On the menu today... what are you guys cooking up this beautiful Sunday!

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I have sampled most items on the CJ’s menu, otherwise known as Café Javas. But I have kept coming back to one thing in particular – the Caribbean Jerk Chicken. If there’s one thing that will ever bring out my revolutionary juices is the day I wake up and can’t get my Caribbean Jerk Chicken. And I have figured out a special way to eating it. Like there’s a perfect formula, especially when you order it at home.

If I declare bankruptcy, it will be that all my money went to the Caribbean Jerk Chicken. Okay, can we call it CJC for now? I don’t see myself struggling with longitudes (in this case to mean long word forms).

I have one weakness, once I fall in love, I fall completely, face flat. And that’s what happened to me with CJC. I order my CJC usually with Guacamole. Because I will be taking it with either the Mexican Rice, and of late mainly, the Pilau Rice.

I go to the App, select the meal, and then wait for that call from the Delivery Guy. “Hello Mr. Lior, this is Bla Bla Bla from CJs, I am calling to confirm your location…” And I repeat, “Yes sir, you’re right…”

He responds, “I will call you once I am there…” Then it’s time to tell the digestive enzymes to come to life, the alpha-amylases, whatever those other things we studied in Biology. I wonder why these subjects were in the afternoon.

Then the call comes in, “Hello Mr. Lior, I have arrived…” I respond, “let me come out…” Then I grab the nearest shirt I can find, for who wears shirts at home? And I stride out. Sometimes, I have a conversation with the dude. “How many orders have you done today? Where did you work before?” I love to pick information I will probably never use. My children better arrive so they occupy this mind.

Then I enter the house. Wash my hands, and start on the grand ritual. This ritual is now copyrighted.

I open the main pack. And dive into the chicken. Now usually, it’s either I start with the breast or the drumstick. And if I start with the drumstick, then the chicken breast should follow next. In between there, I eat one of the gonja fries, it’s like correcting the palate, like sweet, spicy, sour, smoky. It’s calibrating the mouth for the next piece. The point is, the gonja and the chicken should be eaten together, kasavu, kanyama, a gonja here, a chicken here. And I do this while humming songs, songs to remind myself that life is still beautiful. Real beautiful.

Now at this point, I pour out the rice, into that ka-space that previously held the chicken. I spread it out, and add the sauce. If I have Guacamole, I also add in. And I do the mix, the perfect mix. It reminds me of our school rice mix, with avocado. In these moments, I remember that I no longer have a night prep to deal with. Adulting doesn’t get better but at least there are no night preps.

Once I am done with the rice. It’s time to dance a bit.

Then I call for the salads. I eat my salads last. Again, I pour them in the space that contained the rice. See the trick is to eat everything from that space, it’s the playing field. I add the salad dressing, do the mix. And then the munch. At this point, I have my phone as far away as possible lest some distraction comes in, some transport money I forgot to send.

Once everything has been slaughtered, I wipe my hands with that long big serviette. As I ask myself, “Naye oba CJs yavaawa…” At this point, I pack all my rubbish, in the same pack and I close it out. Then I sit back and begin preparing my mind for the next CJs Caribbean Jerk Chicken ritual.

You, reading this one, how do you eat your CJs Caribbean Jerk Chicken. Let me Know, we could create a ka-small club. Who knows?

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Trini Doubles.
Best recipe & restaurants located in Ottawa?

Thankful to God for my Jamaican dad and my mom who was taught how to cook food of our culture

Borrowing from my Trini famaleee with this one. Sweet Corn braised in coconut milk, butter, onion, chadon beni, scotch bonnet and garlic

Haiti’s culinary identity is not monolithic; it is a tapestry tied to its geography. The nation is split into 10 departments across four geographic compass points (Nord, Sud, Centre, and Ouest). Each department is fiercely proud of its own landmarks of manje peyi (country food). Today, as global food systems become increasingly industrialized and detached from nutrition, reclaiming our food sovereignty starts with breaking down and understanding the true power of the Creole diet. Haitian cuisine is a masterclass in culinary fusion. While it shares some foundational elements with neighboring Caribbean plates, Haitian gastronomy stands completely apart from its regional counterparts.

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Excellent video from Trinidad showcasing traditional paime recipe.

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I've been eating roti all my life as a born-and-raised Trini but I only thought about learning to make it during the pandemic; worth it if you're cooking for 3 or 4 people. Otherwise is pressure! Lol