought of catching the cold or getting sick.

As children growing up in rural village where we still live , my siblings and I could not wait for the rain to stop falling . Behind our home the cocoa estate each time rain fell was transformed into what we thought was a magical wonderland . My father always found the time to take us on these magical adventures. What a beautiful sight it was to behold the many babbling streams and tiny waterfalls created by the heavy rainfall , to explore the little pools formed around the immortelle tree roots filled with fishes and tiny morocoys. Alas these are only memories conjured up in my mind as I reflect on my childhood .

TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE.
Courtesy Historisn Angelo Bissessarsingh.
Article being reposted lest we forget the hard work and sacrifices made by our ancestors to educate and take care of their families in the past. In many rural communities today planting crops is still main source of their livelihood for many families.

PAY-WEEK MARKET NEAR WOODFORD LODGE SUGAR ESTATE 1951

In the second chapter of Sir V.S Naipaul’s iconic novel, ‘A House for Mr. Biswas’ he describes the scene in the pay-yard of a sugar plantation in Central Trinidad which would have been set in the first decade of the 20th century which was when Sir Vidia’s father, Seepersad Naipaul (the hero of the book in the guise of Mohun Biswas) was born:

“Every Saturday he lined up with the other labourers outside the estate office to collect his pay. The overseer sat at a little table, on which his khaki cork hat rested, wasteful of space, but a symbol of wealth. On his left sat the Indian clerk, important, stern, precise, with small neat hands that wrote small neat figures in black ink and red ink in the tall ledger. As the clerk entered figures and called out names and amounts in his high, precise voice, the overseer selected coins from the columns of silver and the heaps of copper in front of him, and with greater deliberation extracted notes from the blue one-dollar stacks, the smaller red two-dollar stack and the very shallow green five-dollar stack. Few labourers earned five dollars a week; the notes were there to pay those who were collecting their wives’ or husbands’ wages as well as their own. Around the overseer’s cork hat, and seeming to guard it, there were stiffblue paper bags, neatly serrated at the top, printed with large figures, and standing upright from the weight of coin inside them. Clean round perforations gave glimpses of the coin and, Raghu had been told, allowed it to breathe.”

This was a play which could have been staged in any random sugar belt plantation in the Caroni Plain or the Naparimas- Woodford Lodge, Palmiste, Orange Grove, St. Augustine etc. Some of the men’s wages of course were already committed to a spree at the local rumshop and for various ‘grease-hand’ payments to the sirdars or Indian headmen who represented the link between the white overseers and the Indian ‘gangs’ of labourers. The Sirdar would have to be kept happy for he could make their tasks as burdensome as possible if he wished or could make false reports against the labourers which would end in them and their families being kicked off the estate.

On larger plantation combines like Woodford Lodge, Ste. Madeline and Palmiste in particular, there would be a space near the pay-office (usually just an acre of beaten earth) where every fortnight an impromptu market would spring up. These supplied a vital need for procurement of various necessities as well as for socialization for which there was little opportunity in the humdrum work-filled lives of sugar-belt peoples, both of Afro and Indo descent. The local estate shop would provide certain staples such as rice, flour, dried peas and beans, rum, salted meat and fish etc. The market however was where the REAL shopping took place. The late Wilfred D. Best, most well-known for his textbook ‘The Student’s Companion’, also penned a novel called ‘Tikasingh’s Wedding’ which drew heavily for its setting from Best’s early life on Frederick Estate in Caroni where he was born in 1911. Part of the novel describes its title character being introduced to estate life, part of which is a vivid description of the market which could have fit any of the others in the period.

