The Same Old Sunday Meals

 

Regardless of where you live in the Caribbean, we all look forward with expectancy to a good Sunday meal. It's a one-time meal where everyone can get together and share in fun and fellowship for great and memorable times. 

Whatever your diet, there's something for everyone around the Sunday meal. Vegan, vegetarian, meat eater and any combination of these ways of eating. Keto, paleo, and so forth. 

However, we have often heard people say at some point in the journey of life that they don't want to eat the same old same ole. They want something else different. 

Now these pictures show Sunday meals from a variety of places in the Caribbean. They form part of the culture of these countries. Why do these meals seem to be similar? It goes beyond the actual food and goes into the cultural values we developed over many years. 

Why don't we eat like this during the week? 

How did these become the food of Sunday? 

Why don't we eat on Saturday, choosing simple meals like pudding and souse, fried food, roasted food, you get the picture. During the week meals are more like sandwiches, wraps, cutters, and other types of convenience foods. 

During the week, there's a singular focus on what is eaten at mealtime. On Sunday there is a combination of various foods. Depending on where you eat, it can be likened to a feast when Sunday mealtime comes around. [This is my interpretation, we should delve into the history to find this out.] 

The Sunday meals seem heavy. During the week, it seems to be a more functional meal. So there seems not only an anticipation of the food but an expected ambience of relaxation after a Sunday meal where conversations take place and relationships are forged/reinforced. 

Can we conclude that Sunday meals go beyond the actual provision of food, but actually more about relationship building and the learning of values from those with whom we interact? Sunday meals are more cultural in the transmission of family values, recipes, behaviours, and discussions about topics that impacted the family all week and how we coped with them. 

One thing is certain, we must never get tired of the same old Sunday meals but anticipate the opportunities of fellowship with our family and friends which is sure to arise from every occasion.