Architectural beauty at Patraj Roti Shop

Copyright © 2009 Richard Bolai
Patraj Roti Shop at Tragarete Road, Woodbrook, Trinidad, West Indies

This is the shell of the once popular Patraj Roti Shop which in 2008 was destroyed by fire. The archway led you a row of tables and just left of it there was the casher and a queue of people who would wait forty five minutes to be served. In some way it is a reminder that you can’t hold on to things, and that experiences are to be enjoyed in the present no matter its circumstances. Everyting, slight, wet and plenty chicken

Slight - The degree of pepper to be added to the roti
Wet - The amount of curry to be added to the wrap

The perception of cow's milk

'Milch Macht Müde Männer Munter'


I ready to taste yuh natural condense milk

If this Tobagonian drinker of Nestlé's low fat reconstituted milk made this Chinee woman do this, please keep back some milk for meh.


Dat milk just make meh poom

These two portraits show the exaggeration in vitality which products use to hook or mislead their customers. There is no case study that supports their claim that consuming a glass of milk would induce a behavior such as this. Contrary the the fact that drinking too much milk can give you a stomachache.

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Benefits of milk
Cow's milk - calcium, zinc, vitamins A and B, and iodine
Man's milk - Thick and creamy with lots of protein and vitamins

Guinness - Sexual Impotence

An incomplete figurative painted billboard advertising the stout beverage, Guinness, Port of Spain, Trinidad

For many men in Trinidad and Tobago, this is a remedy which the washed-out graffiti explains (Sexual Impotence) for those who may lack the sexual prowess. A couple of Guinness may do the trick to make your wood stand and to double-break in the process.
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Wood - Penis
Break - Ejaculation

Meh wife like meh sweet water

Listen nah I marry twice
The portrait of this older gentle-cold-nuts-man brings a feeling of homesickness to Trinidadians who live elsewhere in the world. He is situated around the Queens Park Savannah, Port of Spain and sells his cold nuts from a decrepit van which believably moves.

At the time, a coconut was being cut-open for its jelly. Mr. Saga boy was sweet talking his lady client about the natural healing benefits of his particular water, in its grade of sweetness which his wife could not handle too much fresh water in her system. More foretelling was the way his hacked at the shell with brutal cutlass force.



In certain cultures, the coconut tree is considered as the tree of life because very part of the palm can be used.

Grade of water
Young Coconuts - Sweet, no jelly
Older nuts - Tart, moist jelly

Solo - Vision of the future

The birth of Solo

The Solo softdrink has its beginning in St. James, Trinidad, West Indies and the glass bottle is derived from the Bell X1 flown by the American Charles Yeager in 1947. He was the first man to exceed the speed of sound.

The serving tray above is a promotional memorabilia from Joseph Charles Bottling Works which took great pride with its product. Fat boy as it is known is still available in Trinidad in small shops in rural areas. Other classic softdrinks were, Jucy and Canning

Cakes For All Occasions.

On this painted sign for the Daily Bread Bakery, it says; For the best, Hops.Bread.Cakes.Pastries.Bakes. Pizzas.Pies and then ends with For All Occasions. What does that mean?

The artists has rendered three delicious three delicious culinary desserts which are a sugar coated donut, a sliced loaf of bread and a large cake that seemed to be baked from a Jell-O mold. There is something usually how ungainly the cake sits.

A Bakery sign of the Eastern Main Road,Trinidad, W.I

Rosella - Jamaican Sorrel

May I have five pounds of your Hibiscus sabdariffa....Eh meh what?


It is a beverage drink that is ingrained in Trinidad and Tobago at Christmas time. Tanti would have some chilling in her icebox. It is a family of the hibiscus scrub and the edible part of the calyx is used to make the drink.

The floral leafs are boiled and seeped, The syrup is then flavored with ginger and sugar. Sorrel is an ideal drink to served during the holidays, it has the benefit of lowering high blood pressure when dealing with family gatherings.

Bakery Art

A rock cake for meh grandson to break up he teet

Pastry shops in Trinidad and Tobago are quaint places. I am sure that they do not set out to be that way, but it became inevitable when parents, particularly women began to make their demands felt regarding their children's taste. You will always see the following, hopsbread, current rolls, pigs in a blanket, beef pies, custard creams and pink and white icing cup cakes. The larger cakes are another matter. Whatever is the Hollywood action character and Disney character of the day is on offer in the most psychodelic shades of colour. There are also the standby Elmo, Barbie and Barney. Just writing that makes your teeth hurt. The colours are so vivid you question whether they are legal or whether they are filled with number 2 dye!

