TUNISIA: ART AND LITERATURE

It’s no surprise that Tunisia, a land that is surrounded by rocks and desert, should have rock art. Archaeologists found evidence of these ancient rock drawings in areas around the Saharan regions of southern Tunisia. These ancient peoples around the town of Bou Salem also left behind some dolmens, a type of large stone structure that serves as a tomb. The Romans, Greeks, and Carthagians left a lot of artistic styles and architecture throughout Tunisia.

Because of Tunisia’s location, quite a bit of the types of art and particular styles have been based on their history and influences from other areas. Spain, Persia, and even China has had their influence on Tunisian art. The country’s older art forms use these influences to create a style called Arabesque. It’s a type of surface decoration that consists of scrolling, intertwined vines, tendrils, foliage, or sometimes just lines with other elements to it. Sometimes it can be created as a tile, and the tile is replicated (I suppose somewhat like a partial tessellation, perhaps?). Because Islamic art forbids creating any likeness to people, it will often employ these arabesque-style artforms, incorporating geometric patterns with it. It creates for a very complicated, beautiful look.

Tunisia is also known for its mosaics and pottery. Mosaic art is one of my favorite styles of art: taking smaller pieces of ceramic or glass usually (or both perhaps) and creating a picture out of the pieces. They use a variety of bright colors to make these designs, mostly seen on walls or floor patterns. You can see this style of art used in a lot of buildings and in architecture, and many times, mosaics are cut to create geometric shapes and even accented in gold or other metals.

by Ammar Farhat

Early on, painting wasn’t quite something that Tunisians engaged much in since Islam forbids painting humans. By the time the French arrived and took over, painting extended itself from a European artform to one that Tunisians took up as well. Art schools popped up, especially in Tunis, and students began learning skills and techniques from all over Europe, Asia, and other places. A group of painters led by Moses Levy, Ammar Farhat, Abdelaziz Gorgi, Yahia Turki and others encouraged native themes and rejected some other foreign influences in a way to promote their country. It ended up bringing people of different backgrounds together. As Tunisia gained its independence, artists started going off on their own, incorporating their own national flair into other genres, like abstract, expressionist, fantasy, calligraphy, and other styles. And as much as Tunisians went abroad to study art, other artists trekked to Tunisia for the same thing, most notably Alexander Roubtzoff, Paul Klee, and August Macke.

Aboul-Qacem Echebbi

Tunisian literature is either published in Arabic or in French. Clearly, there’s more literature written in Arabic than French, mostly because the French influence didn’t come until 1881. Poetry has long been an artform among the Arabic-speaking countries, and Tunisian poetry is included. However, Tunisian poetry is also known for stretching the rules, doing their own thing through nonconformity, and creating their own through innovation. One poet who represents this well is Aboul-Qacem Echebbi--most famously known for writing the last two verses of the current national anthem. The sad thing is that he died at age 25 from heart problems, but his poetry has been revived to a degree in recent years.

Albert Memmi

French literature in comparison was seen as a critical approach to writing. In fact, one French-Tunisian writer, Albert Memmi, who just passed away last month, didn’t have high hopes for Tunisian literature. He essentially alluded to the idea that it just simply wouldn’t go anywhere, a fad that will fade. But that’s completely contrary to what other Tunisian authors have done by traveling abroad. Authors like Hélé Béji (author, educator), Abdelwahab Meddeb (professor, poet, novelist, translator, radio producer), and Mustapha Tlili (novelist, worked at the UN) brought themes of traveling, wandering, heartbreak, and exile to the forefront.

Radio also had a huge influence on storytelling (both fiction and nonfiction), especially during the early 20th century. Telling stories on the radio during that time was popular all over the world because it was a fairly new technology that allowed you to reach massive audiences. Douagi Ali was one of these writers, producing over 150 of these radio stories, not to mention over 500 poems and folksongs, and about 15 plays as well. Even today, radio is still being used by youth as a medium for telling journalistic stories that commercial and government stations wouldn’t begin to think of airing. These youth have even rejected the idea that there are some subjects (as directed by some older people) that should be taboo, like politics, religion, and sexuality. But they’re pushing forward and creating more of these youth-led radio stations across the country.

