Food conglomerates in this country will always function as a monopoly because the powers cannot do any better because they have sold their souls to them. Enough said.

M,
I agree with you. Bajans have got to take care of theirNEEDS and not their WANTS. If you go into a store or supermarket and the price is not to one’s liking DON’T BUY. Barbadians have to get away from the habit of saying,” YUH CAN’T EAT DE MONEY.” That’s why the merchants keep laughing at our asses all the time. We don’t want to buy anything cheap. We want to outspend our next door neighbour. It’s part of a STATUS thing.

When i was in Bimshire, I use to purchase my chickens from Steve poultry up in Welchman hall. Along came a dead chicken controversy and the end result is what we have to day as a monopolistic going concern,….and the price of chicken has been on the rise eversince. Brandford Taitt warn wunnuh, them minister of health, and i will continue to say inspite of RA, John and others, when certain people get to control economic sectors in Bim we does all end up suffering. Some can Call Carson C. Codogan whatever, but de truth is de truth.

A sensible approach Daniel but the problem for the Barbadian consumer is a little complex. The educational system which Barbadians boast about has come full circle to curtail our development. For example, we understand that there are several plantations in Barbados which are open to the public to harvest various food crops, there are also farm gates springing up all over the place and we should not forget the markets where fresh meat and other edibles maybe purchased. The advantage of patronizing these outlets is that it cuts out the middle and end persons.

Here is the problem as we see it.

The Black middleclass Bajan has become very status minded/aware. The Black middleclass Bajan will not be caught dead digging yams, sweet potatoes, picking peas etc or going to Cheapside early on Saturday morning to buy fresh meats etc. These educated Black Bajans feel very smug referring to their visits to leading supermarkets like SuperCentre. A good example of this was yesterday on air when Stetson Babb on the evening call in program was very happy explaining how expensive cassava hats are priced at his supermarket.

For someone who is a lover of chicken drumettes that person will have to cut up a lot of chickens to get a belly full. hahaha

People nowadays don’t want to spend the time to do something if it can be found partially prepared or readydone – anyway to save time. Dah is part of de bajan latest lifestyle but to be fair, dey aint alone. Um hapning hay, dey and everywhere.

M – You are sewwww right on. These establishments with high priced chicken needs boycotting but one or two people can’t show the affect, it takes the masses.

David,
Let the fools be parted from their money !
The mentality of people like that is the same everywhere , including the states.
The beauty of a small country, is similar to a small town. It is easier to effect change because of the limited number of people involved. It is always a matter of getting the right people to band together. People like don, who realize that a garden is much more attractive than a lawn. And a Goat can be just as good a pet as a dog.
Dwelling on whatever brought society to the point it is, is only making excuses. Change is a matter of personal involvement. The more people become involved, the more things change.
Anyone who profess to demand change, should also post what they’re doing in their OWN life.
I.E. “Those rotten &^%&*& merchants !!” posted by Don, member of Gate garden #27, and St. Mike’s co-op buyers group.
If someone isn’t willing to be part of the solution, then they should stop complaining about the problem.
The answer to the food monopoly is as I stated before. Simply stop buying from ONE of the controllers. It cost the consumer the same $, but brings great pressure on the one boycotted. Start tomorrow, print fliers, spread the word, carry a sign ! It truly is a relatively simple thing to do !
In fact I challenge everyone here to tell why they WON’T get involved ! Is it really that hard to go to one store, or market than the other ?
Or you can all just sit back, proudly pay your high prices…….and be quiet.
Every one, and every place, has it’s problems. But given everything I’ve experienced in Barbados, I’d still rather live there than anywhere else I’ve found. And yes, when I come, I plan on being as much a part of solutions as I can. Not as an outsider looking to fashion things to my liking. But as a caring productive member of the community, trying to make things better for all of us. Us being the human race. I hope that I won’t be brushed aside because I’m tall as a Trini, or as light skinned as a merchant.

