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Let me hear your thoughts

Has to be common culture, behavior, norm, lifestyle

Everyone has or does it

In reply to Curtis

Corruption

In reply to Curtis
Seawater and sand .. . and rum .. .

In reply to Curtis

Close relatives. Actually, very close relatives in some corners.

Quite a number off dishes are very similar, same ingredients but prepared differently and different names. Some “proverbial sayings “ aren’t the same.

Shared colonial past

In reply to Curtis

this is a complicated question....it depends. food, language, religion. Culturally, TTO would be closer to the South American continent and islands like Martinique, Dominica, St Lucia and Guadeloupe. And of course the Indian influence is something totally new to the islands so that makes it even more unique in our part of the world. I'm talking in terms of language(patois was very popular up to 50 or 60 years ago), dance(bele dance from Martinique was also practiced here), music( the first decade of recorded calypsos were recorded in french creole and Exile One of Dominica was a huge influence on Lord Shorty's Soca creation) and so on.

In reply to Curtis

Curry Chicken, Roti and doubles....pelau for the beach

Some common dishes;
Accra - fish cakes
Curry Goat- Goat Curry
Tom Tom, probably known by different names
Callaloo
Pepper Pot (famed by the Guyanese but prepared in many islands)
Cavaldash - Garlic Pork
Conkies known by all variety of names (painted in T&T).

In reply to Jabari18



100%

In reply to Jabari18

And village ignorance..

In reply to sgtdjones

Dais only two countries.....and doubles in a 100% trini creation that somebody took to GT

In reply to Curtis Smoke weed –

Insularity!

there are a lot of similarities, the average person does not realize someone is from another place until it is pointed out.

Outside women / men, jackets and full suits

Good answers so far, but there's one that's indisputably common these days

Keep going

This is not the answer I am looking for, but in line with the commonalities, the Caribbean has Strong Women, pillars of society

Right?

...but there's a less sexy commonality that I had in mind originally

Christmas cake or black cake is also one, btw.

...let me hear you

In reply to Curtis

anteeman bizness and the whole sex reversal ting gine on.

In reply to Curtis

anteeman bizness and the whole sex reversal ting gine on.

Soon come.

And most important of all, most of the movers and shakers went to UWI. So they share a common philosophy albeit with a parochial twist and know each other

In reply to Barry

Duppy Story-think that ended with Mellennials though

In reply to Brerzerk

Dem watch duppy pon di tv nowadays

I think sorrel at Christmas is common too

But, the #1 common thing is????

Cou cou and flying fish

In reply to sudden
Only Tobago and Bim seem to have flying fish doe

White rum

cussing

Ok, Number 1 common thing across the Region is Burglar Bars!!!

Almost every house has it.

You wouldn't stay in a house without any.

That suggests burglary and break-ins are commonplace, but is that true???

In reply to Curtis

Insularity, corruption and the "id principle".

Yet, folks seldom see burglars plying their trade

Who are these burglars??? Do they have friends who know what they do?

How do they learn and develop their skills?

Do you have a paadna who is a burglar?

How many burglars are there?

Most careers celebrate success and excellence. Practitioners want to be recognized. Burglars?

In reply to Curtis

the bars are in honor!

In reply to Curtis

Damn. That's pretty sad actually, but probably more than apt.

womanizing

Why isn't there public outcry about burglaries? No police announcement or political will?

Same bruk pocket and very pretentious!

In reply to Curtis

In which island are these burglaries taking place?

In reply to sudden

I suspect all,why else would there be all those burglar bars?

In reply to Curtis


I see burglar bars in other countries outside the region; when people live in street level apartments, particularly in older cities, though they tend to be more decorative.

So, they're decorative then?
But what % of regional homes have these bars? Plenty.

What's easier, start a war against burglars or spend money on steel bars?

Or are these bars result of misplaced paranoia?

In reply to camos

Regionally, homes have them at all levels.

In reply to Curtis

Notwithstanding that I haven’t been to every island / territory in the region or at least recently I don’t share this view.

I don’t see extensive use of burglar bars in Bim. Not where Powen lives.