Up next: music and dance

TUNISIA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

When I was in high school, I was part of the concert band. French horn had been my instrument since middle school, but I also played piano as well. But then I discovered we also had a jazz band. Jazz was cool to me, and I couldn’t get enough. The problem was that the French horn wasn’t a jazz instrument, and they already had enough piano players. So, I listened from the sidelines, taking note of composers, musicians, and songs I liked so that I could immerse myself into this new world of jazz. There were three pieces that stuck out as my “Top 3 songs that never get old”: “Take the A Train” by Duke Ellington, “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck, and of course: “A Night in Tunisia” by Dizzy Gillespie.

The name of the country Tunisia takes its name from its capital city of Tunis. It may be related to the Berber root word for “to lay down” or “encampment” and may also be related to the ancient city of Tynes. Before this area became known as Tunisia, it was known as Ifriqiya, which lent its name to the word Africa, that the whole continent is now known.

Tunisia is located in northern Africa, nestled in between Algeria to the west and Libya to the east. It also has a coastline along the Mediterranean Sea. Directly north of it is the Italian island of Sardinia, and to the northeast is the Italian island of Sicily and the country of Malta. The eastern end of the Atlas Mountains touch Tunisia as does the northern edge of the Sahara Desert. However, much of the country is on fertile land. So, even though it’s not that large of a country, compared to other north African countries, it’s quite diverse in its environment. Tunisia and Algeria have some salt lakes called chotts that run along the northern edge of the Sahara; the largest one is in Tunisia and called Chott el Djerid.

Ancient Berbers were the first ones to live and farm in this area. The Phoenicians then settled here and set up the city of Carthage in the 9th century BC. It would become a major city in the Western Mediterranean. They were engaged in wars with Greek-run Sicily, and then Carthage (under the guidance of Hannibal) attacked Rome in a series of wars called the Punic Wars. There was a lot of prosperity during this time as an exporter of olive oil and cereal grains. During the Middle Ages, the Arabs expanded their territory across northern Africa. It took a while to convert all the people (ya think?), but one of the first Islamic cities was Kairouan, home to one of the oldest mosques in this area, the Mosque of Uqba. By the 1500s, the Ottomans were on the move and the areas around the Mediterranean were in its sights. They took over Tunis, and after they endured fighting with European forces, Tunisia lost a lot of its territory and was in a lot of debt. So, now enters France, who took it under its wing as a protectorate. French people (as well as Italians) started moving into Tunisia. During WWII, Vichy Tunisia was occupied by Nazi Germany briefly and was the site of a series of battles. Tunisia finally declared its independence from France in 1956 and announced itself as a republic a year later. In many ways, Tunisia was one of the more modern countries, yet there were many ways in that it was quite repressive to its citizens. Extremely unhappy with then-President Ben Ali over corruption, mismanagement, human rights issues against political adversaries, lack of free speech, high unemployment, and inflation, Tunisians led a revolt and revolution in 2011. It took awhile for things to settle down, and there was quite a shift in leadership and how things were done after that.

The capital city is the northern port city of Tunis. The ancient city of Carthage is a suburb of Tunis. Originally a Berber settlement, evidence of Tunis as a city dates back to the 4th century BC. The city’s ancient medina is listed as a World Heritage Site. As old as this city is and has preserved many of its oldest landmarks, it’s also quite a modern city. With museums, parks, universities, sports venues, restaurants and nightlife, it’s no wonder why Tunis is often the site for international festivals and conventions.

Tunisia is known for having a diverse economy from agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, petroleum, and some mining. Several years ago, they were ranked the most competitive economy in Africa, and today they have several multinational companies with offices in Tunisia. However, they are mainly an export country, with strong partnerships with the EU. Right now, there’s a lot of growth happening with several big building projects on the horizon.

