Congratulations to the winners, Tiffany Kapri & Katie Yeend! See you at SHOW:Love.
Sweet selections by DJ Plantain.
The Sweetest Thing : Haitian Sweet Potato Cake
Haitian Sweet Potato Cake
2 pounds sweet potato, peeled
1 large ripe banana, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cloves, crushed
Rind of 1 lemon, grated
1½ cups light coconut milk
3 teaspoons butter
Preheat oven to 375º F.
Grate sweet potatoes into mixing bowl. Mash banana into sweet potatoes. Add all the ingredients (except 1 tablespoon brown sugar), mixing in one ingredient at a time until each ingredient is fully blended into the mix.
Spread evenly into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over the top of the pudding. Bake for 1½ hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
Serve warm or cold and keep leftovers refrigerated.
Who’s coming to dance with MOSCTHA tonight?
“On January 28th, 2011 MHDP presents Djakout Mizik. The group has played with Wyclef Jean and is one of the best carnival bands in Haiti. Their performance is energetic and unforgettable. Some of their hits include, “Septieme Ciel”, “Naje Pou Souti”, and “Biznis Pam”. With nine members of the band, the stage will be packed and so will the dance floor! Djakout Mizik has been active since 1993 and we are looking forward to having them here in New York at SOB’s”
It was only a few nights ago that I was sitting in Delmas, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti in the pitch black. The power in the area had gone out and the over-worked batteries in the mini back up generator that provides power to one room in the MOSCTHA’s compound decided it too needed a break. Seeing that my battery life on my laptop was nearly gone, I saved my work and decided to play one last song before I went to sleep.
This is what I played.
I did stop to consider that perhaps I shouldn’t be playing music when neighbors may be trying to sleep. I can’t count the times various neighbors in New York City have told me to turn down the music. But then I heard an ever so faint voice of a man singing along. Because of the darkness and the fact that Port-Au-Prince is not one huge grid where one can easily identify what direction is what, I’m not sure where the man was but I turned the volume up and pressed repeat. The song played a couple more times and I’m quite sure a few people got a bit of dancing in before my computer’s power was up.
That was the night Alan Cave sang us to sleep.
Pikliz Please!
A staple of Haitian cuisine is Pikliz. For most it is a home-made condiment geared to amp up the spice factor of a main dish be it any type of meat or fish, but for me it might as well be the main dish.
I don’t believe in following recipes to the T and Pikliz is perfect to experiment with - so instead I’ll give you the goal: create a relish/slaw/salsa like substance that has spice & tang.
The process is simple.
1. Thinly slice cabbage.
2. Chop, slice and dice a trillion other ingredients.
3. Toss the above in a jar.
4. Add some sort of acidic liquid like grapefruit or orange juice.
5. Put the lid on the jar.
6. Practice patience- the longer your creation marinates, the hotter it will be.
My Pikliz usually consists of things like:
- white cabbage
- orange juice
- A dash of guava or mango juice for touch of sweetness
- lime juice
- vinegar
- onions
- carrot (shredded)
- scotch bonnet peppers (finely chopped)
- sea salt
- peppercorns
- whole cloves
Driving Culture
After a bumpy, (both physically and emotionally) drive from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Port Au Prince, Haiti, I was thrilled with the idea of parking the car and getting to spend time outdoor with room to extend my legs and mind without constraints. With the sun gone and evening providing only the smallest ration of moonlight, my tired eyes witnessed only heavily shadowed faces from candlelit homes and stores and took in the overwhelming smell of what I knew was burning trash, but still somehow, (perhaps I was in denial) I visualized split open oil drums serving up freshly grilled food. It was only after fully waking up that I realized that navigating the city efficiently would mean continuing my vehicular relationship. Just like New York City, Port Au Prince is a bustling city bursting with traffic, road rage, and taxi drivers who know both the most direct routes to get you to your destination as well as a long list of not-so-known destinations worth seeing. But unlike my hometown, getting from here to there is a colorful journey led by Tap Tap buses. If I had to compare these buses to anything, it would be to snowflakes, no two are identical. And if for some reason you don’t wish to arrive in style - or rather art- there’s always the perfectly compact scooter. I think I finally understand why people are judged by their set of wheels and all the judges are voting for Port-Au-Prince’s Driving Cultcha.
LADY LEARNS GAGA
Today the team went with the MOSCTHA ambulance to Batey Yabaco. (A batey is a community situated alongside sugarcane fields in order keep workers close by.) In the Dominican Republic, bateyes are populated with many Haitians: those that were born there, come seasonally, have family from there, or identify as so despite loss of citizenship. Sadly, and despite the devastated conditions, bateyes are unusual in that they are the few communities within the Dominican side of the island of Hispaniola where the two cultures are blurred and blended together living, and struggling together.
It was a conversation about Dominican and Haitian music that introduced a new word that perfectly depicts this isolated but mixed culture; GaGa. No I was not being told about Lady Gaga but rather what a typical Haitian RaRa, (a music-based street procession) is called within most bateyes. I’m doing my research to find out if there is significance as to the selected “G”, but for now I’ll assume to is stands for good.
If only both sides of the border could embrace duality, just like a word.
Where I’ve called home has changed a few times but always has the color white has been the overwhelming visual theme. My floors are white just like my wine glasses are. If I mention this to people they imagine a sleekness. An air of modernity that can be purchased in the form of sharp edges and high-gloss. When people come to my home, they all say it looks like a home in the Caribbean. Some of my favorite people have been even more specific and said it feels Haitian.
Recently I’ve been spending time on Manuel Mathieu’s website. Recently I’ve been day dreaming about being roomates with him.
