For those of us that were fortunate to be raised or grow up in the island pre – “Americanization”… through the picture of this ‘island kitchen’ we are being transported to some of the sweetest times of growing up in the island of Domincan Republic. My cousin Alex Fernandez just traveled there for the holidays and took a picture of her grandma’s kitchen.
Even though I was not born there, I was most fortunate to have been raised there for the first few years of my childhood-in the ‘campo’ (village no different than Lake Helen…
pre-electricity days).
My grandma’s kitchen was no different than this. I close my eyes and I am back there as a little girl. I hear the sounds of the early dawn breaking through… the rooster and chickens making their morning calls and an occasional cow or two mooing in the background. The smell of mountain dew rolling down onto the valley – a scent I will never forget.
I can hear grandma moving the ‘calderos’ (pots) in the kitchen. These were not ordinary calderos… these were huge! Ah… the crackling sound and the smell of ‘caoba’ (mahogany) which was used as firewood begins to envelop the air…
…signals that soon farmhands and family members will be feasting a typical Caribbean breakfast: fresh milk boiled with newly harvested boiled yucca and water rolls.
From the corner of my minds memory I can see the fresh coffee beans drying on the ground on top of burlap. The roasted beans were then pulverized on the standing mortar and pistil. Nothing like that fresh aroma of morning coffee coming from grandma’s kitchen.
…and slowly the ‘enramada’ (thatched gazebo) would be full of life with people gathering around a simple harvest of home grown delights prepared with love. I Thank God for these memories.
and thank you Alex for allowing me to share this picture – this I must say has been the highlight of my December – WOW. 😀