Nearly 98% of Tunisians are Muslim (mostly Sunni), with the remaining 2% being Christian, Jewish, or some other religion. They’re generally fairly tolerant of people being of other religions, as long as you follow the rules of Ramadan. A few years ago, several men were arrested and handed a month-long jail sentence for eating in public. Sheesh.

Arabic is the official language of Tunisia, but more specifically, Tunisian Arabic (also called Tounsi). And because Tunisia was originally Berber land, there are smaller numbers of people who speak some Berber languages, known collectively as Jebbali or Shelha (not sure why there are two names). Although it’s not an official language, French is often used in education, business, and the media, not to mention that many signs are written in both Arabic and French. Since there has been a small Italian population for a long time, there are also pockets of people who speak Italian.

Tataouine from Star Wars is a real city in Tunisia of the same name.

Tunisia has long been involved in the film industry. When the Lumière brothers first created their famous camera and started filming, Tunis was one of the places he showcased his films and animation. And it wasn’t long before their landscape became the backdrop for other films to create their worlds, like Star Wars (including Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones), The English Patient, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Little Prince, and Where To Invade Next. The place I can’t wait to invade is my kitchen when I make Tunisian food soon.

Up next: art and literature

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: THE FOOD

It’s been a stressful last couple of weeks. I keep thinking of that line in the Hamilton musical, “The world is upside down.” The good news is that the kids are finally out of school, and I’m officially the parent of a new 9th grader and a 6th grader. However, the murder of George Floyd has sparked outrage across the world, including in my own city. People are getting caught up in the riots and looting and forgetting WHY the black community is so livid. My husband is African-American and our kids are biracial, so this is personal to me. In 2020, we shouldn't have to still be teaching white people that black people are exactly that: people. We should’ve never had to have that conversation, period. I’m going to need to have decent white people start stepping up and holding racist trash accountable. I can’t stress enough that we need to educate ourselves and LISTEN. So, perhaps it’s fitting that I’m making food from Trinidad and Tobago today.

All the right stuff.

The first thing I made was Easy Trinidad Hops Bread. I got a large bowl out and mixed together my dry ingredients: 2 c flour, 2 ¼ tsp sugar, 1 ¼ tsp salt, 1 ¼ tsp of yeast, and 2 ¼ tsp of butter. I cut my butter into the dry ingredients as much as I could. Then I added in about ¾ c water to it and mixed well, letting it rest until it was twice its size (about an hour). Then I punched down the dough and formed it into balls about the size of golf balls. On a greased baking sheet, I laid out these dough balls with some space between them and covered them with a damp towel and let rest again for about 20-30 minutes. I baked these at 400ºF for about 20 minutes until they were golden brown on top. When I served them, I sliced them open part way while they were still hot and put a bit of shredded cheese in it so that it melted. My daughter was a huge fan of this. I think it’s normally eaten plain, but I saw a note that the author’s mom used to put a bit of cheese in it, and I thought that sounded fantastic. Who’s gonna argue with mom?

The fresh parsley really brings out the flavors and makes it pretty.

I have two main meals today, it seems. The first one is Trinidadian Chicken Stew. In a large saucepan, I heated my oil over high heat and added in some brown sugar and cooked until it turned dark brown. Then I added in my chicken pieces, ginger, salt, and pepper and stirred until my chicken was browned. Once that was done, I added in two cans of diced tomatoes, thyme, fresh parsley, diced carrots, diced potatoes, and enough hot water to cover it. With the lid on, I let it simmer for about 40-45 minutes until all the veggies were tender. You can adjust the seasoning with a little more salt and pepper at the end and garnish it with more parsley before serving. This was fantastic. I loved how the flavors all melded together -- and it was quite tasty with the bread!

I wanna try this one again because I think it's probably really super good.

