I sit here in Barbados, poaching wireless internet from some poor soul we have dubbed our Unknown Benefactor, but I don’t have at hand the materials for what was planned as my next post. As the last of my ‘Id ul Adha recipes, Malaysian Beef Rendang by Chennette was to find its way onto the worldwideweb, and then, the inevitable comments from my reading circle which may start off completely on topic and then 2 dozen entries later, have no connection whatsoever, except in the most alternate of universes, with my original post. 
Some even dare to be critical. Even my mother (my mother!) has her shilling to contribute (2 cents is nothing…a “shilling” is one term for TT 25 cents, which is a little more than 2 p). But I don’t mind. Seriously.
I haven’t been blogging for very long and I had no clue what my blog would end up being. Or will end up being in the future. Or who it would attract. That it has the readership and commentary of those of my friends who know about my blog says more about the quality of my friends than that of my postings. (For abundance of clarity, that’s a GOOD thing; I am talking about your loyalty Hmmmm (and The Other Aberdonian, and I guess any day now the twins) and ewe_are_here.
I have met other members of the Trini blogging community that have a mission and are committed in spreading their word. I don’t have such a clear focus, but I admire the work that they have put in. Whether it be about food, food and more food like The Trini Gourmet, who manages to do a wonderfully comprehensive food blog with her fusion recipes and committed research to link to cool articles and videos – her site’s a great resource and she has a good sense of humour. What more do you want from a frequent commenter (even if she will persist in siding with the younger sister).
Or the way TriniFood raises questions and thoughts about our food culture that really make me think and want to know the answers. The development of our foods and tastes are so intrinsically linked to developments in our society, it’s a fascinating subject, even without the recipes. I know it may be her tricky way 
of getting a reading audience hooked for when she publishes that book, but all the better! And she gets down into the cooking part too. Not to mention backing me for the Nikon!!
The Manicou was one of the first people to happen upon my blog and although I don’t blog on current affairs, I have often been really grateful for his spotting something in T&T and bringing it to my attention via his posts. When you read your news in the online newspapers you miss things. Plus he’s a foodie. Through him I have encountered many more in the T&T and Caribbean blogosphere, whether posting from home or foreign, and it’s cool to be part of a community.
In case you were wondering, I am musing about these things, inspired in part by TriniGourmet’s Commenter Spotlight, but also because of recent criticism of a post (no, not you people). I guess I was a bit harsh about Guyanese cuisine in one of my first blog commentaries, and it’s probably because I never thought I’d have a blog that strangers read. If it encourages more people to post or write about their Caribbean food experience, then the more the merrier. Trinis and Jamaicans have had philosophical battles about “peas and rice” and “rice and peas” as long as whenever – as long as it tastes good and has coconut milk, serve it already. With some bun and cheese after. Barbadians have a national dish of coocoo and flying fish that they proudly present to Trinis, who also have coocoo, and as for the flying fish, well…;-) That doesn’t make it any less their national dish or any less tasty (and believe me, I have had a lot of the Bajan national dish). I feel an expository roti post in my future, where I don’t intend to claim Trini roti is better than Guyanese – just discuss the varieties of CARIBBEAN roti, as opposed to Indian, or Malay or whatever. I can’t wait to go back to Suriname and sample some more Javanese food, or Indonesian (especially since I can probably get halaal). Or try a real Kittian conch chowder (not the Marriott’s version).
I am glad I blog – along with my camera, it gives me a purpose when I am stuck on my own traveling and so, the last person I should link to is the person who is responsible for me being on Wordpress.com and nagging me into blogging and now nagging me into purchasing a camera even though we have no viable way of getting it in our hands right this minute. Poor Lilandra is languishing after a camera so that she can take food photos now that she has more activity in the kitchen and more inspiration. I never see that much dedication when the camera was working! Well, actually, it started just before the manufacturer’s defect kicked in, albeit more than 2.5 years after the purchase. We don’t share a room anymore, or even the same jurisdiction, but we’re mighty close on this blogosphere.
As for my halt on recipe postings – I have been put to hard work and long hours here in my new temporary home. We figured out that dinner was the only time we really got to relax, because when we get in for the night, we work. So on our way from the office, we stop for dinner. Yay, Barbados. Tourist-oriented island. Lots of cool little restaurants. We plan on trying a different one every night. So far Brown Sugar and Il Tempio are definite recommendations. Asian Palm Thai wasn’t very Thai. Some pictures will be available soon.
And soon also, Lilandra and I will buy our Nikons. D50 definitely, and maybe maybe, I’ll get a D80…
If you liked my post, feel free to subscribe to my rss feeds
BlogoSquare
33 Comments so far (Add 1 more)
One Trackback
[...] writes a post titled A Collection of Thoughts – Realized that strangers do read her Blog and finally admitting been harsh about Guyanese cuisine [...]