Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Mother of Folklore
One person who wants to keep alive
the stories of the old days in the Virgin
Islands is Arona Peterson, author of
The
Food & Folklore of the Virgin Islands.
This St. Thomas food writer and folklor-
ist is also the author of
Herbs and Prov-
erbs
and
Kreole Ketch 'N' Keep.
Many
people consider her the authority on
the history and culture of the Virgin
Islands.
Kreole Ketch 'N' Keep
is a col-
lection of West Indian stories. Ms.
Peterson has a keen ear and recaptures
the flavor of old island days, interspers-
ing stories with recipes.
In her stories she remembers the
sound and the idiom of the old days
and the island's colorful language. In
her story “What Does Tomorrow Mean?
In any Language, Wait” appears this
passage: “Wat I trying to say is dat
waitin is wat life is about. Everybody
waitin fo something or udder, mannin
or nite. Tain get wan purson wat, livin
ain waitin-fo a bus, fo a taxi, fo a air-
plane, fo a steamer, fo a letter to come
back. Some doan even know wat dey
waiting for but dey still waitin.” Her
topics are sold in local shops.
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volume if you'd like a behind-the-scenes look at St. John after the tourists have taken
the ferry back to St. Thomas for the night.
My Name Is Not Angelica,
by Scott O'Dell (Yearling Books, 1990), is a young-adult
historical novel based in the Virgin Islands in the early 18th century. It tells the saga
of a slave girl, Raisha, who escapes bondage; the rather grim realities of slavery are
depicted here.
Robert Louis Stevenson is said to have used Norman Island, in the B.V.I., as a
fictional setting for his 1883 classic
Treasure Island.
This swashbuckling adventure
has intrigued readers for years with such characters as the immortal Long John Silver.
The topic, which gave rise to such memorable lines as “shiver me timbers,” continues
to find new generations of readers.
COOKBOOKS
A number of topics are devoted to recipes of the Caribbean, including
The Sugar Mill
Caribbean Cookbook: Casual and Elegant Recipes Inspired by the Islands,
by Jinx and
Jefferson Morgan (Harvard Common Press, 1996). The Morgans run the Sugar Mill
on Tortola. With this topic, you can learn the secrets of their signature dishes, includ-
ing Rasta Pasta, rum-glazed chicken wings, and lobster and christophine curry.
Food & Folklore of the Virgin Islands
(Romik, 1990) is penned by Arona Petersen, a
well-known St. Thomas writer and folklorist. The regional flavor of Virgin Islands fare
is captured in her recipes, and the idiomatic dialogues of island people are perfectly
re-created as she spins old island tales and wisdom.
HISTORY BOOKS
The concise
History of the Virgin Islands
(University Press of the West Indies, 2000) is
a bit scholarly for some tastes, but if you're seriously interested in the islands, this is
the best-researched survey of what was going on before your arrival.
Caribbean Pirates,
by Warren Alleyne (Macmillan-Caribbean, 1986), is a good read for preteen travelers
and attempts to separate fact from fiction in the sagas of the most notorious pirates in
history. Some of the material is based on published letters and documents.
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