The other main dish I made was Trinidad Macaroni Pie. I picked this especially for my son who is a huge macaroni and cheese fan, but he’s been sick to his stomach all weekend (that’s what ¾ lb of blueberries will do to you). I took my elbow macaroni and boiled it in salted water just like normal. When it was done, I drained it and put it back in the pot but set it off the heat to cool. I was supposed to caramelize some onions that were going to be added in the macaroni, but I apparently used my last onion and didn’t realize it. So, in another bowl, I beat some eggs until they were fluffy and then added in some onion powder to make up for it (narrator: it didn’t), some evaporated milk (my husband only bought me one can, so I had to use some whole milk with it), salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard (I had to use a little regular mustard since I didn’t have any dry), dried thyme, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Once I stirred all that together, I poured it over the macaroni and mixed everything together until it was well coated. Now comes for the good part: I stirred in 3c of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. In my greased 9x11 baking dish, I poured all of the cheesy macaroni mix and spread it out, topping it with a bit more cheese, about 1/2c. I baked this dish at 350ºF for about 35-40 minutes until it was golden on top. The important thing to remember is to let it rest about 10 minutes before eating it. I actually thought it was a little bland. I don’t know if I just needed some of my spices, or that I didn’t have the caramelized onions in it. But it also wasn’t terrible. I liked it ok.

Spicy fruit. S P I C Y.

And finally, I made Trinidadian Pineapple Chow. I was happy that my husband was able to find an actual pineapple. I think grocery stores are a little better stocked by now, with the exception of disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. Anyway, I chopped up a bit of fresh pineapple and put it in a bowl. Then I added in a bit of minced garlic, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper, and a bit of lime juice. Now for the interesting part: I added a bit of hot sauce. You can either serve this right away, or put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavors mesh. I opted to let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. This one surprised me. It was unexpectedly good and spicier than I thought.

Really good. Especially if you're a fan of cheese.

Whenever I read about Caribbean history, it’s a humbling experience. And I add those lessons to the “things I didn’t learn in high school” folder of my mind. Perhaps we should raise expectations on how our history is taught. Stop watering down events and experiences. There is always a way to teach something in an age-appropriate manner that doesn’t take away from what actually happened. But if teachers aren’t being taught that when they’re going through school themselves, then what do you have? It’s all about educating yourself and learning about experiences that don’t have to do with you. Bottom line: listen and learn.

Up next: Tunisia

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: MUSIC AND DANCE

If there’s one thing Trinidad and Tobago is known for, it’s their music. The music from these islands is a mix of African, Caribbean, French, and other European styles. I’d say the most well-known style to come from these islands is calypso. The origins trace back to West African kaiso music that evolved into calypso music as the French planters arrived on the islands during the 18th century. In its early days, it was sung in French Creole but later changed to English. It eventually spread from Trinidad and Tobago across the Caribbean as well as into Venezuela.

Calypso isn’t the only musical genre that’s popular here. Soca is a style that mixes calypso with Indian music and is usually used as dance music. Chutney and Chutney Soca are also related styles that use of Indian music. Pichakaree is a style often used as social commentary and sung in both English and Trinidadian Hindustani.

Social commentary is also used in rapso, a style that started in the 1970s and 1980s out of a mix of calypso, soca, and American hip-hop. Parang is a folk music style that developed in the island’s Hispanic neighborhoods. Steelbands developed after WWII and slowly grew in popularity. These steel pans (or steel drums) are concave toned metal drums that were developed in the African communities. Ok, it’s not actually a drum, but rather an idiophone.

One dance that is commonly performed is the Bélé. This dance was introduced by the French (known as “belle aire”). It’s actually a dance that’s performed with variations across the Caribbean, but in Trinidad and Tobago, the dancers tend to be women. It’s thought that it stems from the times slave women would dance for the masters there. The women still wear dresses that look like dresses from that era during the dance. And then there’s calinda, a type of choreographed stick-fighting. (Reminds me a little of capoeira?) Carnival in Trinidad is a super popular ordeal with tons of music and dancing as well as calinda, which is said to have its origins as a martial art in the Kingdom of Kongo.