Many years ago maybe but not now. Perhaps security on windows has improved

Not all homes have it in T&T either...many have standard windows and doors with no bars..and short front walls and front gates etc..there are also many areas where people still leave their front doors open all day also..and I don't mean rich people areas only...

In reply to birdseye

old men running after young pokey

In reply to bravos

Those are exceptions though, right?

Maybe dem folks have Raptor barbwire on perimeter

In reply to tc1

True ting, old men know no boundaries

In reply to Curtis

I think you are over generalizing there

In reply to sudden

With old men statement?

In reply to tc1

Young pokey is like natural viagra

In reply to Curtis

No, burglar bars

In reply to Curtis

burglar bars are illegal in America, re fire safety, not that people would not want them!

In reply to sudden

I think it depends on what area of the country? My mother's house near the airport has them but my grandmother's house in St. Thomas didnt. But for a while when I lived there I'd see TV ads for buglar bars relatively frequently, which was a bit odd

In reply to Tryangle

How about your father’s house if it wasn’t the same as your mother’s and other areas you saw/ visited?

that is why I say, it is an over- generalization

burglar bars in Ja have become less visible, the more expensive homes have them on the inside!

In reply to Curtis

Personally I look for them and surprised how many dont have..it's a normal thing with metal windows where they form part of the ornamental design though..

They're mostly absent from old wooden frame windows to new hurricane grade pvc and aluminum windows..and in so called 'hotspots' and 'country' they more or less don't exist on older homes...

In reply to sudden

Caribbean burglars show up when you home, sleeping, other places they come when you're away

Hornin

In reply to imusic
You had to go there.
Not something I recommend,

Hornin is a Trini word, does that mean more prevalent there?

Songs, jokes, etc.

In reply to sudden

Fair points. My old man's place is Warrens Crescent and I dont recall the houses there having any

Caribbean Court of Justice

In reply to SCC1

Not the court of last resort for Ja or titland

In reply to sudden

Jamaica is ramping up to make CCJ last court

Strange that CCJ is located in T&T, and Trinidad not part of court of final appeal

Hurricanes

In reply to Chrissy

Good one, except Guyana tek pass.

No mention of CARICOM?

CARICOM professionals can work with no restrictions in any territory

I learned a new phrase 'short stay' place, from Dukes visit to GT.

These are common across the region, I bet.

ve bady wan guh faren

In reply to doosra

Yeah, except Trinis.

What about national pride? Most have a sense of nationalism to varying degrees of strength.

In reply to Curtis

Yep god is ah Trini..

In reply to Curtis

Janet hit Guyana
T&T (like Guyana) is not a hurricane territory but given climate change all bets are off.

In reply to Chrissy

True. Region got off light this past year too.

Who are the most proud and nationalistic people in the region?

In reply to Curtis Jewmaycans/Treeknees!?

In reply to BeatDball

Nope,not rich yet muddies ftw !! Brother Norm knows dem well..

In reply to Overthrow

Ducuna - Antigua, St. Kitts, SVG
Paime - St. Lucia
Blue drawers - Jamaica

In reply to Maispwi

It's also paime in T&T but not very popular nowadays...

A diaspora which has failed to evolve and is immodest and brash.

In reply to BeatDball

Yes, probably right.

Generally, Yardies personify the confidence of the region. Trinis clamor for recognition they feel they deserve.

In reply to Curtis

Where do you come up with this Shoite?

In reply to sudden

Maybe he just personifies that shit

In reply to sudden

Lol ...yeah rel shyte he talking now..

I never knew a Trini like he talking about.. we just go about our business and always pushing the region as a whole...we never had a Trini Airways as our national airline,never changed name of any of our regional business conquests to represent Trinidad over the hosts,we bigger than that, we just know it that's all...

Curty boy confused like many others..

Ok, let's keep it real.

Jamaicans are responsible in many foreign lands, England especially, for the decrease in violence towards Caribbean people and others, as they stood up to the Rude Boys etc. In late 60's and 70's. It's the character of Yardies, they don't take shit. Many passive Caribbean people benefited.