Bajans don’t know how lucky they are. My neighbour and I cannot wait for spring to appear so that we can begin the ritual of preparing our kitchen gardens, tomatoes, lettuce, brocolli-rab, etc. and we use everything that we plant, in fact during the warmer months we spend so much less, I wish it was warmer all year round. I do not know why people in a tropical climate have to spend so much money as bajans do.

One can also use tire gardens- a technique developed and patented by the late Dr Colin Hudson at Edgehill. the

There is the practice by poultry producers in Barbados to sell chicken chops i.e. damaged chickens, cut the bad parts off, sliced the rest of the chicken in smaller pieces.

Usually sold a little below normal price.

Apart from the hard work (exercise) they did, they ate plenty yams and potatoes etc. which provided sufficient starch to generate glucose for thier energy needs, but not enough for storage as fat.

In addition they are chemicals in these foods that have been proven to be conducive to good health.

They tended to eat less meat and more fish, and they used omega 3 fatty acids (shark oil, cod liver oil) long before the scientists started haping about the benefits of these substances.

Dear Adrian you wrote “I wish it was warmer all year round. I do not know why people in a tropical climate have to spend so much money as bajans do.”

When it is warmer all year round (as in Barbados) it is also drier and windy-er that it is in your part of the world. Warmth is not the only thing required for things to grow, at this time of the year we would be glad for the moisture of spring. But we get a very drying wind.

J sometime farmer, and former resident of the great white north

Take a young girl’s advice on how to save $$$$ and eat healthy!

My boyfriend and I go digging yams & sweet potato and shaking out cassava. We both love breadfruits. As for vegetables we travel to Spring Hall Land Lease in St Lucy, which had TOMATOES @ 0.25c per pound (you had to pick them yourself) & CUCUMBERS @ 0.50c per pound; last month. Cabbages were $1.50 per pound. We also got butternut squash, sweet peppers & pumpkins on that trip! If you look at the back of the newspaper, you will see when plantations have provisions on sale. We eat lots of what is in season (and cheap), and dice, freeze and store as well. We buy chickens, lamb and pork mostly from small producers; and never have any problems. I only buy necessary items from supermarkets, and if we can do without we dont buy it.

We have been doing this about two years now and we have seen healthy savings. We must try to cut cost as much as possible. These supermarkets charging these exorbitant costs can hardly justify their actions, and the poor black persons doing most of the hard work being paid at minimum wages. We need to boycott places like Pricesmart who charging a membership price of $50.00 and to renew each year, another $50.00. Pricesmart prices just as high or higher than the supermarkets and then, they dont give bags! Nonsense! Not my money!

We must not stop allowing people to come in this country and rip us off, we must root them OUT. We must stop talking and start taking action!

@ L. Medford

Way to go girl! Don’t just talk about the high prices do something about it!

Philantropist Myass
Dis is one a de best ‘names’ I have come across on BU. Ya got ma laffin.
Murtherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

This brief note on OKRAS is specially for J!
Okra is rich in a number of essential nutrients, and is a good source of dietary fiber, folate, magnesium, potassium, thiamin, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, C, E, and B6. It is also very light on calories, with about ten pods having a total of about thirty-two calories.
Okra oil may be extracted from the seeds of the okra. This greenish yellow edible oil has a pleasant taste and odor, and is high in the unsaturated fats oleic and linoleic acids which are great for everyone’s diet.
Unspecified parts of the plant reportedly possess diuretic properties.
Because of its thickening abilities, it is a notable source of pectin. The vegetable’s mucilaginous substances not only thicken soups and stews, but help lubricate the intestines and soothes duodenal ulcers. When okra is heated in water, its starch granules absorb water molecules, which swell and eventually rupture, releasing amylose and amylopectin molecules as well as gums and pectic substances, all of which attract and immobilize water molecules, thickening the soup or stew.
Medicinally, okra is effectively used as a demulcent which soothes inflammations, including duodenal ulcers, and lubricates the intestines. In India, infusions of the pods are used to treat urinogenital problems and chest infections. In some places, okra is also added to artificial blood plasma products. Non-medical uses includes its being used in the making of rope in some countries.
For the gardener, okra flourishes if grown with melons and cucumbers.

GP
Good info.