So, I found quite a few Trinidadian musicians on Spotify. The first one I listened to is Lord Kitchener, one of the most famous calypso musicians. He rose to international fame in the time he got started singing calypso in the late 1930s to the time he retired in the 1990s. I really enjoyed listening to his music with its harmonics and rhythmic guitars and percussion. And in quite a few songs, it really reminds me of the jazz bands of the 1930s-1960s, especially Latin jazz in some cases. Lord Melody is another calypso musician of a similar style and era.

Lancelot Layne was often considered the father of Rapso music. Popular in the 1970s and 1980s, it was his song “Blown Away” that put this genre on the map. It was a genre that grew out of social issues like the Black Power movement and labor unions. Cheryl Byron is another rapso musician.

David Rudder is another famous calypsonian. I listened to the album Trinidad Stories, and it had a more modern feel to it. He also performs soca style music as well. There’s one thing I can say is that it always seems like it’s happy music.

When it comes to Chutney music, Sundar Popo is credited as the creator of this genre that developed out of Bhojpuri music of India. He got started in the late 1960s. It definitely sounded more like Indian music to me, but I can also hear some of the Caribbean rhythms behind some of the songs.

Machel Montano

Machel Montano is a soca musician who has performed with quite a few reggae and dancehall musicians around the Caribbean. I think his music is pretty catchy. One soca band I listened to was Kes. They also bring in bits of rock, calypso, and reggae in their music as well. And I even found a female soca singer: Destra Garcia, who often just goes by Destra. I liked her style. It was kind of upbeat like dancehall. I also listened to Bunji Garlin, a ragga soca musician. Ragga is related to dancehall and reggae. I thought it was fairly catchy, but I’m also a fan of dancehall and reggae.

Nicki Minaj

And of course, one of the biggest names in hip-hop is Nicki Minaj. She probably needs no introduction, but she was born in Trinidad and raised in Queens, New York. I think she can be a little raunchy at times and certainly brings the drama at times, but she’s entertaining. And she can certainly rap fast, which always impresses me.

Up next: the food

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: ART AND LITERATURE

These islands serve as a wonderful backdrop for artists to capture its beauty in their own ways. Europeans brought over their painting techniques and introduced them to the people who were living there (or brought there in many cases). While it’s understandable that landscapes are a common theme, some artists also venture in the abstract and other avant-garde artistic styles. (I suppose there’s something for everyone, huh?)

by Michel Jean Cazabon

Art exhibitions take place in galleries, museums, and other venues all over the islands. The Art Society holds an annual exhibition to showcase new works in all mediums and styles. The National Museum also holds some of the country’s and region’s best artwork.

Althea McNish with her textile art

One of the most well-known artists is Michel Jean Cazabon. His 19th-century watercolor paintings are part of a collection on display at the National Museum. Other famous artists include Dean Arlen (painter, sculptor, muralist), Patrick Warsing Chu Foon (abstract artist, sculptor), Althea McNish (printed textile art, brought Caribbean arts to the British public), Shastri Maharaj (painter, teacher, has a focus on Hindu art mixed with Carib art), and many others.

by Patrick Warsing Chu Foon

Literature in Trinidad and Tobago is quite diverse in its origins. Today, it’s written mainly in English and borrowed from the oral stories of Africans and indigenous people, folk tales and religious stories brought over from the Indian and Chinese workers, as well as European literary traditions that were introduced.

Jean-Baptiste Philippe was a medical doctor whose family came from Grenada. His 1824 pamphlet called Free Mulatto is considered the first literary work from Trinidad. It was one of the earliest works addressing the prejudice and disenfranchisement of free mulattos, particularly in the Caribbean. However, the first Trinidadian novel may be the 1854 work by Michel Maxwell Philip called Emmanuel Appadocca: A Tale of the Boucaneers. (It’s apparently available for the Kindle for only $6.17 and considered part of the public domain in the US).

