Rosemary Parkinson, Contributor
The family all gathered around the Christmas table, above, Laurel's Marshmallow Yam Pie and Bajan Jug Jug. - PHOTOS BY ROSEMARY PARKINSON
MY PARENTS moved to Venezuela in the '40s and we children were all born in that amazing South American country. Parents and grandparents are from Trinidad; there's a smattering of Tobago on my maternal father's side, a touch of Grenada on my mother's side and much Barbados ancestry on my paternal father's side. Dad took early retirement, moved to Barbados in the '60s to devote his life to art - we certainly understood from an early age the true meaning of federation and even the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) before either was heard of.
We always did things the Caribbean way; the move to Barbados made the unity stronger. This month marks the first anniversary of the 'crossing-over' of our beloved father and we - including newest arrivals, his great-grandchildren - have all vowed to ensure that the Parkinson Christmas legend continues in exactly the same fashion.
OPEN HOUSE
Let us begin with Christmas eve's open house. Starting at 6:00 p.m., the front doors are left open to the gallery. The tree is lit with the Venezuelan pesebres (nativity scene and angels) all around. A mixture of parang, aguinaldos (Trinidadian and Venezuelan carols respectively) reggae and dub Christmas, and American original Yuletide songs hit the air. The bar is stocked with every imaginable alcoholic and non-alcohol drink - that includes Ponche Creme (Venezuela), sorrel (Trinidad), ginger beer and mauby (Barbados).
ARRAY OF BITES
The buffet table has an array of bites that begin with my mother's traditional and most sought after pea soup and ends with Bajan flying fish, Guyana pepperpot, baked chicken, Trinidad curry chicken, roti bakes, slices of home-baked ham with Bajan salt bread, different pasapalos (Venezuelan appetisers) and, on my insistence, this year there will be Mother's Jamaican cocktail patties. Oh! Yes! I already introduced Appleton Jamaica Rum and now it is patty time for the party time!
On Christmas eve there are people from all over the world and different walks of life at my mother's house. I know one young man who flies in from London come rain, wind or snow, just in time to enjoy. It is everyone's knowledge that he and his mother are the last to leave the premises, going directly to midnight mass from there! Even Santa Claus makes his appearance during the party with a bag of toys for any child who dares to love him - he's always so scary especially after several good tough drinks!
Christmas Day begins early. At dawn, the music is turned back on. The presents and stockings under the tree are opened much to the delight of the little ones, Ponche Creme (Venezuela, Trinidad and Curacao) is poured and the day begins in earnest with breakfast a feast of hallacas/pastilles (basically same thing from Venezuela/Trinidad respectively). Prepared weeks beforehand and frozen - they look much like Jamaican blue drawers but are savoury filled with meat, raisins, capers, hot peppers and many other seasonings, served hot by boiling for a few minutes. Trinidad Black Pudding (sausage made from pig's blood) and Bajan Pudding and souse (sausage made with sweet potato and no blood, souse is pickled pig parts such as foot, ears, nose).
After the mess of the night before, the papers from presents gathered, the kitchen is cleaned up and the next procedure begins in earnest. The suckling pig, turkey stuffed and placed in the oven - and if there was no leftover ham, another one is dutifully prepared covered in orange marmalade and mustard and poked all over with cloves. By the time the rest of the family arrive (and there are many of us including great-grandmothers, grandfathers and husbands, boyfriends, wives and girlfriends, from other parts of the world), the bar is open again. Mother's speciality - Trinidad Rum Punch is served. As the day progresses rums can go from Barbados to Jamaica to Trinidad (same with the beers - Banks, Carib and Heineken) to French, Italian and American Wines. My mother's basic preference of a good plonk - none other than the Earnest and Julio Gallo collection - she and my father have been drinking these with lunch every day before anybody even heard that America had good wines! And so, all through the morning there is movement - friends and entourage dropping in, some of us going off to other homes returning to join the crowd - each and everyone with one thing in mind - drink and food in that order and mucho mucho love.
Christmas Table
The Christmas table is decked in Yuletide cloth and the feast begins. Whilst the above mentioned meats are being carved by those selected for this job yearly, the 'side' dishes are passed around. Jamaican rice and peas (a good pig tail poking right out the dish),caraotas negras (Venezuelan Black Beans), platano frito (plantain beaten with a spoon in its skin before frying to get all those sugars up). There is also Bajan jug jug (made from pigeon (gungo) peas and guinea corn), green plantain souse (pickled in lime juice, onions, garlic and parsley), leftover pig souse from breakfast as well as hallacas, Venezuelan potato salad, Trinidad macaroni pie, Bajan sweet potato pie with pineapple, Venezuelan corn pie, Bajan pumpkin fritters and fresh green salad.
When the thanks has been given for our bounty, the toasts of good wishes done, and the food considered eaten, out comes my mother's Trinidad Christmas plum pudding alight and welcomed with much hand-clapping from the children, served with mother's most delightful brandy-or-rum-or-both-sauce - to die for.
And now tell me that CSME is not going to bring joy to all of us! May you have a Blessed and Merry Christmas from all us in the land of the flying fish.
Ponche Creme
Blend 12 eggs
1 cup rum
2 cans condensed milk
3 cans evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla.
Serve chilled on crushed ice, with a touch of Angostura Bitters and a sprinkle of grated cinnamon.
Miss Lilly's Soused Green Banana
5 green bananas boiled in the skins until soft.
Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water to prevent pot from turning black.
Peel, cut in slices and place in glass bowl.
Add 1 finely chopped onion
2 cucumbers peeled
deseeded and grated
quarter cup chopped parsley
half finely chopped deseeded Scotch bonnet
2 large tablespoon of lime
cup water
salt and pepper to taste.
Let stand in fridge for about one hour.
Bajan Jug Jug
1 pound salted beef
1 pound salted pork or pig's tail
16 cups pigeon (gungo) peas
1 tied bunch of thyme, marjoram, escallion
half pound of onion finely chopped, two and a half cups guinea corn
1 tablespoon butter.
Method
1. Soak salted meats in water overnight.
2. Boil meat in water. Change water repeating process three times. At last change, add peas, seasonings and onion.
3. Boil until meat is tender. Remove peas and place in separate bowl.
4. Remove any bones from meat and mince. Mince peas and mix with meat.
6. Mix guinea corn in a little water until smooth in consistency.
7. Pour part of water from salted peas and meats into pot.
8. Over medium heat, slowly stir in guinea corn until a consistency of porridge is reached. Add minced meats, peas and butter. Serve warm.
Serves 4 to 6 people.
