| 12/19/07, 03/21/21 |
| Crucian Memories |
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| Sweet Childhood Memories of St. Croix © Jorge L. Rodriguez CruzanCrucian, Inc. Do NOT copy/print without permission! It was sunny most of the time and warm all year Easter was usually dry, fires all over the place Summer we’d go to Annaly to fetch the best tasting kidney mangoes Always a fruit in season: Remember hog plums? Locusts? Keneps? Jojo plums? And when the sun was too much The beach was always close by and a swim would always be welcome The rainy season would fill up Pan Bush The gut by St. Patrick’s School would become a river We’d bathe in the murky water We’d catch crabs that were trying to avoid their water filled holes Or we’d go out on Mahogany Road and find the falls caused by the heavy rains Hurricane season? It was more like the rainy season! While living on Queen Cross, I remember being taken to a shelter, the Fort Gale force winds, some roof shingles came lose but nothing much While in Harrigan I remember another storm that passed the island We couldn’t wait to get to the beach, check out what the waves had done Fish traps on the shore, lots of dead fish, sand where none had been and vice versa Fewer storms back then? Less “global warming”? Fewer people on planet Earth? We’d walk to school, church, the supermarket We’d walk to our families and friends We’d walk to Annaly, we’d walk to Whim Not too many cars around Some people even got around on horse or horse and buggy We were never in a rush Pin (Pablo) was one hell of a mechanic so most of the times We rode around in a car he was working on We’d sing songs as we drove around the island, “How your panty geh wet?” “Michael be a man, Michael do not touch…” Some of us would be embarrassed to be seen sitting in the back of a truck! St. Patrick’s for kindergarten through 8 Mother Leader, Mother Alyde, Mother Alban, Mother Robertine & more After the 2nd Ecumenical Council, I think, they became Sisters The boys always with their games Mirror on shoe laces to see up the girls’ skirts Sister Ingrid jumped rope with us and also rode bikes It was strange to see her do all this while wearing the cumbersome habit She was very strict and yet lots of fun She left the island, later left the nunnery, now resting in peace! We gathered in the school yard every school day We’d ring the bell once assembly done The bell got stuck in the up position one Friday It rained during the weekend On Monday, when the bell was rung everyone under it got wet We laughed, we screamed but the nuns saw no humor in it! As always they thought it was a set up. Was it? Went to church often while at St. Pat's The high mass during Lent Was very intriguing Though the mass was in Latin It felt better, meant more Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Not too many people had phones The ones that had, used what was called a party line It would ring once for one family, twice for the next, etc. Everyone knew their ring No text messaging then, no fax, no wireless, yet we were closer And who can forget the outhouses? One prayed not to have to go at night Scared of creepy creatures that may be lurking in the dark No light in the outhouse, other than a “quinquel” (lantern) If not you'd have to use the indoor "escupidera" (spittoon) or "palangana" (washbasin) No Charmin, no Cottonelle, just brown paper, newspaper or who knows what else And don’t forget the “showers” Mostly a bucket full of water And a container to throw the water over our bodies Wet, soap, scrub and rinse We wondered who removed the full canisters from the outhouses No one knew Could they be angels, ghosts or midgets? We tried to stay up late at night but had no luck It appears the late night crew was part of a secret organization Who did their work secretly in the dark of night! We had Frederiksted and Christiansted And a few towns in between The hills were dressed in green, not dotted with million dollar homes West hardly went East but everyone knew of each other Cramer's Park was in the east and visited a few times each year The ride seemed like an eternity…But we never asked, “Are we there yet?” And remember the picnics at Sandy Point? Remember the coco plums? Don’t eat too many ‘cause you’d get constipated! That’s what the grown ups said. Did we have fun? We made our own toys Show someone a toy in Sears, Aldens or Montgomery Ward And before you knew it, a wooden replica would be made We made our own