A city of rough wooden trestle tables and improvised stands made of packing crates would spring up. In the rainy season , the ground would be muddy and many patrons would be without shoes, preferring soiled feet and braving ‘jiggers’ to sullying their prized footwear. Firstly, there would be a place where vegetables and fruit would be sold. Sundry types of bhagi, tomatoes, ochroes, watercress, lettuce and cabbage were vended separately from ground provisions (yams, eddoes, cassava, sweet potatoes etc.)nearby which were simply laid on the ground or on mats of jute sacking usually bought for a few cents at the shop after they had been used for storing granulated sugar and wet salt. Mangoes, pommeracs, pommecytheres and other fruits (especially watermelons sliced in glass cases to display their juicy redness) would follow next. Another section would be for soft drinks only. At this period in history, there were larger soft drink manufacturers like Cannings and Serrao’s who could distribute their products in vans or by rail, but in almost every village of size there was a small maker of aereated drinks who employed coloured syrups (limited to cola, cream soda and kola champagne- everybody knew Indians only drank this red stuff GIMME LAL WALLAH) and carbonated water, infused with fizz by means of a simple Brateby and Hinchliffe soda water plant which was imported from a dealer in Demerara (later British Guiana) . The bottles were heavy glass ones with a marble stopper in the neck to prevent the gas from escaping. A wooden plunger was used to push the marble down to release the pressure on the liquid- a dangerous process since sometimes the compressed gas would cause the bottle to explode in the hands of the opener.

At every market there would be a dry goods area where clothing and other items were sold. Cheap combs, buttons, laces and ribbons as well as colourful handkerchiefs were in gaudy array. There would be tailors as well, usually Muslim men, who would make up ready-made trousers and shirts during the week and take them to market. The wily Baksh from another of Sir Vidia’s works “The Suffrage of Elvira’ provides a good character sketch of one of these men. Naturally of course, there would be the hardworking Syrian/Lebanese peddlers with their boxes of piece goods- dress and trouser lengths- carried about on their heads and backs from railway stations either by themselves and their sons or else a hired porter. In the shade of a tree they would sit and wait for business and that they had because the cloth and other haberdashery they sold could be had on terms with the payment of a few shillings every week. One wonders at the level of trust between them and their customers, because there are few if any stories of swindling on either side. Indian jewellers or small operations or the agents of larger ones in the towns such as Gokool’s in San Fernando or Y. De Lima and Sultan Khan , would be on hand with velvet lined boxes, displaying rings, coaoa-headed bangles and necklaces for sale on terms as well.

Cooked food would be on hand for those feeling peckish. Usually this was the preserve of Afro-Trinidadian women and their legendary ‘sweet hand’, as they would stand near coalpots set on packing cases turning out accra and floats, fried fish, roast corn, boiled corn (wither plain or seasoned in a broth of pigtail and herbs), corn soup and boiled chataigne which was sold by the pennyworth, being scooped out in an enamel cup and drained before being plunked on a square of brown shop paper. A few would have glass cases stocked with sponge cakes, frosted cupcakes and more earthy favourites like pone, coconut drops and sweetbread. Occasionally, an Indo Trini woman would be there with a wooden tray filled with meetai (kurma, barfi, gulab jamoon, jelibi and ladoo). Only much later did vendors of bara-and-channa appear. Most likely there would be a coconut vendor and his donkey cart too.

Unlike similar markets in Jamaica and British Guiana in the period, there would be no livestock sales as these were usually transacted privately between interested parties and not at market. There would sometimes however, be a woman with some trussed fowls for sale to those who could afford a shilling (24 cents) a pound for the bird for their Sunday lunch. Beef and fresh pork sold off a bloody chopping block by a burly Afro-Trini man with his expert cutlass in hand could be counted on as this was usually 12 cents a pound

Children also had a ball while their mothers did the shopping, impromptu duels of marble pitch or top spinning would be organized out of the way of adults and they could be depended on not to end in trouble. Teen aged boys would be parading in their best shirts and handkerchiefs to see if they could catch they eyes of any of the young girls while their mothers’ backs were turned. The presence of an estate constable or policeman from the nearest station kept the peace though there was little for him to do. The estate markets were a fixture of plantation life well into the 1970s for those who remember them and provided an idyllic setting for the small pleasures which made the arduous life of a cane worker bearable. One may surmise that current recessionary conditions in the nation may have a silver lining if it drives us away from expensive big-box multinationals and superstores , where we push trolleys mindlessly up and down aisles of expensive food, and back to the wholesome goodness of our town and country markets.

