St James Parish Library showcases local food crops for Jamaica 60
Published:Thursday | November 3, 2022 | 12:06 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Senior librarian at the St James Parish Library, Marilee Moodie, has welcomed the support of the many students and schools which participated in its annual Food, Flavour, and Festivities event on Thursday, October 27, as part of activities to mark Jamaica 60th Independence celebrations.
Senior said she was happy for the opportunity provided by Thursday’s food display to educate the younger generation about the connection between locally grown food and national culture.
“We at the St James Parish Library saw the need to highlight food, especially as part of our heritage.. We are happy that we got the support from the schools, because it was important to us as a library to inform, educate and entertain our young people, and I can see that our mission was accomplished today,” said Moodie.
The event, which was first held in 2012 and formerly known as ‘Lick Yu Finger,’ was hosted at the library this year as part of the Jamaica Library Service’s (JLS) series of activities in honour of Jamaica 60.
Students from schools around St James, including Spot Valley High School, Chetwood Memorial Primary School and St James High School, visited various display booths which showcased local food crops grown in Jamaica, such as banana, carrot, sweet potato, and coconut. They also got to sample products made from those crops, among them banana chips, coconut drops, and puddings.
Danielle Porter, a 16-year-old student of Mt Alvernia High School in Montego Bay, told The Gleaner that while some of the information was not new for her, it was still good for her and her peers to be given a reminder of the importance of Jamaican foods.
“Today’s activity was very enlightening, as we got to learn more about Jamaica’s culture, our natural food, and the fact that we should embrace our national dishes more. It was not anything new, but it is good to hear them repeat it so we know more of what to do [regarding food],” Porter shared.
Jermaine Cargill, an 11-year-old student of Chetwood Memorial Primary School, said he appreciated the opportunity to see other displays that the library had for the day’s event, including those of items used in past generations, such as ice cream makers, washboards, and older model telephones.
“The most interesting thing I saw here today was when they showed us the souvenirs, such as the old-time telephone. I think this information is very important, so that when the young people grow older from this generation, they can share it with the next generation,” Cargill said.
The Food, Flavour, and Festivities event has been held a total of four times since it was launched by the St James Parish Library in 2012. The previous events were held in 2015 and 2017, as it is not held in consecutive years. Prior to last Thursday’s staging, there had been plans to hold a similar event between 2019 and 2020, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put those preparations on hold.