Questions of the Day

Why is the Caribbean Single Market Economy Initiative  (CSME) not working? 


What can be done to fix the problems?

Please feel free to add your two-cents

The Power of Breadfruit

Growing up in my wonderful island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines my love of breadfruit has been unwavering. This fruit has been a saviour when hunger strikes.. One slice of this pleasantry fills the body so wonderfully. 

Boy did I miss this stable for the 8 or so years that I lived abroad. Yes I know it was there and readily available in certain cities of the USA, i.e Brooklyn..but the taste wasn't the same... For some reason fruits and vegetables never taste good outside of the Caribbean. 

Disclaimer: In my humble opinion, Fruit, vegetables anything esle from mother earth always seem to have this "force ripe" taste to them when grown outside the Caribbean.....

Breadfruit & Saltfish - SVG National Dish

Can you imagine having to roast your breadfruit on stove tops instead of enjoying the cookout in the great outdoors? Kills the spirits, doesn't it? 

Where's the coal pot, the wood fire? I think fondly of my childhood as I savoured the sweet smell of black fish.........stewed chicken back....saltfish.....fried fish.... with my plate of breadfruit slices.. After such a meal I was ahungered no more...... Oh the memories..........

The breadfruit plant was introduce to the Caribbean as a means of cutting cost to plantation owners.. Instead of having to import goods from overseas to feed slaves, breadfruit was introduces as the new stable. Thank goodness for that foresight. Captain Blight brought this worthy commodity to the Island of SVG.

Roasting on wood fire

We in SVG have a strong love of this gift, ask one former prime minister, The Right Hon. James F Mitchell, who stated that we "Vincentians" "have a breadfruit mentality", for which he came under fire for... Applaud the opposition for spewing the rhetoric.. But he wasn't wrong at all.. We do crave our delicacy, after all it is part of our national dish along with saltfish.. 

A stable available year round, happy to be seeing so much of it at the market though the prices are a bit steep $5. But for such a commodity..roasted or cooked I am not complaining at all... 

Bite into one of nature's best gift 

Sustang D. Fergus

Is Tourism the Driving Force of any Economy?

Now I know I have been missing in action from here, and it has been a long time... way to long.

I just two weeks at an all inclusive massive hotel. The hotel gave me all that I can eat and drink anytime of the day and night. I had a ball of a time.  

Sitting under the coconut tree enjoying my tropical rum drink, with a spectacular view of the ocean (nothing in sight to disturb my thoughts), during my indulgence, it struck me that every day I am only seeing the same people morning, noon and night. Just the visitors and workers.

A couple questions came out of tipsy head:

1.       What benefits do all inclusive hotels bring to the surrounding communities?

2.       Where does my food come from, is it from the local farmers or is it all imported?

3.       As a visitor what report can I bring back home about the country, is this what the entire looks like?

I am sure outside those walls; the reality will be far different and even too much for me bear.

Now when a tourist visits a country, they hardly get a clue what is taking place there. Most times the hotels are not even from local investors. The sad reality is that foreign investors do get easier access than the locals in many ways because of trade relations. (I will emphasize on sure topic later).  

Foreign hotel =foreign purchases=monies will remain/ go foreign. The foreign cycle continues will little for the host country.

It time our Governments of the region wake and realise that Tourism takes a way a huge slice of the economic gains.

Solution:  Any economy needs to try to develop locally, feed the people first, then education, after anything else.

Please don’t get me wrong I appreciate the time, there but reality is reality and feed one billion people is a dream can be done once our leaders make it their priority to invest in sustainable small scale agriculture. Don’t just give me free food, but teach me how to grow my own, so I don’t become dependent on donors for the rest of my life. PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sorry for the bad English but I need to get this out in any way possible. I will continue as my thoughts become clearer.

Have a bless week. This song is your understanding....

Food For Thought

If any thought lingered from my conference in St. Kitts, this take sthe mark... Kirk asked,

"Why is it that when organizations fail to fixed problems another organization is formed to fixed what the previous organizations couldn't?  Why can't the fixing be done in the original establishment?"

Brilliant......Really..Is this anything new....What's your thought?