V.S. Naipaul

These writers paved the way for other 20th century writers like V.S. Naipaul (also known as Vidia Naipaul, has won numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001), C.L.R. James (prominent post-colonialism writer, known for his socialist and communist viewpoints), and Derek Wolcott (who I mentioned earlier because he was born in St. Lucia, poet and playwright, also awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992). Other authors worth looking into include Michael Anthony (author, historian, professor of creative writing), Earl Lovelace (journalist, short story writer, playwright, author), and Lakshmi Persaud (she’s a short-story writer, professor, freelance journalist on socio-economic issues).

Up next: music and dance

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

I’ve come across Trinidad quite a few times during my life. They’re highly known for their music. And of course, their famous moko jumbies walking on stilts at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. But I typically only hear about Trinidad while the island of Tobago is often included as an afterthought. (What’s going on over there anyway?) I’m sure like much of the other Caribbean islands, they have a long history of people taking over the islands and swiping pieces of all those cultures.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive on the islands and named it “Isle of the Trinity [La Isla de la Trinidad]” which got shortened to just Trinidad. The island of Tobago is a derivative of the Spanish word for tobacco, but it’s not exactly clear if it’s because it’s shaped like a cigar or because of the tobacco growing and use by the people who live there. (Columbus originally called Tobago Bellaforma.) However, the original Arawak people living on Trinidad called it Cairi. It’s often said that it means “hummingbird,” but some historical linguists argue that it doesn’t. Regardless, the hummingbird has become a symbol of the country.

Trinidad and Tobago are the southernmost islands in the Caribbean. In fact, they’re actually on the South American plate, which probably makes them a part of South America rather than the Caribbean. They’re quite close to Venezuela and almost directly south of the countries of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It also shares maritime borders with Barbados and Guyana. Not surprising, they have a tropical climate with definite rainy and dry seasons. The islands are typically outside of the hurricane paths, but every now and then they’ll get hit with one; Hurricane Flora did significant damage on the islands in 1963.

After Hurricane Flora in 1963.

The island was inhabited by various Amerindians, mostly Arawak- and Cariban-speaking groups. The Spanish were the first Europeans to land on the islands, and shortly after that, Sir Walter Raleigh made landfall searching for the famed El Dorado, or City of Gold. Both Trinidad and Tobago both became coveted islands for Spain, England, Netherlands, and France. Quite a few incidents happened between all these players in search of control of this island set, including skirmishes between the Spanish and the native people living here as well. (Not to mention that the Spanish also introduced disease to them that they had no immunity for. Seems a running theme wherever the Spanish went.) Trinidad became part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, along with the rest of Central America, Mexico, and part of the southwest US, but that didn’t last long. During the late 1700s, a lot of French planters with their slaves moved to Trinidad as well as freed blacks and mulattos from nearby islands in the Caribbean. This created a rise in population. The British took over in 1797 and declared it as a crown colony. Slavery was technically abolished in 1833, but instead of being freed, they were placed under an “apprenticeship.” That garbage program lasted about five years until there was a revolt and it was also abolished. Once there were no more slaves to work the fields since most went to work in the cities, they had to find labor somewhere else. So, they brought over indentured workers from India to fill the gaps. Some of these contracts were dubious at best. The British added the island of Tobago to their colony in 1899 when they realized the sugar industry was collapsing and thought they could help. The early 20th century brought about several revolts over labor and management of resources. By the 1920s and 1930s, the sugar industry had completely gone kaput, and labor issues were at the forefront. The US had a couple of military bases on Trinidad during WWII and actually did some good in building up the island, but they left in 1961. After the war, the British started decolonizing some of their colonies; the British-ran Caribbean countries formed a federation to help facilitate independence, which Trinidad left on its own later after Jamaica did. They did well during most of the 1970s because of the oil that was discovered. But then they hit a recession, inflation, and unemployment. In the early 2000s, they hit a second oil boom, which helped propel itself to a more stable economy.