BLAST FROM OUR PAST
Credit : Historian Angelo Bissessarsingh

GOVERNOR JACKSON AND HIS ENTOURAGE VISIT SAN FERNANDO.

On May 25th 1906, Governor Sir Henry Moore Jackson (1904-08) visited San Fernando with his wife and entourage. They were received by Mayor Edghill Johnstone (1906-1908) whose father, Dr. Robert Johnstone was the first Mayor of the Borough in 1853. Governor Jackson and his wife visited the Court House ( the present-day Old Police Station) , inspected the King's Wharf and ended with a function at the Drill Hall (present day location of Naparima Bowl) , the old Town Hall being too small to receive them. Governor Jackson and his party would have journeyed to San Fernando via rail and then proceeded by horse. Note Lady Jackson's full riding veil and the heavy security presence necessitated by the Water Riots only three years before which nearly saw the then governor, Sir Alfred Maloney being burnt alive.

Classic Land Rover Fire Truck
( Photo taken June 20th 2009)

This is a mid-1970's LR Series II light response unit owned by the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Petrotrin). This unit is in pretty good shape considering its age. These old Rovers will run forever on their original petrol inline 6 engines and aluminum bodies.Angelo Bissessarsingh
Classic Land Rover Fire Truck.

P.S This Vintage Fire Truck was the one used to transport Santa Angelo to the Schools in the area during Christmas Time.

Why Christmas In The ’80s Was The Best

When I think about what the holidays mean to me, I am always transported to Christmas in the ’80s and sitting on my knees at our coffee table making my list after browsing fat catalogues and watching commercials which tempted kids of the world during Saturday morning cartoons.

Neighbors Came Over To Visit
There were fewer “things to do” and more visiting. I remember coming home from school many afternoons around the holidays and there would be a neighbor or friend sitting at our kitchen table with their hand wrapped around a mug of coffee.

They’d come unannounced and drop off a jar of jam or a coffee cake or a box of nuts and chocolates and my mom would return the favor by sending them home with a Tupperware container of homemade cookies or loaf of bread. These gestures were meaningful and made us slow down and wrap ourselves in the very thing the holidays are supposed to make us feel—pure joy. It’s rare anyone has the time to do this anymore– we are rushing around like ping-pong balls trying to keep our wheels spinning.

There Were More One Income Families
This meant we got less throughout the year, and the holiday and birthday gifts were highly valued. Many parents had to save most of the year to provide a nice holiday for their family and people were more likely to make gifts than they are now. As a kid, I didn’t dig my homemade mittens and hat, but there is something so charming and nostalgic about homemade gifts.

Amazon Didn’t Exist But We Got Catalogues In The Mail

Instead of being able to use your one-click button on Amazon, we waited for that huge Sears or Montgomery Ward or JCPenney catalogue to come in the mail. I would peruse those for hours circling and folding the corners of the pages, then I’d change my mind again. I remember hearing the sound of my mother’s soft voice ordering things after we were in bed and the excitement would be so intense, I couldn’t sleep.

Stores Brought Out Their Christmas Stuff Later (Much Later)
I love this season and always decorate early, but the holidays weren’t shoved in our faces early like they are today. The blaring of Christmas music, and seeing the stores being taken over with glittery merchandise before Halloween ruins it for many and can turn any excitement they have for the holidays into dread.

In the ’80s, you started hearing Jingle Bells and seeing lit up trees after Thanksgiving which not only made us savor it more, we were really ready to spread the holiday cheer by that time.

It Was Just A Simpler Time
When anyone remembers their childhood, it always seems simpler, but so much has evolved since the ’80s: technology, sports programs and the way we parent have gotten much more time-consuming. We are all so busy attending sporting events all weekend, going to meetings, volunteering and over half of all households have both adults working. This doesn’t allow as much time to bake and visit and just lounge in front of the television to watch a Christmas special on a Friday evening with a TV dinner.