go cars, our own wagons And down Mars Hill we would race Talk about having fun! Were we scared of being hit by a car? What car? Remember Touch the Post? Spin the Bottle? Hide-and-go-seek? Massah, you it! Someone once went home and to bed and Since he couldn’t be found, the game ended abruptly We’d play games with marbles, like 3 holes Then there were jacks. And with the locust seeds we’d play “cack” Friday nights we played till we were exhausted We looked forward to the next day or next week for another match Games played, like fruits, were seasonal At other times we went hunting for birds We looked for ground dove, mountain dove, sin-sin, and cradles Cradles I think are now extinct We used catapults we made, others used B-B guns But what did we do with the birds? Can't remember ever eating any! And remember Maria Monell and her San Juan Day trips? That Sunday in June we’d walk to Ham’s Bluff with a pot and pan Maybe we took along a loaf or two of bread and some water What we fished, we ate – including wilks (whelks) The best fisherman in the group was Charlie! Seems like there was more sand on the beach and more trees Hugo and all his friends changed the landscape over the years Some Sundays, we visited Titi Guilla in Coble She was my second mother We would only go when someone could drive us there It was always a fun filled day I can still smell the coffee Seemed like everyone in the area were Puerto Ricans! Lots of good food. We had no malls, so where did we hang out? We visited families, friends, talked to each other We went to Jacaranda on Strand Street or the beach The grown ups had Plantation Club, Vicky’s, Eve's Garden and other places There was a theater in F’sted and another in C’sted Eventually there was only Alexander’s in C’sted Did not get there often Few people had TV’s But who needed all that when we had each other to talk to? There was no CNN, no cable, just an antenna on the roof Most stations watched came in from PR, in black and white No 24 hour TV After 11 p.m. all you’d get was static and a circle on the screen This to let you know the station was off the air We would watch "novelas" (Spanish soap operas), dubbed movies or Alfred D. Herger His show was the Puerto Rican version of American Bandstand There were stars like Lucesita, Julio Angel and Chucho We’d dance to Salsa and Calypso and Quelbe We had El Gran Combo, Sparrow, Milo and The Kings, Archie and Wesley And then there were the black outs They occurred often and lasted hours or days But life continued Today brown and black outs are annoying, an inconvenience Back then we didn’t have that many electrical gadgets to worry about We didn’t even know what surge protectors were! When the lights went out, one could see the heavenly sky lit up We’d try to find the Big and Smaller Dippers, the North Star, and more Navy ships would come in: the Seventh Fleet wasn’t it? Open house would be on Sunday Movies were shown on the “new” longer pier The sailors were willing to share with the locals Cruise ships were few but the island was not dependent on tourism Remember the sugar cane fields? Remember the big trucks bringing the big black rubber containers Filled with sugar down Centerline Road to the pier for shipping? Businesses were on Queen Street, King Street, Queen Cross Street and Prince Street. Miguel, Don Domingo, Suarez, Johnny Belardo, Chanchin, Peter Christian Appears most of the stores were owned by Puerto Ricans For a good meal, visit Chico’s on King Street Or for a burger one could go to Jacaranda Shoes on King Street, Gustav “Good Fit” or Bata We’d go to Titi for clothes at Cinderella Or we’d buy from the "Arabs" selling out of their vehicles and/or suitcases Most of the times, we bought things "fiao" (on credit, trust) Every store kept a "libreta" (note book) with a running tally And more could be bought even if there was a balance due Store owners trusted buyers There was no finance charge, no late fee added Ma paid as she could Give some ladies a catalog like Sears, Montgomery or Aldens Show them a dress or shirt you’d like And before you knew it, you're were wearing an identical copy No pattern needed and the ladies had little or no formal education But they were talented Titi Catalina, Titi Paca, just to name two Fish at Fish Market, vegetables at the Market on Queen Street Good pig tail would be in barrels filled with salt water And don’t forget the "bacalao" (cod fish) in crates! Not too much to choose from but it