Yardies helped to neutralize the violence by fighting back.

That's the Yardie persona, whether for good or bad. Confidence.

Trinis are plenty talented. Economic success and creative culture, makes for spectacular outcomes.

They are a proud bunch, but they crave worldwide recognition of their talents.

In reply to Curtis

WRT Yardies fighting back in the UK, whilst some of that may be true, how does that “personify the confidence of the region”, whatever that means?

And what has that to do with the topic?

In reply to sudden

Just an unexpected offshoot of the topic.

So you don't think Jamaicans are confident, in most ways?

In reply to Curtis

No more confident than others.


But I would rather stick to the topic, ent?

In reply to sudden

You're right, that's a bit divisive, but not intended to be.

That said, can't confirm, but everyone has steelpan. Guyana, Bim, not so sure about T&T.

Yardies have?

In reply to sudden

Ah mussi dis imma tark bout..

Real confidence yuh simmi..

There is a poster on this board who has several Trinidadian, Guyanese, and one Jamaican handle. None live in the region. He has a false wood deck.

Nice thread- deserves a ton

In reply to Curtis

You serious?
The steelpan was invented in T&T

In reply to bravos

Yep, that poster is a confused and ignorant person- he isn't sure if Trinidad has steelpan

Maybe we should have him believe steepan is now being introduced in Trinidad and Bob Marley is Irish

Unnuh don’t see the smilies on that post- jeez

In reply to sudden

Some say eye sight deteriorates with passing time.

Sugarcane is everywhere in the region, no? Big part of Caribbean history.

In reply to Emir

Bob Marley daddy was a white British naval captain, so they might appropriate him in time to come. "Jamaican born British artist ".

How could I forget, first class pepper sauce. Plenty around the world eat hot and spicy, but best pepper sauce is from Caribbean. Even Bajan pepper sauce, made with mustard, goes down nice.

In reply to Emir

No matter how far gone he is,he must know Trinidad is the home of pan, calypso,soca and limbo .


Ping pang pong !!

Ease up on de boy, it can't be easy only having Terry Gadraj and Trini chutney and soca as yuh own and then discovering oil a 100 years late and still selling out to massa for peanuts.....

Ping pang pong ping pong.

In reply to Curtis

Yes boi pepper sauce is a big one.

In reply to bravos

Not only Massa, Massey and other Trinis too

In reply to Curtis

Bingo ! you're alright mate..

In reply to bravos

...soca, kaiso, reggae all across the region, even some chutney artists breaking thru a lil bit
This Guyanese artist

In reply to Curtis

I was gonna reply something like "is all ah we ting and is one love" etc..then I clicked on the vid..

Bro you serious ? Tell me you're joking..i see no smileys..

In reply to bravos



What happen to "is all ah we ting"?

Alright, how about Roti?

Is that across the region now?

Nicknames

Commess/Gossip

In reply to Da-Vincy

Definitely falsename is a regular thing, especially the ones that other people give you.

E.g.: Parrot BT, Bruk-up, Fine Boy, Fat Boy,Red Man, Pope

In reply to Da-Vincy

Yeah, gossip or talk-name as they say in Guyana

People look forward to talking name, they schedule time to do it

Also very common these days is a genuine disgust of WI cricket performance and outcomes.

In reply to Curtis

Does cricket even count? Even taking away the Spanish, French and Dutch countries out of the equation, do people in Belize, Bahamas, Cayman talk much about cricket, much less WI cricket? Curious.

In reply to Tryangle

Cayman maybe, Bahamas guessing no,

Belize no

In reply to Curtis

An interesting question to pose. I have some friends who moved to Belize some time ago I'd have to try and reach them. Belize and Bahamas both played in the recent T20 Americas qualifier but don't know if the population in general cares much for either their national team or for WI (or both) the way Bermuda tends to.

Oddly enough, Cayman had a team play in 2019 but not this year (maybe because of Covid restrictions)
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Common also is our colonial history, indigenous Folks exterminated or displaced, ancestors brought in as free or cheap labor.

Where do we go from here? We are basically One People.