Fry Up The Vibes

Homesick /ˈhoʊmˌsɪk/ (adjective)- longing for home and family while absent from them.

That’s Merriam-Webster’s definition of homesick but does it ring true, or hold as much weight, when the feeling of homesickness is the result of a conscious decision to live far away from your home and all of the things that have made you, you? I recognize that it’s a problem that can be quickly resolved by simply moving back to New York City If you look at it that way, it is a non-issue with an easy fix. It is quite simple, actually.

I don’t get homesick very often because I believe that I’ve done a good job of creating a satisfying life in Paris. I have a close group of girlfriends that have become my family. I love, trust, and appreciate them. I know that when I’m not feeling 100% I can call on any of them and they’ll be there for me. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the family that I thought I was going to have here, the story that I was building, imploded on itself. And sometimes it’s hard.  

So why the F*** am I doing this to myself?  Well, c'est compliqué.

As much as I sometimes long for my crazy, funny, annoying, loving, BIG Jamaican family and my friends back home I feel that leaving Paris is not an option right now. This is my home now and I hope it stays that way for a long time. The city and the way of life has gotten into my bones and there is no shaking it. Homesickness aside, 95% of the time I feel really good here. I’ve come into my womanhood here in a way that I am not sure would have been possible in New York City.

I feel free here.

I feel like me here.

Sometimes I feel guilty about wanting to make Paris my forever home because does that mean I love my family less? Does that mean I love my friends back home slightly less? Of course not. But it is hard to justify to myself, and sometimes others, when the thing that occasionally makes you sad can be easily fixed by just saying goodbye.

So when I have bouts of homesickness I usually keep them to myself. I just try to incorporate elements of my old home here, notably through food. I cook Jamaican food to feel close to my family, my foundation—my culture. I’m not very good at making Jamaican food and I know that I will never be as good as my mother. HOWEVER, on the days when I do attempt to cook Jamaican food—with the familar scents floating in the air, flavors dancing on my taste buds, and reggae music that makes me sway my hips from side to side I do truly feel like I’m à la maison. 

Fried Dumplings, saltfish, and plantains

This meal is my antidote to homesickness because it's easy :) and is classically Jamaican. It’s a staple in our culture. I still have vivid memories of my mom making fried dumplings on Saturday mornings and the smell waking me up and guiding me to the kitchen where I would try my best to steal one that was still a bit hot. 

This i my attempt at infusing that Caribbean spice in my life in Paris and I hope that as I continue to cook Jamaican food I will perfect the techniques and combination of flavor, and hopefully pass down to any future Jamaican-American-French kids that I have running around Paris one day. 

Fried Dumplings

JAMAICAN FRIED DUMPLINGS RECIPE ADAPTED FROM COOK LIKE A JAMAICAN

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour

• 1/2 to 1 tsp Salt (if using salted butter or margarine use 1/2 tsp salt)

• 3 tsp Baking powder

• 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter or margarine

• 3/4 cup Cold water

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl
2. Blend butter into dry ingredients with hands or mixer until crumbly
3. Add water, a little at a time, to dry ingredients until dough holds together (you may
not need all the water). Sprinkle with more flour if the dough is too wet.
4. Knead dough until smooth; do not over knead. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes minimum or overnight if you can
5. Shape dough into 8 small balls (enough to fit in palm)
6. Pour cooking oil into the frying pan and set the stove to medium-high
7. Place dumplings into pan; oil should be sizzling
8. As each side browns continually turn dumplings until all sides are brown and
dumplings are light and fluffy

This recipe makes about 8 dumplings. You can eat them all, some or share with a friend! Comme tu veux.

Salt fish stew

Ingredients

• 200 grams or about 1 cup of salt fish that has either been soaked overnight to get the extra salt off or boiled several times that same day (specifics on the podcast)

• 1 medium onion

• 2 small-medium sweet peppers

• 2 medium tomatoes with seeds removed

• 1 clove of garlic minced

• Ground black pepper to taste

• 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Debone and flake saltfish

2. Heat oil and sauté tomatoes, garlic, sweet pepper, and onion until tender, about 6-7 minutes

3. Add flaked saltfish and black pepper

4. Lightly toss, cover, turn the stove down to low heat and allow all of those flavors to combine 

Fried plantains

Ingredients

• 1 plantain cut in half

• 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Heat oil in frying pan (make sure the pan is hot)

2. Peel half of the plantain

3. Cut into circles or diagonally

4. Once the pan is hot add plantains one my one

5. Turn until both sides are a deep brown

Voilà. C’est tout. Now you too can have a little bit of Jamaica chez toi, no matter where you are.