The capital city, located on the island of Trinidad, is Port of Spain (which is also spelled as Port-of-Spain and called Puerto España in Spanish). It’s not the largest city, coming in third behind San Fernando and Chaguanas. Port of Spain serves as a financial center and has one of the largest stock exchanges in the Caribbean. The city is tucked away in the northwest corner of the island along the Gulf of Paria. The city has quite a few parks, gardens, stadiums, museums, and arts venues and is known for its Carnival festival.

Trinidad and Tobago boasts having the most developed economy compared with other Caribbean countries. The majority of their economic drive comes from oil and gas and is also the majority of their exports. Sugar and coffee used to dominate their agricultural sector, but in recent years it’s mainly been relegated to fishing along with fruit and vegetable production (mainly coconut, cassava, cucumbers, eggplants, and pumpkins). Tourism isn’t quite as strong as other Caribbean countries, and the tourists they do get tend to go to Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago has also developed their science and technology sector quite a bit, and several companies in this field are putting some effort into research and development.

The largest religious following in Trinidad and Tobago is Roman Catholicism. Several other Christian denominations (Pentecostals, Presbyterian, Anglicans, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists, Methodists and others) are also represented in the islands. Because of its history of bringing people from India to the islands, Hindu temples and Islamic mosques dot the islands as well. Other Asian religions include, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. There are even a few African-based religions in Trinidad and Tobago: Orishas, Rastafarians.

English is the official language of Trinidad and Tobago, but more specifically Trinidad and Tobago Standard English (TTSE). However, the most spoken languages are Trinidadian Creole and Tobagonian Creole, which are two English-based creoles that include influences from African, Asian, European, and Amerindian languages. There are also speakers of a Trinidadian variety of Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu). Chinese is also spoken by immigrants from China, and there are also a few indiginous languages still spoken on the islands (mainly the Cariban languages of Yao and Karina and the Arawakan language of Shebaya).

The county north of Indianapolis, Hamilton County, is known for its numerous roundabouts. In fact, the city of Carmel (pronounced like “CAR-ml”) boasts that they have more roundabouts than any city in the United States, coming in at more than 128 in the city alone. Frankly, I don’t mind the roundabout, but the “figure-eight” roundabouts are annoying and slightly confusing. However, the city of Port of Spain lays claim to the world’s largest roundabout -- it’s about 2.2 miles around! That’s almost as much as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (which is 2.5 miles). However, there is a dispute between Port of Spain and the city of Putrajaya, Malaysia for this title. The one in Malaysia is 2.1 miles, but the Malaysians claim that because the Trinidadian one isn’t exactly an oval, it really shouldn’t count as a roundabout. This is the kind of dispute you imagine siblings go through. They really should be sister cities to each other. It only makes sense.

Up next: art and literature

TONGA: THE FOOD

It’s a three-day weekend this weekend for Memorial Day! But it’s not quite the same this year. In Indiana, the Indy 500 was supposed to be today, but it’s been a quiet May here with its postponement. (They’ve moved it to August, and I think it’ll run with no crowds). We also finally moved the rest of our stuff from the other house to our current ones, only to find that our barbecue grills have been thrown out. So, no barbecue for us this weekend. My husband was at one store the other day where he saw some cheap ones, but they were sold out by the time he went back. So, mer ner.

I'm excited to experiment around with different toppings and dips.

