The year 2020 brought us many things, the good, the bad and the ugly. Of the good, is the first official celebration of National Jerk Chicken Day! Yup, Jerk Chicken has its very own day on our calendar — October 25, as recorded by the USA National Day Archives. In…

For a small island with an accent as the official “language,” the popularity of Jamaica’s dialect, patois (patwa or patwah), and usage spreads far beyond its borders. For Jamaicans abroad, it’s a way for us to recognize and connect with each other — it’s the same for imitations of the…

Jamaica is truly a special place. The island is popular for many things, but especially for its dialect, Patois (Patwa or Patwah), which is an English-based creole language. Patois, for the most part, is a spoken language, but its written phonetic elements have piqued interest over the years. Personally, I…

My older sister’s dogs, “Hershey” and “Peppa,” a year apart, are both cocker spaniels breed and the two couldn’t be any more different. Hershey is a rambunctious outdoorsman, while Peppa enjoys the comforts and delights behind closed doors. My brother-in-law has this running joke that one is “the African” and…

HBO series “I May Destroy You” spoilers ahead After months of dealing with a stalled kitchen renovation, one holiday weekend, in my temporary hold up I found myself scrolling through Twitter. Post after post in my timeline suggesting that HBO’s newest series, “I May Destroy You,” is a must-watch. To…

When I think of Jamaica the first things that come to mind are home, family, sun, beach, food and joy. However, whenever a non-Jamaican learns that I am Jamaican or a tourist visiting Jamaica, the top three things mentioned are Bob Marley, ganja and the beaches. Ganja doesn’t miss a…

I overheard once that there are three things that terrify Jamaicans: green lizards, a flying cockroach and white chicken. I cannot stress enough how accurate a blanket statement this is. I do not know the origin of such fears, but I’ve seen remnants of this belief or false truth- in…

For all of us, 2020 has been a year and some and we haven’t even officially made it halfway through. At the beginning of the year I’d embarked on the adventures of a plant-based diet for numerous reasons, but mainly to be kinder to animals. In the process I’ve been…

“Shop,” Jamaica’s “bodegas” and “the fabric of our lives.”COVID-19 revealed that there are 10,000 registered bars in Jamaica. The keyword here is “registered” because there is not a single Jamaican who is not related to someone who owns a shop (source: Me, myself and I — prove us otherwise). The…