We Celebrated The Holidays In School
Elementary school holidays parties were the most exciting way to spend the day before winter break. We drew names, everyone brought in goodies to eat, and the entire whole school was buzzing in anticipation for what was to come.

We Had To Wait For Christmas Specials And Christmas Music To Come On The Radio
Sure, some of us had a VHS but even then, we had to talk our parents into renting a Christmas movie which was pretty unlikely. When Charlie Brown’s Christmas or It’s A Wonderful Life came on the television, you made a family night out of it.

And I clearly remember my sisters and me hovering around the radio hoping Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer would come on because nothing was available at our finger tips. Now you can produce Christmas in 100 different ways with a few clicks any time of the year.

You Recognize Wrapping Paper From Past Years
Nothing, and I mean nothing was wasted. My mother used the same wrapping paper and ribbons for  years. There were times that she and my father would let us rip through our gifts but when it came to the bigger items, we were always instructed to be careful so the precious paper could be saved and packed away with the Christmas decorations.

Of course, we always remember our childhood being better and more exciting than it actually was, but I’ve celebrated Christmas for over four decades and now that I’m the boss of the house and we do it my way I still say nothing beats an 80s Christmas

25 Ways to know if you are a TRUE Floridian...

1. Socks are only for bowling.

2. You never use an umbrella because the rain will be over in five minutes.

3. A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

4. Your winter coat is made of denim.

5. You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

6. You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.

7. Anything under 70 degrees is chilly.

8. You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.

9. You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

10. You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

11. You dread love bug season.

12. You are on a first name basis with the hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley or Hurricane Frances. You know them as Andrew, Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Wilma, Irene, Cheryl, Rita, Mary, Alison.

13. You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.

14. You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

15. 'Down South' means Key West.

16. Flip-flops are everyday wear. Shoes are for business meetings and church, but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before.

17. You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

18. You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

19. A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

20. You know the four seasons really are: hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season and summer.

21. You've hosted a hurricane party.

22. You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Withlacoochee , Thonotosassa and Micanopy.

23. You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat, than have a boat yourself.

24. You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas and New Years.

25. You recognize Miami-Dade as "Northern Cuba."

best:
your eyes like midnight fireflies
Light up the trenches where my heart lies

worst:
Love has made me a fool
It set me on fire and watched as I floundered

The Picture from Gaza may Allah help our brothers on the unjust people

Celebrating our people.
The Iron Lady, Phooljarria Ramnarain

Phooljarria Ramnarain was born in 1854 Basti Faizerbad and arrived in Suriname when she was 28 years old with her son Hurdutt Sital Persaud in 1882. She was placed on the Jaglust plantation. She worked there for 7 years. She then left the plantation and became the first Hindustani woman to own her own rice plantation. She adopted 32 orphans from different ethnic groups and relics. This photo was made in 1905 in Paramaribo.

Did you know that there were people of Chinese descent who played a critical role in the development of the local oil industry? In this article Angelo Bissessarsingh tells of the contribution of John Lee Lum to the development of the Local Oil Industry .

