Fond Memories

One of my fondest memories of growing up was of the time after I'd gotten my drivers license. As I'm sure many of you can attest, a son with a drivers license equals a mother who no longer needs to drive anywhere......ever.

I became the errand boy, the chauffeur, the delivery service (she did catering on the side); people would probably pay good money for this sort of driving experience at 16. But the one enduring memory I have of this time, was my Sunday routine. Like many trinibagonian families, we had a market day. I think my grandmother's was Monday or Tuesday but ours was always Sunday.

Every Sunday morning after church, she'd give me the list, most often hand written in pencil on a torn, wrinkly piece of copybook paper.....you know, the usual market stuff:

2 hand ah green fig
3 pound ah tomato
some (yeah she wrote "some") cucumber
2 bunch a shadow beni
a bag ah carrot, some sweet pepper
pumkin
a watermelon (taste it an make sure it sweet)
stop by de rastaman an get some senna (Jesus......)
5 pound ah Carite (make sure it fresh)
two big bunch ah callaloo bush

The market run was just a cover though, well for me anyway. Market days began for me, what became a lifelong addiction to doubles. See I'm from Maracas......St. Joseph, not Maracas Bay. Which means market was Tunapuna Market. If you're paying attention, you know what lies between St. Joseph and Tunapuna.

Curepe Junction

Oh gawd yes, every Sunday morning, without fail, two doubles, everything, slight pepper (ahem....TwoWithSlight) and a coconut water.....water nut, ice cold, no jelly. It's a pity the pudding lady didn't come out on Sundays or I'd be talking about my black pudding tradition as well, but alas.

Lawrenceville 

I'm telling you this because I have within the past few weeks located a hitherto unknown (to me anyways) group of Trinidadians living in Lawrenceville, GA who serve hot fresh doubles, aloo pie, bake and shark, saltfish, pone, tunnocks, etc every Sunday morning. I can't begin to tell you how good it feels to again be waking up on Sundays, running 3 exits up to get barra hot out the oil, fresh channa, hot bake an shark and I'm sorry but I can't remember the last time I had an aloo pie that good.

All they're missing now is saheena and pholourie. Now obviously I'm not going to broadcast the people's address but if you're interested, give me a buzz, I'll send you the address; hot fresh doubles, every Sunday 11 to 2. The lime is real nice too as there are chairs and tables laid out for folks to sit back and relax, red solo (glass bottle) in hand.

Link up!