wasn’t really needed We shared more, and some people grew their own stuff Ye sah, no sah Miss this and Mister that Mama and Papa were names used for the Puerto Ricans La Madama or el ingles were the Cruzans, later Crucians We’d cuss, we’d argue Who didn’t like a good melee? But the next day, we were all friends Then in the 60's St. Joe's opened its doors East met West in the center of the island We had to be bused to high school In the country, no more walking to school Every classroom leaked when it rained More lay teachers than nuns But the education was the best! July 4th we had the games On Strand Street around the small dock We'd have bag races, egg races Some would try to get a prize Hung on the top of a greased pole Many fell into the sea trying to get to the top And then we had the fun filled donkey races Donkey want watah, hole e Joe! The holidays were the best Around Thanksgiving we’d begin to get in the festive mood St. Patrick’s would have their annual bazaar Another place to meet friends and family All kinds of games would be played for prizes There’d also be food on sale and dances at St. Gerard’s Hall Remember the nuns dressed in their white and black habits? "Noche Buena" (Christmas Eve), Christmas, Boxing Day, January 6th And there were the Villages, where we’d again meet family and friends The parades were smaller and not as glamorous but still lots of fun Christmas Villages began before Christmas and ended after Three Kings We had tramps, not j’ouvert Who can forget Paddy Moore? We had steel bands, not amplified music The bands walked, not driven around in big trucks No generators to operate the instruments Police never stopped a tramp ‘cause people were there to have fun! And the food around the holidays! "Arroz con gandules" (rice with pigeon peas), "lechon" (roasted pig), "arroz con dulce" * "Coquito" **, "pasteles" ***, and "turron" (nougat) Or it could be kalalloo, red peas soup (sweet), or souse Then there were Johnny cakes (journey cakes), we had "arepas" (fried & baked) Fried fish and Johnny cake, stew or boil fish with foongee (corn meal) Sweet bread, Vienna cake, fruit cake, sugar cakes, tamarind (tambran) candy and tarts Remember Miss Delita with her lasinja ^ and dondosola ^^? And don’t forget the guavaberry! My favorite time was getting together at "La Granja" (farm, homestead), Estate Whim If there was a visitor from off island, Papa Leo (Grandpa) and Mama Lola (Grandma) would have a special feast Family and friends from all over the island would meet Even when there was no visitor, we’d always have a good time Pin and Piano would tease the kids Papa Leo would tell us to stay in the yard I remember once seeing a pig killed, hung from a tree and skinned The blood was drained to be used with the intestines to make "molsillas" **** The pig was slowly roasted over coals Through my mind’s eyes, I can see it, smell it and taste it! What happened to the good old days? Explanation: * Puerto Rican style rice pudding. ** Puerto Rican style eggnog with liquor *** In Puerto Rico, Pasteles are a cherished culinary recipe that has become a Holiday tradition to make and eat together with family and friends. Puerto Rican Pasteles are much more labor intensive than any other. The masa (dough) consists of a combination of grated green banana, green plantain, taro, and calabazas (tropical pumpkins), and is seasoned with liquid from the meat mixture, milk, and annatto oil (annatto seeds infused with olive oil. The meat is prepared as a stew and usually contains any combination of pork shoulder, ham, raisins, potatoes, chickpeas, olives, and capers seasoned with, recaito ("Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro, recao, shadow beni, Mexican coriander, bhandhania, long coriander, sawtooth coriander, and ngò gai"), tomato sauce, adobo seco (dry), and annatto oil ("food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana)"). The pork shoulder can be replaced with chicken. **** Blood pudding. Blood sausage. Also seen as "morcillas", possibly correct spelling. ^ A whitish peppermint candy, hard, a few inches long, swirled. ^^ A nougat-like candy with peanuts in the center. Candy amber color. |
This poem was written on 12/18/07 by Jorge L.Rodríguez. It was a sleepless night! Edited and posted 12/19/07. Revised 12/22/07. Some revisions made 03/07/21, 03/11/21, 03/14/21 & 03/21/21. Do NOT copy without written permission. |
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