The next decade....what's in store?

Sunday in "Deep South"

I must say, the Sunday Outings are getting more spectacular as the weeks go by in Calypso Land.

First Sunday there was the supermarket (believe me - when I woke up that Sunday and remembered I was going there, I was actually excited!). Second Sunday last week was a little beach tucked away just past Las Cuevas (ok, so Trinidad really doesn't have any beaches to speak of, so let's say it was a place with some sand and water on the coast).

Third Sunday today, the destination was South Trinidad, Deep South Trinidad, to a Hindu Wedding. Maaaaaaan, what an experience!

First there was the food. Then there were the outfits. And to top it off, the tassa drums. Now I must warn allyu. My spellings will be way off. In fact some things I can't spell cause I don't know what they were.

Take my outfit for one. Loaned to me by a Jamaican girlfriend with whom I went today. The bride was a cousin of my friend's sister's husband. Following me so far? So this outfit, I think it starts with 'S'. The top is long and could be worn by itself. But there was a pants with it. And a scarf thingy. So I fit in. But I don't remember the name.

Lots of colours. Indian clothes are fantastic. Lovely adornments. Very rich looking. There were pinks, purples and peaches; greens, blues and reds. And the bride wore a gorgeous yellow. Truly regal. And not just one outfit either. The yellow symbolized purity, then she changed into red for the second part of the ceremony which was very very long.

The rhythm of the drums was pulsating, urging many to shake their waist. I was doing a lil conservative thing, when this gentleman, well up in age, who was standing behind me out on the road said "you could shake it all you want you know, it won't break!".

But of course, if you know me, the food is what intrigued me the most. Yes, of course, I had had Indian food before. Love it. In fact next to Jamaican food, I'd say Indian is my favourite. But never before had I experienced eating from this kind of plate. A banana leaf....with my bare hands. Did I wash it before eating? Nope. Was it anywhere it shouldn't have been before? Probably. But we not checking fuh dat. We just checking on the feast. There was paratha (that torn up roti skin they call 'buss up shirt'), channa (chick peas), dahl (split peas), pumpkin (you don't need a translation), salad (ditto), bodie beans (like string beans but tres long), mango chutney, rice, and some other peppery vegetable mix up. Delish. And to wash it down, your choice was Red Sweet Drink or Black Sweet Drink.

Now the thing with a long ceremony and the menu I have just described, is that the negro-ness shows up soon after. Nigritis (spelling probably wrong too). And like how I didn't have much sleep last night, gosh, it was hard to stay awake. So I didn't. Propped up my head on my hand and dozed for a minute here and a minute there.

But all in all, a lovely day out, an out-of-this-world experience for me. That's what life is all about...ent?. Let's see how well the next Sunday Outing surpasses this one today.

Oh, you know the lovely thing about how we ate today? No dishes to wash!

Posted by yamfoot at August 17, 2003 07:45 PM