But we always have Tongan food today! The bread for today is called Keke ‘Isite. I combined my yeast with a cup of warm water and 1 tsp of sugar in a large bowl and mixed it until the yeast dissolved in the water. Then I left it on the counter for about 10 minutes until it was frothy. In the same bowl, I added in another cup of warm water, ⅔ c of sugar, and 4 c of all-purpose flour. It should be the consistency of a thick batter, but you may need to add a little water or flour to get it to the right consistency (I added about a ¼ cup). Using my hands, I mixed it until it started to come from the side of the bowl. Covering it, I let it rise for about an hour or so. It doubled in size, so I used my hands to knock it down a bit, and let it rest for another 20-30 minutes. It was soooooo sticky, I had to use quite a bit of flour to keep it from sticking. After this time, I heated my oil in a heavy skillet (make sure you have enough oil to fill at least 2-3” deep). You can test the oil by putting a tiny piece of dough in it--it should float to the top within seconds, but if it browns within 30 seconds, then the fire’s too hot. The recipe says these need to brown slower, around 2 minutes on each side. Using my hand, I scooped out a handful of the batter and formed a ball about the size of a golfball and put it in the oil, flipping it after a couple minutes to brown each side. First of all, my heat was too hot at first, and my first batch was burnt. And it took WAY less than that time, even when I turned the heat way down. When they were done, I took them out and let them drain. You can serve these a number of ways. I dusted some with powdered sugar and dipped some in honey. The kids just ate them plain. I think these were a hit -- even the burnt ones, oddly enough.

This was really good. I almost liked it better than the corned beef version. But it would be better if I ate them side by side.

For my main dish, I decided to make a variation of a dish that is popular in Tonga as well as other nearby Pacific countries. So, I decided to make Lu Moa. This dish is usually made with corned beef, but I’m making it with chicken this time. And in lieu of taro leaves, I’m using collard greens, which I thought would go well with chicken anyway, and much easier to find during a pandemic. First, I washed the greens and cut out the stems. Then I lined a baking dish with foil and placed the collard greens on top of that. I spread my chicken on top of the greens (I cheated a little and used a bag of cooked diced chicken). Then I spread my sliced onion and chopped tomato on top of the chicken, and poured a half can of coconut milk on top of all of it. Now it comes time to assemble it. Because my casserole dish was larger, I added more leaves on top of it and then another piece of foil over the top to tightly cover everything. I put this in an oven I set at 375ºF for about an hour. This was really good, and I think everyone enjoyed it. We love collard greens, and the chicken was very tender. All of flavors really blended together. It was simple enough to make, and I think it lends itself to creating variations (I think this would be good with some oyster mushrooms or even lemon and capers).

You can never go wrong with sweet potatoes.

To go with this, I made Sweet Potatoes in Coconut Milk. This easy dish called for sweet potatoes (again, I cheated and used canned sweet potatoes that I already had), some coconut milk, and a bit of sugar. All of the ingredients are essentially combined in a saucepan and brought to a boil. Then I lowered my heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. I cut back on the sugar, but I feel like I probably should’ve either let it simmer longer or added a bit more sugar in it. The sauce was a little runny. But it still tasted good.

OK, I'm just gonna say it. It needs some coconut rum.

And it’s been a while since I’ve made a drink, but I also made ‘Otai, or a Tongan watermelon drink. Perfect timing for summer! I cut up some watermelon and mashed it so that it was mostly liquid with some chunks. Then I added to this a cup of crushed pineapple, a can of coconut milk, a cup of coconut water, and the lime juice of half a lime. Some people add in a little simple syrup, but I thought it was sweet enough as it was. When it was all mixed together (which should be a bit thick), I let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This tasted really good, but I regret not actually making this in the blender. I think it would’ve had a better texture. But it was good regardless, quite refreshing.

Overall, this was a good meal. Loved all of it!

If there was one ingredient that dominated this meal (three-quarters of my meal used it), it would be coconut milk. But what do you expect from an island nation that is covered with coconut trees? Despite having the word “nut” in its name, coconuts aren’t nuts. Rather, it’s a subcategory of fruits called drupes. It’s related to other fruits like peaches, apricots, avocados, olives, mangoes, walnuts, cherries, and generally other types of fruits with pits. People who live in tropical islands like Tonga tend to use most of the coconut to make a number of items: grated coconut, coconut milk, coconut water, coconut oil, coir (coconut fiber), and charcoal. It’s no wonder it’s used in everything and such an important part of their culture. It can do everything.

Up next: Trinidad and Tobago