KEANE-DAWES

Me dear Mam:

Me mine run pon yu de other day when me get special invitation fe go hab dinner wid de Minister of State inna de Ministry of Agriculture, him assistant, an some fareign people. De Minister come fe build agriculture relationship wid de University a Maryland Eastern Shore weh yardie, Dr Thelma B. Thompson, a President. Den now, a heap a big man fram de St Elizabeth Home Coming Foundation come along. For dem, an de de said president a fren, an come fram de same parish.

all politics aside

Well now, between yu, me, an de door post, when me siddung roun de table wid me knife an fork. An de Minister git up fe speak, me smile. Puddung de knife an fork, wipe off me mout, an smile again. De wud Labourite neva enter me tawt. Yu get me? Me dis put all politics aside an focus pon Jamaica lan we love fuss, an siddung quietly inna de gathering a fareign official weh did come fe hear de Minister speak. An him did speak very eloquent.

Well, de following night, me get invite to dinner again. Meaning seh, me neva had was to cook an face nuh hot heat inna de kitchen tinite again. Cho. For missis, sometime yu cook fe two day at a time. Like weh cook Sunday can warm up Monday or Tuesday. An wah cook fe Tuesday, can lef ova fe Thursday. Me do dat. But a nuh all de while me feel fe weh lef ova. An a nuh all de while me like eat a street. Suh, fe mek life simple whatever me feel fa, a dat me eat.

fareign dignitary

Well, crab is a ting me love to me heart. Suh dis evening in question, de fareign dignitary dem carry we to dis crab house. Massyful fahda! Fram a bawn fe see crab! But memba now, fe dem crab an fe we, a two diffrant kine. For fe dem Alaskan crab hab some claw join up an long like a fan rake me fahda use to use scrape up bush.

long table

An which part dem put we fe siddung, was roun a long table. Wid piece a brown paper spread pon it. Nuh fork. Nuh knife. For crab claw cyaan eat wid knife an fork. Nuh napkin. For dat a waste a time.

We now, was supose fe tear piece a de brown paper weh fowl up pon top a de table. Wipe we mout, an den drap de crab shell an de paper inna de rubbish pan weh deh right side a we foot.

Well me dear lady, as me observe a fareign ooman dress up inna evening outfit, spike-heel shoes an jewellery siddung a dis next table a try dodge de lilly, lilly piece a crab meat what a fly wid ebry buss smady buss a claw.

Table mannas

Me shake me head an begin reflect pon, look weh table mannas come to. For me dear mam, fuss ting was, ebryman inna de entire restaurant had more dan weh dem coulda eat. An wid dat saying, a piece a sadness come ova me. Especially when me memba how nuff smady a dead fe hungry. An when me look how some adda people done eat, an lef de heap a crab still liddung pon de table. Fe de restaurant fling dem weh, ascordin to government law, while people a suffer. Me nayly bawl.

Wah mek dem neva dis buy weh dem coulda eat? An as me fren, Errol Brennan weh did siddung side a me seh. Which man can eat more dan a belly full? Well, me know which man. An dat is a very craben man who a count dumpling fram him yeye deh a him knee.

Two dozen crab

Suh as me watch de craben people dem inna de restaurant a hawda. Two dozen crab. Three dozen more. Even though de fuss two dozen nuh done yet. Me look oneside pon me own people. A eat just what dem was given. A seh no. Dis enough. Me watch dem eat quietly. Me watch dem talk after dem swallow. Nuh wid de food inna dem mout.

Me listen dem nice joke. An me watch dem stop eat when dem bellyfull. Me listen to dem question under de quiet, de piece a brwon paper weh we eat pon. An me listen to dem question why de rubbish pan deh right side a de table. An yu know weh crass me tawt? Labourite or PNP. St Elizabeth or Kingston. When we come abroad we a one people. An we is a people weh hab class. For as poor as some a we might be. No fareigner can ketch we. We a come offa table.

Dr Jennifer Keane-Dawes is a profesor of communication at Elizabeth City State University, a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System. Send your email to: jkd876@yahoo.com