Jamaica Thursday

Jamaican Thursday


Today I went to the Internet café again to communicate with home. So far, by the time that I get an email out, I am off the net and gone before I can hear from my family in real time. Since I was not really scheduled for any labor today, I spent a couple of hours learning the story and listening to one of the young men that is working with our group. It was very very valuable time. Later I did some painting and worked to repair some windows at the dorm.


There is a challenge taking place between some of the members of our team and the Jamaican cooks regarding how much money has been spent and how it has been accounted for. I have not been involved in this at all, but my hope is that we will not make an issue of this. We are still eating very reasonably, and in my brain, the relationship is more important than whether or not all the receipts add up.


Speaking of the kitchen, let’s talk about the food. The food has been simple, but good. The cooks are hired by the Methodist church to cook for us while mission teams are here. In fact, one of the cool things about having a team here is that the presence of the team provides direct income to at least nine people. Two cooks, two cleaners, two that run the clinic sign ups and three security men. Our presence provides these folks with income. That is cool. There is another 5 or so local people who make money by selling the teams snacks, drinks and crafts.

So the cooking. The cooks use local spices and food. Mangoes, Papaya, bananas, and bread fruit [yes, breadfruit is a fruit of somekind] are present at every mean in one form or another. I have a great story about bread fruit from the saga of the mutiny on the Bounty. [Ask Janet Barnes if she has heard it.] The food is mildly spicy. A distinct flavor that is nice and very Jamaican, but not too hot for us to eat. For breakfast we have had pancakes every day except one, in which we had fish and eggs. Lunch has been some interesting dishes like burritos and fried tacos. One day we had tuna and chicken salad sandwiches. For dinner we have had spaghetti [no meat, just sauce and noodles], fried chicken, fried fish, accompanied by mac and cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and some kind of cupcake.


The cooks and the security men always eat with us. Which is fine of course. I would say with a pretty confident tone that they eat much better than normal when there is a team in to work at the clinic.  Several locals have stopped by from time to time to ask if they can eat. 

If you have food on your table, that is something to be thankful for.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.