One of the questions Lynda asked was: What was my favorite food that mother prepared; or was it "what was my favorite food"? So, why not cover both, that way you'll know more about me at least.

My mother had very few of the choices that women have today in food selection. I would say that most of the time she had to prepare what was available and her children learned very early on in life to eat what she served or go hungry (no really slow learners in this family). I never saw my mother refer to a recipe to cook anything and I think that by the time she got to me (her tenth child), she could cook blindfolded. Except for bread and coffee and an occasional cake during the week, there was not anything around to eat (unless you went out fruit hunting , and there was plenty of that if you were energetic enough to climb trees). You must remember there was no refrigeration in those days and in the tropics food spoiled very quickly. So, by meal time everyone was hungry, and to assure that everyone got something to eat, the election of freedom of selection was suspended by my father for the purpose of preventing the older and bigger children from devouring just the things they liked and possibly causing starvation of the younger children. (I exaggerate a little bit there; call it poetic license). Here is how dad controlled the " food supply": If there were 8 people sitting at the table, mother stacked 8 plates in front of dad. He would take the top plate and put what he considered an equitable portion of all the meats and vegetables. If he then passed the plate to the person next to him on the left, that child would pass the plate on to the next and the plate would be passed on this way until it came to the child on his immediate right. This process continued until everyone was served; but no one touched their food until blessings (grace) was said. Whatever her limitations on selections were, mother never stinted on quantity and I never knew of anyone leaving the table hungry. There was always food left over after dad had served every one. You helped yourself to seconds if you were fast enough and strong enough to get there first - but the younger ones had to console themselves with the leavings which the older ones did not want.

On Saturdays mother would always bake a cake large enough to last through Sunday. Most of the time this was what was called locally a "heavy" cake because it was usually made from one of the starchy vegetables such as cassava, cocoa, yam, potato, and breadfruit and occasionally from cornmeal or cornstarch. She alternated those with a "light" cake made of flour, eggs, milk,flavorings etc. same as is common in the U.S. today. For cooking the heavy cakes mother would use either the fireplace or woodstove and for breads, rolls, and light cakes she would use her oil-stove.

Our big meal was at noon and the meat was usually what was available locally although there was imported corned beef, salted fish (mackerel), canned salmon. Native meats, in order of frequency were: Fish, beef, turtle,pork, lobster, conch.

Turtle is among the most popular meats in Cayman because for 300 years the British Navy and merchant ships served it especially in the Carribbean. They discovered that live turtle could survive for several weeks on board (if they were wet down daily) and crews could thus enjoy fresh meat for long periods of time. Apparently the first settlers in Cayman had previously experienced the taste of turtle and had found it in plentiful supply in Cayman waters at least until the early part of the 20th century at which time Cayman sailing ships fished for them in Cental American waters.

I don't know that I can point to any food and say that was my favorite. My favorite meats were those that came out of the sea so long as they were fresh. I tell you there is a lot of difference between lobster (boiled) that my mother served with a little salt, lemon (or lime) juice and butter than one at a restaurant that has been around for 4 years and tough as a boot. I suppose if I had a favorite vegetable it would have to be an Idaho Irish potato served with butter only. My dislikes for vegetables far exceed my likes. One of my most precious and delightful memories of childhood is of walking home from school after 3 o'clock in the afternoon and a block away from home meeting this delightful aroma of fresh coffee (coffee freshly roasted, ground and made) and baking bread. I tell you, hot bread and butter with fresh coffee, like mother made, was something out of this world. If there is anything better to eat than that I never found it. But perhaps that is just a childhood fancy like a lot of other things like enjoying best the wild fruit that I got all scratched up to find or endangered my life to reach at the very tops of trees.

I am not exactly satisfied with my work on this installment but I must move on. I have 4 more questions to deal with but perhaps I can lump some or all of them together.

3/28/04
5:25PM
End of Installment Twelve