Like this:

That is not in response to the Beatles song. (Some of you will get that, others won’t.) Most won’t care.

Yesterday was not good for blogging. Not good for anything, actually. I was feeling so bad that I spent the day hanging, well not hanging actually, just in my room, sleeping for an hour every three hours. Cleton came by to take me sightseeing to a waterfall, etc, but I told him I had to just chill. I am feeling a little better today, but still have burning eyes from the clogged nasal thingies. Yuk. Couldn’t eat much yesterday, and that was such a disappointment since they had fish – and I do mean fish. It was a whole fish, fried in a frying pan with a bit of breading, then stewed in a mixture of sauce and pineapple. There they were, laying in the serving dish, stacked willy-nilly on top of each other with their fish eyes looking out through the breading and stew. I was not at all in an adventuresome mood, so I did not attempt eating the dear things. But after the others ate, it looked like a cartoon with all the fish heads and skeletons on the plates. I did have a bite of fish that Ismel was working on, and it was great. They eat the skin and all. I just didn’t have the appetite or the patience to eat and worry about all the bones. The fish was called Butterfish. The fish we ate the other day was called belahoo. Pretty cool name. I kept calling it hullabaloo. But, I guess that will happen in Louisville this summer.

For some reason I can remember something stuck in my memory from when I was growing up. A Mr. Herman, I believe, who lived above us on Bellwood Drive, the only guy with an in ground pool, was having some kind of function where they were cooking fish, and he got a bone stuck in his throat. He was ok, but I remember that the ambulance (how do you say that Joy?) had to take him to the hospital. That is all I remember, so I guess that is why I hesitate when asked to eat fish that is not found in the freezer section with Gorton’s on the box! Fish may not be caught square, but I feel a lot better about eating them when they are! Interesting enough, it is a childhood memory like that, the first time my mom let me taste her coffee and I was revolted, that keeps me from drinking coffee even to this day. When I arrived here they were absolutely shocked to meet an American who does not drink coffee! No one else here drinks it either. I think I may have landed in a Mormon outpost! 

Speaking of which, when I was in town last week, two white guys wearing black pants and white shirts and ties, and sweating like pigs at a ham breakfast walked by. No thinking twice about that. But I do admire their evangelistic efforts. Wonder where the church would be if we were that persistent and obedient.

Since I mentioned one menu item, I will close with mentioning lunch today, and then tomorrow blog about other than the culinary stuff. But today, on an 80+ degree day, I, we, had hot soup. The soup looked yellowish and was delicious. In it was plantain, some root that looked and tasted like potatoes, but are not. There were sweet potatoes that are not orange, but when cooked, almost transparent. There were dumplings that are a delicacy in Guyana, and there was plantain, which is like a banana, but not. If the banana is sweet, this cooked plantain was even sweeter. There were also pieces of pork. The mixture was served from a large pot in which the pig’s tail was also stewing. One of the professor’s wives ate the pig’s tail. More power to her! But the soup was excellent. And for desert, guess what?!?!?!? Jello and ice cream. Ice cream!!!!! But it was only one of those little itty bitty sundae cups served individually with the cardboard cover on it that you remove by pulling a little ear tab. You know what I mean? We used to eat them with little flat wooden spoons when we were kids. I used a regular spoon that would have had the ice cream gone in a spoon and a half, but I took little bites and it lasted for 3 tastes!  I savored each one. Unfortunately, it was enough to bring out the ice cream junkie in me again.

By the way, I am having a great time. I really am. this is exciting.

Love to all of you, and thanks to those who take time to type a quick note.

Island Rob.

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