Sh*t Guyanese Parents Say!

OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS HILARIOUS!

Just wanted to take some time to share this amazingly funny video. As a child, I got every single one of these from my parents & this video had me dying! Any Guyanese kid can attest that this is exactly how Guyanese parents act. I'm SO glad there are others who got this - WAY too funny. Props to the actors who put this together - you pulled it off perfectly!

Dhal & Rice & Caraila

Dhal & Rice & Caraila - it doesn't get any more Guyanese than this. This meal is my childhood. It's like the Guyanese version of what American kids think of broccoli - it's disgusting when you're a kid... but you magically love it as you grow up.

Caraila is also known as bitter melon. Yes. Bitter is the perfect word to describe it. It's got a kind of taste that I'll never be able to explain... so I won't even try. I found a very informative site on it that you should definitely check out if you're interested -- http://caribbeanpot.com/tag/guyana-corilla/

I absolutely devoured that caraila today & I think what I appreciate most about it is it's extreme health value. From what I've been told & what I've read, caraila is "good for your blood" and has been suggested as a substitute for insulin for diabetic patients.

I've always had caraila with shrimp - it just adds more flavor and makes it seem like you're not just eating a big old bowl of bitter.

Dhal is a staple of India that was brought over by the Indians when they were taken to Guyana by the British. It's basically "split pea soup" with added Indian spices and seasonings & I would never be caught eating caraila without it! Check out the Wikipedia page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dal

So after doing some further research, I've discovered there are a million crazy ways to make "dhal" & they all come out way differently from each other. But luckily I was able to find the Guyanese version here: http://www.inner-gourmet.com/2011/08/guyanese-staple-dhal.html

That's almost identical to how my mother makes her dhal & it's got pretty pictures to help you along!

The best thing about dhal, in my opinion, is that if I want a quick meal, I can just pull out some roti & dip it in my dhal & call it a day. It's basically what I grew up on & it fills my right up!

And that, ladies & gentlemen, was my Guyanese meal of the day. Oh - and there was pepper sauce right to the side, buried in the caraila... mustn't forget that ;)

The best Guyana-themed movie I know!

For anyone looking to learn more about the history of Guyana & doesn't want to spend time reading up on the country, this Guiana 1838 will capture your heart & educate you at the same time! The movie tells the story of the African & Indian slaves who were brought to the country by the British. It shows the foundation of the country & the reason behind many of the cultural tensions that are still present today. It was also shot in Guyana, so you'll get a glimpse of the beauty of the country as well. I definitely recommend for anyone who is interested in learning more!

An easy Friday night meal - Bake & Salmon

I've never shared my Guyanese meals on social media before, but there's a first time for everything, right?! Bake & Salmon is so easy to make, healthy(ish) & so delicious. I guess I should mention now that I'm a "Pescatarian" (I gave up meat about two years ago but still eat seafood - sometimes). So this meal is perfect for my diet & still allows me to stick to my roots.

If you're wondering, I converted to Pescatarianism because not eating meat makes me feel so amazingly good about myself. I know... I shouldn't eat seafood. They were once alive, too. But sometimes there's nothing else to eat. And in a family that eats duck curry & chicken stew on a regular basis, sometimes you have to settle for shrimp curry unless you want to eat bare roti. So there. I've also lost about 15 pounds since I converted to this diet, so that's a plus. For the most part, I don't miss chicken at all. Being completely honest... sometimes I get cravings & I've been known to cave in once or twice, but hey, were' human, right?!

But I digress. This meal was a staple of my childhood whenever my mom wanted to cook something up real quick on a Friday night that actually had substance. If you know Guyanese people, we don't frequently go out to eat. We cook - it makes sense, it saves money & it's less gluttonous. My mother is an AMAZING cook, so I can't even compare myself to her when it comes to cooking. For your convenience, I've included some more information about this meal:

Bake - bake is similar to bread. It's more coarse, crispy on the outside & somewhat fluffy on the outside.