However, these are ready made cakes and confections and we all know how long it takes to make something like that from scratch. Gone are the days when women would scoff at buying a ready-made cake, they are now mandatory for the very busy family. When you stand in line at the bakery is another matter. People are always buying hops, white or wholewheat bread, and you can bet that you are going to hear what they cost once upon a time when life was simpler. The size, taste and texture of what they used to be like makes you almost put back what you are buying today, as todays hops do not measure up at all. In fact you are told by older people that they are now half the size and twice the cost. That is progress and inflation for you. - Adele

Chung Hu's - Lovely plastic decor

Chinee Chinee Restaurant

In Trinidad and Tobago there are a number of Chinese restaurants that are operated by Chinese immigrates. Puzzling as it seems, the person who takes your order over the counter generally speaks with a thick tongue of English Mandarin, or in other words, in a choppy dialect of one syllable words. Hence: "Fry...Rice, Chic...ken, Chunky...Veg, Large, Thirty...Dollar" is her confirming the order. And as the chef prepares his wok, you are transformed into an exotic place like Mother...Land Chi..na in decor and style.

This is Chung Hu's restaurant in Diego Martin, the place is fairly large with tables covered with pink flower patterned vinyl sheets. Each table has a lovely vase set with an artificial rose sprinkled with dust . If you are lucky, you can sit next to the large plastic citrus tree bearing orange fruit to give an ambiance with your Chow Mein special. The walls of this restaurant are filled with prints of homeland China and a few Buddhists charms to protect the space. The mere difference between this place and other high end Chinese restaurants is that the table cloth is actually a cloth and the dinning room is located on the upper floor of the Establishment. The cost though is twice as much.

Chinese restaurants are family based, and often enough you may see young children clawing at their mother's leg as she tries to attend to you. What is more amusing is their thick Trinidadian accent. Note: Chung Hu asked the patrons kindly not to remove the soap and toilet paper from their restrooms.

Adele's comments:
At the moment we are having an insurgence of Chinese restaurants run by Chinese who are just off the boat. For most food places, no matter how exotic, many end up having to accommodate what we know as 'creole' food, a peas and rice, stew chicken and mayonnaise also known as potato salad. There is so much more to chose from today, as you can get a Capuccino, Sushi and fried Octupus if it suits your fancy. However,if you are in port-of-Spain and you pass by The Breakfast Shed, you'll be hard pressed to find a seat, as so many people love nothing better than what all regions call 'comfort food."

My Creole Wedding Caterer

Slogan: Work hard, eat well and play hard

If you and your finance are looking for local food for your upcoming wedding, this open kitchen maybe the one for you. This and others like it are located on the pavement from many streets in the capital. You just have to mind the gap between the pavement and the canal water that sometimes gushes over your shoe after a heavy rain fall. Then you have to hold on to the cage and pull yourself up to give leeway so you can order your meal. The caters are generally higher than you.

In Trinidad and Tobago, lunch time serves great business to vendors who cater hot meals like the colorful green stall located upper Edward street in Port of Spain. Come rain or shine scores of people line up to grab a quick creole meal from the portable hut or van. The special for the day at "Come eat, Bien well" is listed on the blackboard. It also advertises orders all year long for pastelles and caters for wedding, parties and conventions.

Your Wedding guest's menu

1. Stew Chicken
2. Stew Beef
3. Callaloo
4. black eye beans
5. Macaroni pie
6. Spanish rice
7. Salad

Richard's Shark and Bake - Bizaare Foods

People want to experience life like fast food, sweet and salty

For all of you who get the station Travel and Living, you may be familiar with Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern . His show deals with his going to a country and really going off the beaten track, trying the less familiar cuisine. The show has interested me because I am always curious to see what the countries he has visited have to offer. I also realized that he had come to Trinidad and Tobago from an image at the introduction of the show. That show was finally on the air today. I missed a bit of it, but was able to see him at Maracas beach having a bake and shark, in St. James having a Roti and a Doubles, at San Juan market buying callallo and Down the Islands eating the heart of a fish that was blurred out to the viewers for some reason that was not clear? I am always very curious to see what people say about Trinidad and Tobago.

Not because I want to see their view so much as I am interested to see how accurate they are. It is then that I can gauge whether they are equally true about other places they visit. It is a quirk of mine for sure, and has no basis in fact. I assume that it is a reaction to my island. Bizaare Foods did not necessarily show the food of Trinidad and Tobago as being strange, after all, he did not go for our ‘wild meats for example. But it was a good attempt at trying to give people a sense of what our eating habits are all about. - Adele

When you come out from the sea and you’ll hungry.....anything taste good

What makes Richard’s Shark and Bake so popular is the amount of condiments he generously serves to his costumers. People like to get their money’s worth if between the shark and the bake, it can be topped with other edible things. Mr. Zimmern describes it as, “locals like them smothered in a variety of sauces”. The sandwich should be consumed as quickly as possible because there is the tendency of the contents sapping into the bread.

