Indian Arrival Day is celebrated in Trinidad to commemorate the arrival of the Indentured Indians to the island. They came from various parts of India looking for a new start, to make some money, because they were duped, or perhaps an escape. I jokingly refer to the day that our family arrives for our annual reunion in Cape Canaveral as Indian Arrival Day.
Indian Arrival Day this year will be Saturday, July 1st. Siblings, in laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, will come from all over (last year we had a record breaking number of states – NY, NJ, RI, VA, PA, NC, TN, FL, CO, CA, and HI) and converge to reunite the family. It’s an annual summer ritual to reconnect and solidify relationships. The last time we all lived together was probably 1978 or thereabouts. Therefore, every family is strategically placed in their own apartment to promote harmony and to encourage them to continue coming every year. Living together has never been conflict free and we still have the ability to push each other’s buttons or, futilely, try to fix each other’s problems. (ง •`⎽´•)ง
Indian Arrival Day this year will be celebrated with Curry Chicken and Roti. This is probably the main vestige of our culture that we cling to; food is forever the thread that binds us. The kitchen and the house will smell of curry regardless of the fans and open doors. Soon our fingers will have the lingering smell too. Everyone has their own curry recipe and it varies based on preference but mostly we use what spices we have in the kitchen. I’m expecting homemade roti this year!! Brenda has been practicing and I bought a new tawa for the occasion. It was sold as a cast iron pizza pan but it should accommodate misshapen roti very well. Other items on the menu, special thanks to Jeff Bezos and Amazon, will be phoulorie, scotch bonnet hot sauce, mango anchar, tamarind sauce, Tunnocks caramel, Peardrax and Solo Champagne Kola. Let the festivities begin.
I can’t wait 〵(^ o ^)〴 ( ˘ڡ˘)
unbecomingjane 