JOHN LEE LUM – OIL PIONEER

Author and Researcher : Angelo Bissessarsingh

John Lee Lum was one of the few Chinese in Trinidad who did not come here directly. Born in Guangdong , China in 1847, he went to California , USA where he worked with thousands of other Chinese coolies to lay the track for the Trans Pacific Railroad which connected the East and West Coasts. In 1885, he came to Trinidad and set up a provision shop on Charlotte St. It prospered since there was a boom in the price of cocoa which meant that he traded provisions for dried cocoa beans which were then exported. Ever the shrewd businessman, he recognized instantly the value of having agencies in the outlying areas of the island and by 1900, owned 60 shops in villages throughout Trinidad, including La Brea, Mayaro, Siparia, Toco, Tunapuna, Sangre Grande, Chaguanas, Pointe-a-Pierre, Moruga, Princes Town and Tabaquite. Lee Lum gave credit and so was able to foreclose on many peasant-owned smallholdings. This is how he was able to acquire vast cocoa estates on the south coast and in the Montserrat Hills near Gran Couva .
Lee Lum was supposed to have been the originator of a catchphrase “Chinee for Chinee” which meant that he sent back to China for labour to staff his shops. At the time (1890s) there was a shortage of coins in the island. At his La Brea shop in particular, Lee Lum issued stamped metal tokens which were square and bore his name as well as the word ‘La Brea’. Perhaps remembering the copper ‘cash’ of his homeland, the tokens had a hole in the middle which meant that they could be strung together. Estates such as those owned by Lee Lum, paid their workers with IOU slips called ‘chits’ which would be taken to the shop to be exchanged for goods. Perhaps John Lee Lum is best remembered for the role he played in the development of the local oil industry.
In the 1880s, a surveyor mapping the southeastern coast noticed seepages of oil in the Guayaguyare forest. By 1893, Major Randolph Rust, a POS merchant who had been bitten by the oil bug, was in the same forest looking at the seepages. The land was owned by Lee Lum. Rust was sufficiently convinced of the commercial possibilities of oil, and undertook to provide financing for his enterprise BEFORE drilling. Backed by Lee Lum, Rust entered into a partnership with the Walkerville Whisky Company of Canada to form the “Canadian Oil Exploration Syndicate in 1901.Erecting a rickety wooden drilling rig, powered by a steam engine Rust and his men struck a rich oilsand at just 2000 feet. The recovery process was even cruder than the drilling apparatus. A large well was dug and a pulley system installed on which drill pipe dippers were dipped in the pooling oil and then dumped into wooden barrels which were then loaded on canoes and taken to the mouth of the river. Although the production of oil had begun in earnest the costs associated with the remote location were huge. Moreover, refining the oil was a problem since it had to be sent to La Brea to be distilled into fuel. In 1913, Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd who had commenced operations at Fyzabad and had opened a refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre took over the Guayaguayare wells of Rust and Lee Lum.
John Lee Lum married and had three sons; Aldrich, Edwin and Oliver who were educated in the USA and England and returned to Trinidad to take over the family business which by the 1920s was one of the largest family-owned firms in Trinidad and diversifying into the importation of Chinese goods and wares. In 1914 he purchased a quantity of land at Pointe Gourde in Chaguaramas where the subsoil was suitable for road metal. A thriving quarry was operated here well into the 1930s before the coming of the Americans in WWII when the entire peninsula was ceded to them under the Bases Agreement. Lee Lum was always a supporter of the local Chinese community and in 1925 established a cooperative business for them called the Canton Trading Company which imported dry goods from China and became one of the best known retailers of Charlotte St. The first Managing Director of the Canton Trading Company was John T. Allum, a local Chinese who later branched off to form the well-known Allum’s supermarket chain which survives today as JTA Supermarkets. Lee Lum retired to Hong Kong to enjoy his wealth and died there in the 1930s.
Copy of photo of John Lee Lum

Mt. St. Benedict 1941.

HOW DID FREDERICK STREET GET ITS NAME?

Credit to Researcher: Angelo Bissessarsingh

In the year 1796, while Trinidad was still under Spanish rule, a group of English sailors on shore leave in Port-of-Spain became involved in a tavern brawl with some French Republicans. The fight turned serious and spread into the street (Calle San Carlos or St. Charles St.) and almost overwhelmed the meager Spanish soldiery housed at Fort San Andres. Thereafter, the street where this infamous encounter occurred became known to the French populace of Trinidad as Rue De Anglais (Street of the English).

However, when the island fell into English hands in 1797, the street was named Fredrick St. in honour of Frederick of Prussia, father of King George III. Frederick St. remained a major thoroughfare in the town and was connected to Clarence St. which ran from the Queen’s Park Savannah. Thus, Frederick St. as we know it was created.