The best quick food in Trinidad is Doubles and in Tobago, curry crab and dumpling but it is rather tedious to eat. - thebookmann

Ice cream man and his informer

At the corner of Crystal Stream and Morne Coco Road in Diego Martin, Trinidad, a home-made ice cream vendor is set up next to a fruit and vegetables stall. TEAM'S ice cream has been in business for many years says the young man, It began as a family run venture and still is.

Teams has his run ins with celebrities, and one such personality is, Saucy Wow, Denise Belfon. His ice cream is capable of enticing and satisfying the entertainer. The weekends are generally the busiest time, and most often there are a line of people waiting patiently for a cone or tub of sour sup, rum and raisin, or Guinness ice cream. But on this evening, an informer tells him about the intentions of a particular fellar who it courting his sister. The informer is best described as a small wiry man. There is a short transcript.

Ice cream man: So what you know about he?

Informer: He, he does smoke weed heavy and like yeh sister bad. He does tell she how he like she so and he good and like Church. He want to settle down and have child, I know dem all does say dat because I know he want to fock she.

Ice cream man snickers to this remarks, but in a serious way, he still focuses on the question on the suitor's intentions.

Ice cream man: So what do you tell she about he?

Informer: She, she does cuss meh out big, and she say she know he. But I finish with dat telling she about he, all I know he like she and I eh getting involved, nah.

Please note that the phrase, "she known he" may imply that the couple may be sexually involved, it was stressed by the man's softer timbre and hesitation.

All dem spice make meh wood hard

Tanti knows it all
At the central market in Trinidad and Tobago there are a number of stalls which are operated by older ladies. We fondly call them Tanti. What they sell are a variety of spices and concentrated concoctions like molasses. These are generally from roots, seeds and barks from trees. If you need mauby, seamoss or pure coco to make your morning tea, she has it.

The proprietor always has her take on the world of spices and extracts, and she is always willing to tell you how they should be properly prepared. Also adding to the utensil that blends the brew - the swizzle stick. -thebookmann

In preparation of making a Seamoss drink

First yeh soak it, wash it clean, then boil and add spice - watch it so it don't overflow. Then put it to cool. After yeh swizzle it with powder milk and condense milk.

Sprangalang - Oh gorm dat roti melting in me mout

This is a lovely air brushed wall painting of a young lady all dressed in her Sunday outfit. With her rolling pin at hand, light blue plaid apron and black clogs to give her a little more height, to the layman, she makes the art of preparing Roti look quite easy, but it is hard and laborious work.

Miss lady seems very composed in this portrait as she is preparing one of the staple dishes in Trinidad and Tobago. The filling Roti. Big Red is optional. There are no beads of sweat rolling under her lovely brim to ruin her blush, no fatigued look from rolling all that flour, she is just delighted to serve you.

There are several types of roti such as Dosti, Sadda, Dhalpuri Soohari and Paratha. Paratha is a Oh gorm dat roti melting in me mout particularly because it does, and it is more heavenly when served with curry duck or goat. The bread should saturate and melt with the stock. The Roti goes by the local name "buss up shot" because the bread looks like a ripped shirt. So all respect to the roti makers who slave over a tawa (a large iron plateen), rolling pin, pucharaa, (a large brush with strips of cloth at the end to apply and distribute the oil on the dough and platter) and dabbler (two large paddles used to break the roti so that it flakes). The texture of the Paratha roti depends on how the flour is kneaded and rolled. If it is not rolled correctly, the roti skin will not break nor flake.

Types of Roti: The Dhalpuri skin has ground split peas. The Sadda is cooked without oil and Dosti are two thin layers which can be separated after it is cooked. The art is rolling two balls of flour together with butter at the centre. Big Red a soft drink associated with eating Roti. Sprangalang is the Trinidadian comedian Dennis Hall. - thebookmann

Nothing in the world sweeter than.....

Man does lick down man to find it

Below are the lyrics from a Calypso by the Mighty Sparrow, and it is a testament of how sweet tasting Saltfish really is. We know that he is singing about something else. The Lord Kitchener also sang about Saltfish and he lamented how his Caribbean wood was too good for his lady friend's cooking. She had tried all other types of foreign wood, but they seemed not to heat up her pot, although Kitch's wood spoke otherwise and she yelled, "Kitch, take out yeh wood, it burning up meh saltfish".

In parts of the Caribbean, dried Cod fish is prepared and cooked in many ways. The fish is soaked in water to remove most of the salt. Some people just throw hot water on it, three times and it is ready, others soak it overnight. Cod can be stripped and fried or just seasoned with onions, sliced tomatoes and olive oil. Buljol is a favorite in Trinidad and Tobago and it is served with boiled eggs, slices of avocados and fried bake.

