On Sunday morning bright and early my father came making noise outside my bedroom door and saying that I had fifteen minutes to get ready. It wasn’t even 6 a.m. yet so I was a little confused, but then I remembered that we were going to breakfast in Mt. Moritz that morning.
Every last Sunday of the month the Mt. Moritz Community Development Organization hosts a traditional West Indian Breakfast at the Community Centre. Breakfast starts at 6 a.m. and my parents have made it a habit to be among the first to arrive. Since it was only my second day back at home I didn’t want to disrupt their schedule too much, so I climbed out of bed and got ready just in time before my father threatened to leave me.
We got to Mt. Moritz a little before 7 a.m. and there were only a few people ahead of us. So what really is a West Indian breakfast? To put it simply, you’re not going to find bacon, eggs and sausage here. Instead, expect smoked herring, saltfish, fried jacks, fried bakes, coconut bakes, ground provision, coo-coo and of course, cocoa tea.
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| A plate of fried jacks |
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| No more coconut water from a box for me! |
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| Breadfruit and passion fruit |
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| I can’t even describe my excitement when I saw the sugar cane |
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| Grapefruit |
The breakfast was undeniably delicious, but I think it’s the community atmosphere that keeps people like my parents and their friends coming back every month. It’s the perfect setting for catching up with friends, and as the numbers around our table kept growing and there was never a lull in conversation. Even though we had all finished eating by 7:30am, we didn’t leave until noon. So much for just going for breakfast right?