One Pot

Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Contributor

Me dear mam:

DE OTHER day me deh a foreign a cook. An missis ma, as me done cook de green bean an a drain off de water, me shake me head. Wid de tawt dat if me granny did deh oneside fe see me, she woulda muss seh to herself seh after all de beaten an talking to, how me still grow tun big ooman widout understanding.

For she woulda ask de question seh if me nuh know seh after de bean dem bwile out an lef de water green. If me nuh realize to meself seh de water weh me dash weh wid de nutriment a de bess part. An das why me deh a foreign a walk like me baddy a drap offa hinges.

Massy.

But a nuh lie? Cause a de said pot water binnis me notice foreign people hab line off pon shelf inna supermarket an call it broth. Chicken broth. Dis ya broth. All kine a broth dress up inna floral condense pan an a get space pon TV as delicacy fe gi turkey appearance. But me love, mek I tell yu dis.

Notta braat can ketch fe me granny pot water weh she used to gi me when me was a pickney. Cause fuss ting to begin wid, har pot water was dinner unto itself. Scotch bonnet pepper.

Piece a corn pork. Scellion an thyme. Pimento. An anything weh coulda drap in deh fe mek de dumplng an banana taste like meat get weh in deh. Den now, after de dinner nayly done cookan de pot water a simmer dung fe come dung, ebrybaddy get call fe bring dem mug.

An while all a we siddung a sip de pot soup, all yu can hear fram we was de big ole belch wid "ask pardon". Dis like dem farmer man outta pasture fram daylight. Suh at de fuss soun, a me granny dat. Ready fe confirm now how she nuh know how late a days smady lib widout de nourishment a pot water. An all when we siddung deh a force fe drinky cause a we dinner we really want, a she dat roun a we head back. Bout we fe try drink up an gi we brain lilly gravity.

Well me dear mam, back to me an de green bean. For a after me pour off de whole a de green, green pot water das me memba weh me granny use to tell me. An me realize seh de bean weh lef inna de pot was really nutten but lilly string bean.

Minus de nourishment. An when me reflect lilly deeper, me realize seh not only do some smady fling weh de nourishment, but nuff time dem cook dung de lilly piece a food to nutten. If a two fish dem a steam, it haffi bwile dung like cow foot. If a callaloo or cabbage, it haffi mash out like porridge. If a half pung a rice, it haffi tan deh till it begin bun. An missis, when it nuh cook dung, dem bayly cook it. Like dis ooman me did tell yu bout when me was a pickney.

How she used to buy de hog head a Satideh evening fe cook fe Sunday dinner. An believe you me, by de time a next smady huppen a tin a bully beef fe put it dung wid lilly cabbage, de hog head cook. Wid de aise a back weh de dutchie cover fram shet dung.

An missis, by night come dung, ebry Jack Mandora a dem twiss up an a ask if nubbady nuh hab nuh green lime fe assist dem.

But me dear mam, nuh matter how it go, as me granny woulda seh, de best ting is fe drink back de lilly vegetable water or used it said one an cook dung something else.

Or call ebryting a day an mek a one-pot meal. Dat way, nutten valuable nuh waste. An ascordin to har, waste not, want not.

Tek Care!

Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes is Director of Graduate Studies at Norfolk State University in Virginia.

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