Dear Editor,
Those of us who have migrated to so-called greener pastures of the West, can’t help but reflect how being born in Guyana has given us certain advantages that most Americans don’t enjoy. For instance, as we have heard so many times, eating out is a quite prevalent American pastime. Americans go to McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut and a variety of other fast-food as well as the more elegant restaurants scattered throughout the length and breadth of the United States.
Some Americans eat out every day, sometimes for breakfast as well as dinner. This latter practice is quite common among retirees, especially if they have a good pension or social security cheque. Such individuals can’t stand the thought of cooking and eating at home. They have to go out.
On the other hand, Guyanese in the US are much more inclined to prepare a meal at home instead of going out to eat. It is something that we were used to while living in Guyana. So, it is indeed quite common to hear a Guyanese saying, when invited to eat out, maybe by a fellow Guyanese, “Naw man, I like me home-cooked food. Me wife can cook!” (And this is not to say that Guyanese men in the US don’t often do the cooking, or cook for themselves if living alone.)
I regularly talk to a friend, who when he was working would insist on cooking a special meal such as cow-heel soup for his family every Sunday, even though his wife was a stay-at-home mom and most of the children were grown. As such, that family hardly ever ate out. It had to be a very important occasion that would cause that family to go to a restaurant, and not even then. You see, they developed the habit of eating at home in Guyana and they don’t want to part with it. They really don’t have a good reason for wanting to part with such a good habit. Even when they have a big birthday bash at a rented facility such as a banquet hall, they would cook all the food at home and take it to the banquet hall to serve their many guests.
On similar occasions, an American would have the food prepared by professional caterers as well as served by professionals. The party would also be held at a hotel or other rented facility.
My mother spent almost twenty-five years in the US before finally passing away in 1993. One of the hardest things to get her to do was go to a restaurant. Even if we (her children) wanted to take her out for a birthday treat, she would simply tell you, “I can cook, honey. You don’t have to take me anywhere. Your company would be good enough for me.” And that would be the end of the matter.
For many Guyanese, this idea of eating at home is really a cultural thing, but it is also a way of saving money and being able to balance your budget at the end of the month.
And, unlike our American counterparts, don’t even suggest to a Guyanese that you go to a restaurant on Christmas Day or Thanksgiving (not a holiday in Guyana), as they may just laugh you to scorn and talk about you forever. It is the same with baking bread. If time permits some Guyanese would bake their own bread; somehow, someway they will find a way to do it.
There are other areas in which Guyanese practices would differ markedly from an American’s. For instance, in Guyana we are used to patching a bicycle tube umteen times and then “splicing” it three or four times before finally discarding it. Over here, you wouldn’t patch it that many times, but unlike the average American, you wouldn’t buy a new tube after one or two patches either.
What about sewing on a missing button or mending a torn shirt or pair of pants? We used to do that back in Guyana, but I am not so sure that it is a common practice over here, except to say that the Americans would hardly think about doing it. They would just go out and buy another shirt or pair of pants.
But, for sure, one thing you wouldn’t find the average Guyanese over here doing is buying cloth to take it to the tailor to have the tailor make either a shirt or pair of pants. Guyanese women wouldn’t buy cloth to have a dress made either, for the simple reason that it wouldn’t make good economic sense. You see, the ready-made store item is much cheaper than if you were to have the item made by yourself or a professional.
Yours faithfully,
Rudy Vyfhuis
