Tag Archives: bahamas

Shot & Burned

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In Nassau a few days ago, police found the body of a man, shot and burned beyond recognition.

According to reports,

“Officers at the scene of the incident at Lily of the Valley Corner off East Street, initially responded to calls that a Ford Explorer was engulfed in flames.

After firefighters extinguished the blaze, it was discovered that a man was inside the vehicle. Upon further examination, investigators discovered what appeared to be a gunshot wound in the right side of the victim’s head. The incident happened at around 6:20 am.  Authorities are urging members of the public to come forward with any information they might have of the incident.”

Exclamation Point!

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In Bahamianese we have various ways to show our emotions through words. You will rarely hear someone say something like this **in my valley girl voice**”Oh my gosh! That is so totally cool!” You’d probably get some weird looks on that so here are common words/phrases that we use in showing excitement.

**Remember to use in proper context! Just because you hear it, doesn’t mean you say it.**

Well Holy Savior pilot me! – is like saying Lord help me stay in control because this child is about to get a whooping!

Well muddasick dred! – No one’s  mother is sick. This can be used when you’re happy, sad, upset, frustrated… it’s pretty universal. Variations of this include: well motorbike, well monkeyfoot, well muddoes, well murda.

Bey! – another universal word that is used in many ways. Mostly referring to when you’re calling someone you’d say “Bey, come here,” but it can be used to signal agreement in excitement. Eg. If a friend told you something sad you’re response could be “Bey, thas a lite wybe,” or if you got some pretty exciting news it’d be “Bey, thas awesome bey!”

Chal!/Chile please (don’t make me sneeze) – I like to use this one, well, just the chal part. Chile please is more like saying I’m not interested or checking… sorta like saying get real or something. Just listen for it in context because you wouldn’t say it if someone just told you their kid/aunt/uncle just died.

Dred – is like a shortened form of muddasick dred but can also be used to describe something that is really good i.e. that shirt look dred aye!

Tru tru – is said in agreement instead of saying OK.

Don’t do it! – This is a newer phrase that just became popular in the last 3-4 years. It doesn’t always mean literally don’t do something, but again, one of those things said in excitement or disagreement. An older version of this is don’t play with me!

Ya lie!/ Fa true? – can be used interchangeably  if someone is telling you something that is really hard to believe.

Should EVERYTHING Be Put on the internet?

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Now I know we live in a time where sex tapes can lea gid to you becoming a mogul of sorts. Heck, even YouTube has led to some people stretching their 15 minutes of fame (see Antoine Dodson and that girl who sings about Friday). But is it okay that we as regular citizens perpetuate certain things like sharing a screen shot of a minors involved in sexual acts?? How far is too far? Continue reading →

Chicken in the Bag

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In America, there is Popeye’s and KFC. In the Bahamas, we’ve got places like Bamboo Shack and Sammy’s. They are the go-to spots when you’re looking to get an old fashioned greasy chicken and fries kind of meal. We have KFC too, but there’s something about the way ketchup and hot sauce merges with grease from a deep-fried thigh, fries and roll on the side, all wrapped with a wax paper covering and put into a brown paper bag, hence chicken in the bag.

Conch Snack from Bamboo Shack

Conch Snack from Bamboo Shack

While the photo above may not be chicken, it’s another great thing about our chicken in the bag joints: it doesn’t have to be just chicken. We are a people that loves us some seafood, so on most menus, there is going to be a seafood option(s). Fish burgers, conch burgers with a side of fries can hit the spot after a late night of partying. Imperials is known especially for the late night party goers because they stay open until 5 a.m.. The food isn’t anything special but I’ve heard it’s good for soaking up the alcohol in your system.

My favorite food from Bamboo Shack is the jerk thigh snack with mild jerk sauce. The hot jerk sauce is literally life altering! Jerk is mostly known for being a Jamaican dish but Bahamians have made a good name in having some pretty good jerk as well. This sort of food should not be eaten everyday but  rather occasionally as a guilty pleasure food.

Right now Bamboo Shack should be paying for all this free advertising (lol), but if you’re in Nassau and craving some greasy food, check out their CARIFTA (Caribbean Free Trade Association) Games specials they have going on. I did not know they served ribs and they even have veggie burgers now!

Native Eats…Coco Plums

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Known in scientific terms as Chrysobalanus icaco, the coco plum is one of my favorite native fruits to eat.

It’s like a field of white gold!

Coco plums can be found growing in and around cypress swamps, low areas, tree islands, beaches, sand dunes, canals, riverside, ocean side thickets, by lakes, ponds and even in some landscaping. They have a meaty white texture and like most fruit, the meat covers the seed in the middle encased by a hard outer shell. When I was a kid, I would eat a coco plum clean and then crack open the shell to get to the seed. The seed did not taste good! It was tarty and bitter.

Coco plums don’t just come in the off shades of white and yellow. Some of them have blushes of pink.  There are also ones that are called black coco plums, but they aren’t really black. They have a really deep or dark blue color.

                                                 

There was a coco plum tree right across the street from my house so I would raid it as soon as they got ripe. I would come back home with a shirt filled with them. As much as I enjoyed them, too many of them in one sitting could lead to a bit of constipation, lol. But to me, it was well worth it. I would knock a spider out of their home in the bush if I needed too. Spiders seemed to frequent these sorts of trees for some reason.

Coco plums can be used to make jellies or preserves but I have not had the privilege to try it in that form. I don’t even know anyone that has ever made it into a jelly, but it is possible. One of natures sweet delights that can be eaten as it, the coco plum needs no alterations to be a cool little snack and you can make an adventure out of it trying to pick them!