This photo from 1925 shows the electric tram which ran throughout Port-of-Spain from 1895-1950.

Did You Know - The Water Riots in Trinidad

"A characteristic of Trinidad life in the late 19th century was an enormous waste of water. In 1874 with a population of 25,000 people, the delivery of water in Port-of-Spain was 1 ¾ million gallons – averaging 65 to 71 gallons per head, more than twice the allowance of London. It was recommended that meters should be used to prevent waste but this was ignored.

Much of the waste was caused by the well-to-do section of the Port-of-Spain population, mainly the large houses around the Queen’s Park Savannah. One example cited in a report of 1893 was a house where 8,000 gallons were consumed daily. Every well-to-do person constructed not an ordinary Roman bath, but large plunge baths containing as much as 1,000 or 2,000 gallons each – which were filled every day by letting the tap run all night. By the turn of the century there were 1,380 baths in Port-of-Spain exceeding 100 gallons in capacity. The 8,000 people who used them were estimated to consume no less than 1 ½ million gallons daily, an average of 187 gallons per head.

An engineer was called upon to reform the system in the 1890s and recommended the development of more sources of water supply by building reservoirs and introducing water meters. In 1896, all of Port-of-Spain was up in arms at the ordinance authorising meters to be put upon large plunge baths and providing for increased rates. The Port-of-Spain municipality took the lead in this agitation and the Crown Colony Government (controlled by Britain) backed down.

In 1899 the Governor, Sir Hubert Jerningham, didn’t help matters by abolishing the Borough of Port-of-Spain and its council, deemed to be petty and inefficient in the management of its affairs. Henceforth, the affairs of the burgesses were to be managed by central government. In 1902, an ordinance was introduced again – and again public meetings were held against the government and the meter system. The bill was withdrawn but this time people were prosecuted for wasting water. 3

On 5 March 1903, yet another water ordinance was published. The second reading was scheduled for 16 March but because of disorderly behaviour of spectators in the council chamber on that day, the Executive Council was adjourned to 23 March. As soon as the bill appeared on 5 March, violent articles were written against it. This led to aggressive speeches being made by members of a Ratepayers Association at a public meeting at the Racestand on the Savannah (or Public Park), on 14 March. The Ratepayers Association was led by the disenfranchised Mayor of Port-of-Spain, John Cox Newbold, who led ratepayers in the belief that water was a right of existence and not a scarce commodity to be bought and sold.

On 23 March, the Governor, Sir Cornelius Alfred Moloney, added more fuel to the flames by insisting on admission by ticket only into the council chamber at The Red House, the seat of colonial government, to hear the debate. It was this notice – that tickets would be required by the public for admission – that acted as a spark for the water riots.

What happened on 23 March?
The Red House was pelted with stones by a large crowd of people (or those members of the Ratepayers Association gathering in Brunswick Square) and eventually burnt to the ground. The police were called out, two Royal Navy ships, The Pallas and The Rocket landed troops, in addition to the 250 men of the Lancashire Fusiliers already deployed at barracks in Port-of-Spain. The ominous Riot Act was read to the crowd, and then the policemen were given the order to fire on the protestors. As Eric Williams wrote later, ‘It was war between bottles and stones on the one side and bullets on the other’.

The Commission of Enquiry formed after the riot detailed that 471 rounds of ammunition had been discharged. A total of 16 people were killed on the spot or died of their wounds through the use of ‘authorised firing’ and 43 others treated at hospital for injuries received.

The Red House was completely rebuilt by 1907, it’s most notable addition being the imposing rotunda or dome which is its most recognisable feature today. It was not until 1914 that the local council and municipal ordinance of Port-of-Spain were reinstated. But the Commission did recommend that water management affairs fall under the rule of local rather than central government – a victory for local democracy… eventually."