• 4 cups all purpose flour 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar 
• A pinch ground cinnamon (optional) 
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
• Lukewarm water 
• Oil for deep frying 

Preparation:

1. Add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon (if using) to a large bowl and mix thoroughly. 
2. Rub in butter to flour mixture. 
3. Add enough water to make a soft dough. When the dough comes together, knead for 2 - 3 minutes. Rub the dough with oil and let rest, covered for at least 30 minutes. 
4. Knead rested dough for 1 minute and then divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and form into balls. 
5. Heat oil in a deep pan and let come up to 350 degrees F. The oil should be hot but definitely not smoking. 
6. Roll one piece of dough into 3 1/2 to 4-inch circle. Add dough to oil - the dough should sink and within 2 second start floating to the top of the pan. Using a long-handled pot spoon, spoon oil over the top of the dough so that it continues to puff up, as soon as it puffs up, flip it over. You will notice that it starts to bubble and move around the pan. Let cook until the side is nicely browned. 
7. Using a slotted spoon, remove bake from pan draining off the excess oil. Add to a paper-toweled bowl. 

Salmon

The number one reason I say this meal is quick is because we use salmon from a can - simply purchase at your local grocery store, crack the can open & season with some salt, pepper, paprika & whatever your favorite seasonings may be. We also add some tomato, onion, shallots & raw pepper in there to give it a kick. Remember - less is more!

It's important to note you can have bake with other foods - I enjoy it with some egg or salt fish.

That oh-so-amazing Pepper Sauce you see near the bottom right

I would never be able to call myself a Guyanese if I didn't eat the pepper sauce with every single meal I eat. I put that stuff on EVERYTHING - fish, pizza, egg - EVERYTHING!

It's so simple to make... and if you like spicy, it's for you!

We just blend up some "wiri-wiri" peppers (see below) & add some cucumbers & mustard if it's too spicy for ya. It has an amazing flavor that just can't be found in American pepper or hot sauces.

There ya have it - if you decide to try this simple meal for the first time, let me know how you like it!

WHERE are you from?!

As I embark on my journey as a television news reporter, I've come to see patterns whenever I introduce myself to someone. Ninety percent of the time, the absolute first question I get, whether I'm talking to a news director, reporter, assignment desk editor, anchor, or an engineer, is, "So... where are you from?" And of course, my response to that is, "Well, I grew up in New York & Florida, but originally, I'm from Guyana." Every. Single. Time. I've probably said that line eight million times since I started in this business.

 I've gotten everything from "Your skin tone looks amazing in front of the camera" to "You'd never be able to work in a market with 99% Caucasians" to "You'll have to try twice as hard because there aren't many people who look like you" - and even - "You're going to go far because your last name is Baksh".

I'm not racist or anti-American, so please don't mistake this blog for anything of the sort. I love America. Growing up in America will probably always be the best thing that has ever happened to me. I moved to the states when I was a little under knee-high, just two years old. September 14, 1994. Funny story - I was three days under two years old, so I still got a free ride on the airplane. Ha. But anyway, being in this country has given me opportunities that I would have never gotten if I still lived in Guyana. I'm a reporter. If I could take a guess as to where I'd be if I had grown up in Guyana - I'd probably be married by now, living in a village, either as a teacher, or who knows what. And that's not the life I want. America has given me the freedom to be who I want, do what I want, work hard for everything I have. It's made me appreciate my parents more for sacrificing the home they know to give their children a better one. It's made my English absolutely superb. It's the reason I'm sitting on this laptop writing this blog.

So I'm absolutely grateful for every opportunity given to me in this great land. I'm thankful for the soldiers who protect it & I sometimes cry when I hear the Star Spangled Banner. That is how much I love America.

But being Guyanese & in news has taught me how important my roots are, because face it, no matter how well I speak English, no matter how short I cut my hair or "American" I try to look, the first question I answer from people will most likely be, "Where are you from?". And I'm okay with that.

Now... a quick Geography lesson. Because well, the second question I get is, "OH! Where's that?"

Some people think Guyana is in the Middle East, some people think it's near India. No. Guyana is in South America - right there... between Venezuela & Suriname. See --

Since I left, I've only been back about three times, for about a week each. But I savor every day I have when I'm there. I savor the culture -- colonized by the British, we are a mix of African, Indian, Chinese & Native Guyanese. So the country is RICH in culture. We're an English-speaking country that associates itself more with the Caribbean than South America. We pride ourselves in cooking good food, working hard & never taking family for granted. Our natural resources are abundant & up top, you can see a picture of me & my cousin at Kaieteur Falls, one of the world's longest single-drop waterfalls.

To learn more about my place of birth, I've linked the Wikipedia Page for Guyana.

I'll be sharing my journey as a journalist, my travels, vegetarian Guyanese food & treats, amazing stories & more on this blog -- so stay tuned & thanks for following me as I embark on this ride!