Karen Sudu, Gleaner Writer

LINSTEAD, St Catherine:LIKE FORMER years, jerk vendors dominated Linstead Grand Market. Of course, chicken and pork being the prominent meats.

However, Daniel Anderson, a resident of the community who has been carving out a living from selling jerked chicken for the last 10 years, decided that he would offer something different.

"I am doing jerked chicken neck," the Excelsior High School alumnus told The Gleaner.

Early Monday morning, he took 300 pounds of seasoned chicken neck and a similar amount of chicken to cash in on grand-market sales. He expressed confidence that all would be sold, especially the chicken neck, by Christmas morning.

"A lot of people know that my products well seasoned and taste good, they even give me the name Don One Chicken, so I know everything will sell off," he noted.

"How yuh sell the jerked chicken neck?" a potential customer asked.

"You can get $100 up, that is five pieces for $100," the 27-year-old replied with a welcoming smile.

affordable

Without hesitation, the man took a $1,000 bill from his wallet.

"Sell me $100 worth," he said.

He explained that, while he has been selling jerked chicken neck in Ocho Rios, St Ann for one year, it's been only three weeks since he started selling the product in Linstead.

"It's the first time I am selling it at Linstead Grand Market," he said. "Time is hard and jerked chicken neck is affordable, it is easier for someone to buy $100 worth of jerked chicken neck than a quarter of jerked chicken for $250 or $300," the father of a six-year-old added.

He was right. By the wee hours of Christmas morning, there was no jerked chicken neck, all sold.

"The chicken neck a say one. It really tastes nice, seasoned to the bone," a teenager shared with The Gleaner.

With five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects, Anderson's dream is to become a mechanical engineer.

"I wasn't able to study that because of financial reasons, but it is still on the agenda," he assured.

Until he gets enough money to pursue his dream, he will continue to satisfy his customers.

rural@gleanerjm.com