Rum Journal: In Trinidad and Tobago, the Art of the Rum Shop
Rum shops have offered a lot — a haven for the broken-hearted, a podium for aspiring leaders, and a round table for discussions on current affairs and bacchanals (i.e. gossip). They are the place to be re-energized and the place to simply “have a nice time”.
In Trinidad and Tobago, there are endless rum shops that can be found almost anywhere- by corners, beaches, main roads and back roads.
It is common to hear the terms “bar” and “rum shop” used simultaneously to refer to the same establishments, however, there are a few distinct differences between them.  To put it simply- rum shops are for the grass roots and down-to-earths, whilst bars are for the more, well, refined if you will.
Rum shops are embedded in Caribbean history and culture, first taking shape as English “tippling houses”. Unlike bars, they are characterized by selling alcohol by bottle, a nip/petit quart/PQ (half-pint), or a shot- all of which can be bought without any surprise service charges.
Ambiance and appearance are also distinct in rum shops when compared to bars. Traditional rum shops are simple structures with two or three doorways and often painted with the colours of a rum or beer sponsor brand. The walls are usually pasted with posters and scribbled notices. More than likely, you can also spot the sign “Any day, any time” somewhere, which basically translates to “I am my own boss”. Some shops are mellow places to just sit back, relax and sip. Others can be known for their pounding music, karaoke, All Fours competitions and Friday-night squabbles.
Customers, which mostly consist of men, tend to be from around the area and can easily spot a visitor as one who refers to the shop by its actual name rather than the owner’s nickname (Trinbagonians get creative with these.). This communal closeness can become a burden for an owner though, since many persons use it as license to demand credit. Then there are the other conspirators, called “moppers”, who have perfected the art of assimilating in groups to enjoy free drinks, then aptly disappearing when time for payment draws near.
Like any business place, items on sale vary according to customers’ preferences. While Tequila can be a big seller in one place, in another shop it can be non-existent as the patrons may favour local rums such as the legendary and somewhat infamous “firewater” that is Forres Park Puncheon Rum. Yes, the label “firewater” says it all.  In terms of foodstuff, nuts and fried channa are standard snacks, but many rum shops offer sustenance in the forms of geera or fried chicken, sandwiches, pies, barbecue and souse (pickled meat).
While cruising through Trinidad and Tobago, it would be extremely difficult to not see at least one shop with patrons casually “liming” (hanging out) outside. If you do decide to check one out, here are some common terms you may want to be familiar with to carry on, or even understand, a conversation:
Babash–      Extremely strong home-made rum that is illegal in Trinidad and Tobago;      also known as bush rum, mountain dew, twist or daru
Brian Lara — Fernandes      Black Label Rum (named after the world-renown Trinidadian cricketer)
Carmen Jones — another      name for Fernandes Black Label Rum (based on the movie, Carmen Jones)
Cutters — appetizers      taken while drinking that are preferably salty and spicy; popular choices      include geera pork or chicken, souse (pickled meat with pepper, lime,      onion and cucumber), fried chicken wings and spicy, curried channa
• Double dog/Two dogs– Black and White Scotch      Whiskey
• Fire (v.) — To have a drink of rum e.g. “You      firing one, man?”
• Firewater — A potent, alcoholic drink;      Forres Park Puncheon Rum
• Mopper (v. mop) — someone      whose sole purpose is to get free drinks at a rum shop
• Rum-cork — an alcoholic; someone who drinks      heavily; also called rum jumbie, rum mouth or rum sucker
• Rum talk — saying things when high or      drunk that you wouldn’t usually say when sober
• Steel and Brass — a mixture of Forres      Park Puncheon Rum and Carib beer
P.S. Before drinking from a new bottle, don’t forget to pour a libation of rum on the ground for the ancestors. Have fun, beware the moppers and drink responsibly!

May 9, 1980. Chilly, foggy morning in Tampa Bay area. I was having morning coffee when an urgent news broadcast came on TV. A 600 ft long freighter, Summit Venture had struck the South bound Skyway Bridge knocking down 2 spans. A bus and several cars had plunged into the bay; undetermined number killed. Later, it was announced that 35 had died.