I went to lunch today at a restaurant that I probably would have missed if I was not invited there. The population in this high-end establishment was quite interesting since there were no local persons working at that time. The staff all spoke Spanish and no one (patron or staff) looked like me. In fact, I was meeting persons who were caucasian and I was the only black face in the place.
As I looked at the menu, I wondered what fraction of the items on the menu was produced locally. This country is not like Jamaica, with its many rivers to feed farms, (even though we still don’t seem to know what we’re doing), but it does have the resources to produce some of what it eats…. yet it doesn’t. The people have sold themselves the lie that their land is not ideal for food production, and so I’ve not seen a single fruit tree in a yard so far and this is my third visit – not even a banana or an apple tree. Everything is imprted and this makes food prices very high (I paid US$6 for a box of milk yesterday). They can’t plant fruit trees but you do see many ornamentals. It’s spring, so right now it’s all about being pretty with blooming flowers. And yes, there are permanent trees. Many palm trees….which can’t eat!
And then I wondered, since it is rich country, could it be that the people are too rich to plant their own food?
And so, I started thinking about my posh farm again (I think about it maybe every week). Last year, my many absences coupled with the drought (I’m sure the drought was the culprit) frustrated my ad-hoc efforts to maintain my farm…. and so I gave up…. for a season. I actually enjoyed planting and watching the things grow and being able to literally eat the fruits of my labour…. and so I’ve been itching to go back. The problem I thought I had was that I would not be able to give it the attention it needs……at least, that’s what I thought……
….Until the men working at my house showed me by example, that apart from watering and the occasional weeding, the plants don’t really need my help to grow (I’m sure the workmen don’t even know that they did that).
Last year, one of the men planted some corn grains and pigeon (gungo) peas in the rocky patch by the house. To my surprise, when we arrived in our home in December, we had corn ready to eat at Christmas. Since then, I’ve eaten from the pea patch and I’ve shared peas with family and friends. The work man did not tend the corn or the peas in any way; he simply planted the seeds and left them to grow. Apparently, the seeds had gotten a good shower of rain for a few days after they were put in the ground and that’s all they needed. The gungo trees continue to blossom and produce, even after the man has gone; and I continue to be amazed since I’ve not tended them in any way.
And so I’m encouraged. When I get back home, I will certainly try again….after all, flowers are pretty to look at….but dem caan eat!
Posh Farming 