Life and Food in the Caribbean

In Christine Mackie's (1991) Life and Food in the Caribbean, it is demonstrated how intimately intertwined are history, culture and food. The story of the African, English, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese and Indians in the Caribbean is largely one of exploitation and slavery to provide a steady supply of labor for European colonizers. Such oppressed cultures typically fail to have a recorded history, a voice by which their own unique experiences can be shared with future generations. However, Mackie's (1991) main argument in this work is that by exploring the conditions and foods of the various cultures of the Caribbean one is able to discover the semblance of a cultural voice for each: "Here is to be found a blend of flavours and styles which helps to tell the story of those who left little else behind them. In it can be found the myriad ethnic strains of Caribbean voices" (15).

Mackie's book is unique in that she not only describes the conditions and foods of the Caribbean peoples, but she has also mixed with the various ethnic groups and often made food and ate with them. Such an inside view enables M

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Category: Foreign - L