But you should also be wary when you buy at the market, some vendors like to add a bit of water to swell the meat, its weight and eventually its cost to you. Saltfish should be dry and covered with salt granules. -thebookmann

Saltfish stew is what I like
So doo-doo, give me day and night
I like you food, so don't find me rude
My favorite, I sure every man in here already eat it

Saltfish

Nothing in the world sweeter than

Saltfish

English, colloquial, Bajans

Saltfish

It's sweeter than meat
When you want to eat
All saltfish sweet

Very well, I like the taste
Though the smell, sometimes out of place
It hard to take, but make no mistake
I want you to know, it's because it extra sweet it smelling so boy it's

Saltfish

Big money does run behind it

Saltfish

Man does lick down man to find it

Saltfish

It's sweeter than meat
When you want to eat
All saltfish sweet

Some like it hot, some like it cold
No matter what, I take it young or old
When it serve with wine, man does stew it fine
Put no pepper, the bone in the centre does be sweet like sugar

Saltfish

Some men does get drunk to taste it

Saltfish

Some does go and hide to face it

Saltfish

It's sweeter than meat
When you want to eat
All saltfish sweet

All I want for Christmas is a piece of pork

"All I want for Christmas is a piece of pork"....from a Christmas melody from Trinidad and Tobago


Freshly killed Pork, Trinidad and Tobago

This is what we Trinidadians call, ah going to the country and people who live in these rural areas make a living by selling home grown vegetables and fruits from wooden sheds along the roadside. Normally, the stalls are unattended and you have to call out or honk your horn to get any attendance. At the junction to Valencia, Trinidad, on such vendor is Mary who sells a variety of homemade pepper sauces and local seasoning called Rooco. This is used to brown any type of meats especially at this festive time where fresh pork is the specialty of the day.

A traditional method of cooking and preparing Ham is to boil the meat in a pitch-oil tin outside in the yard. There is also the method of burying the pork in sand wrapped with fig leaves and covered over with hot stones in a deep pit. The pork takes several hours to cook.

Salt and Mixed Cashews

Customers in queue for a pack of fresh nuts from one of the most popular vendors in Port of Spain.

These two Nutmen operate their brisk business on the sidewalk opposite the National Library in Port of Spain. Their costumers are so loyal that they have lined up in an orderly fashion to buy a few packs of their freshly roasted nuts.

The vendor remarked that if you give what you have freely to others, even to the pigeons, your rewards will exceed your expectations.

Nuts: A sex anecdote, It good for yuh back

The Unpatriotic Canadian and Doubles Vendor

Walking Hard For The Money

Sweet talking you for a sale of his fresh a Current Roll which is flaked pastry with raisins

Winny Mandela came to Trinidad in 1998. She was at the SWWTU Hall Hall where she addressed women NGO's on 'the struggle' in South Africa. A nutsman was standing outside selling, when he saw her and could not resist saying the following,"O gorm, she's a nice woman, I could married she." - Adele


A folding table food vendor on the move, Port of Spain, Trinidad

Along the dusky sidewalks in Trinidad and Tobago, food vendors can be seen carrying their baskets and small folding tables. This is their morning run with a selections of beef, cheese and fish pies which are usually wrapped in greaseproof paper after a generous amount of pepper sauce is added to it to give it a zing or to kill the flavour of the mincemeat. All you taste is hot. When you're hungry, anything taste good until the oily pie begins to ride you much later.

Yet, these people do a brisk trade by providing a much needed service to all of us who are too busy to eat properly at certain times of day. They in turn are proving that hard work pays off in their daily exercise by canvassing door to door to earn enough money to have comfortable homes and to educate their children abroad.
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Meh hand slip - Adding too much of an ingredient to food, generally salt

The Death Of A Confection-ist

A sweet vendor near Memorial Park, Trinidad, West Indies

Outside Holy Name Convent, Port of Spain and across the street at Memorial Park there stands a lady who sells snacks. She has corn curls and soft drinks and mango chow. But she is also knowledgeable about the traditional tuckshop sweets that are now a thing of the not too distant past. Remember the Tolom? Chili Bibi?Guava sweets?

You can still buy the first two, but the last is hardest to come by. It seems that the gentleman who used to make and prepare the sweet by hand, cutting the wooden sticks, boiling the guavas and creating the perfect little burgundy coloured confection, has died and his children and grandchildren have no desire to continue the tradition. So sadly it is a hazy memory, but not in the hearts of children who are now adults, who remember the brown paper wrapped confection that fit perfectly in the mouth, sucked down to the stick, the stick lingering until the guava taste dissipated, the cost of such joy, less than a quarter. - Adele

Bagging her chow

Preparing mango chow can make your mouth water. Half ripe mangoes are peeled and chopped into slices then seasoned with salt, pepper,vinegar and sliced cucumbers or pineapple with secret ingredient, Shadow Beni to give it its aromatic taste and smell. Shadow Beni is powerfully pungent Caribbean garden herb.


Mango Chow