The loud whistling kettle interrupts my thoughts. Slowly, almost impatiently, I lifted the upper half of my body that was leaning on the kitchen counter, looking through the closed glass window. Moving, more as a function than purposefully, I shut the stove off, walk the few steps back to the counter and pour the hot water over the tea leaves in the jug; the leaves rise to the top of the jug as the water engages them. Placing the lid on the jug, letting the tea steep, I return the kettle to the stove and regain my position – leaning on the kitchen counter looking through the window.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see that the tea leaves are slowly drifting and settling to the bottom of the jug, a sign that they have exuded their elixir and that the tea is ready to drink. I pour the tea into my large waiting mug, add a little sugar and a couple of splashes of milk and stand upright as I turn absentmindedly. Again, lost mind. With hands wrapped around the cup, taking sips of the tea, I watch as vehicles speed up (unnecessary and inconsiderate), soaking up the volcanic ash that carpet the road and ‘ the pavement is thick. I could see the powder-like glass-mineral-sulfur-rock particles dancing outside the closed window.
As I stood by the window on Tuesday, the fourth day into the ash fall of the La Soufrière volcano in St Vincent, several things crossed my mind, in no particular order.
• One is the impact the explosion will have on the agricultural industry, not only in St Vincent and the Grenadines but also in Barbados. As I write this column, Deputy Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Montgomery Daniel, report that the agricultural sector on the north-east side of the country no longer exists. All tree crops have been destroyed and in some cases only stems stand. Bread, coconut, mango, thyme, plantain and banana fruits – all gone. The fall in some areas is so deep that root crops such as yam, dasheen, ginger and others, “all have been lost and not a single blade of grass is found on those farms,” said Mr Daniel. He went on to say that food would not be available from that area for quite a long time.
• However, in the midst of the crisis for the sector and the country, St Vincent and the Grenadines will be able to meet the export of root crops to neighboring Trinidad and Tobago on Monday (forthcoming).
• Here in Barbados, small farms, especially those in the north of the island, have been affected by the heavy fall, in some cases farmers have lost all their crops. The upside is that in the long erm it is likely to have a positive effect on the soil providing it with much needed nutrients. The following year bumper crops are reported by farmers twice in the history of the volcanic eruption in Barbados – 1902 and 1979.
• Businesses, especially in the retail sector here in Barbados that were already tearing up as a result of the pandemic and locks may go bankrupt as the cost of cleaning up soaring and establishing a new approach socially distant. an environment with loads of health and safety protocols limiting customers and hours of operation might be too much. Add to that, now every business has to consider how to operate in a climate that could soar continuously, both in the short and long term.
• Canned food, no matter how much it is trapped, will always have a place on the plate. In an emergency, natural, man-made or otherwise, in a pandemic or disaster, food processed and packed in a can is all many of us must survive.
• Surplus food is a lifesaver and always welcome. There are days and times when things and life seem too much to bear; thinking about cooking or eating, furthest from the mind. But then looking into the fridge or freezer and finding cooked food containers, reminds you that things have to go, so you have to feed and nourish yourself to arrive the next day. In a way, you can see the leftovers as you prepare for that exact day when you have no time to cook, and food services are permanently suspended or closed. It’s a reminder, too, not to waste food.
I lift the cup to take my last sip of tea but it’s empty. I look down into the cup, as if ready to heal with more tea. “Time to stop thinking, Cynthia,” I say to myself. “It’s time to get the volcanic ash swept on a daily basis and don’t forget, you have office hours online tonight.” And so, life goes on.
Cynthia
www.tasteslikehome.org