Learning about the food and culture of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, dress, cultures and traditions. Today the children looked in depth at the food and culture of the Turks and Caicos Islands with special guests. Thank you so much to Mrs. Elena Patrick and Mrs. Curelene Philipps for sharing the 'Living History of the Turks and Caicos Islands' to our children. These wonderful ladies established Mama's Gift Shop in 1995 and have been offering a quality shopping experience in the Turks & Caicos for 20 years.   They have vast experience and expertise to hand down to our children.   During a fun and lively afternoon with the ladies, dressed in their traditional white shirts and skirts with ribbon detail, the children learned how to prepare conch and had a hands-on demonstration of food preparation and cooking techniques from the good ole days. The children learnt that since the arrival of Europeans and people from Africa, local food has been based on the sea and on maize. Drought-resistant maize (a kind of corn) does well in the semi-arid conditions of the Turks and Caicos. As a result, hominy grits are a popular part of traditional local cuisine. Two traditional dishes, grits and johnnycake, are distinctive Turks and Caicos specialties. The children were invited to show their dancing off to the Turks and Caicos music and see how musical instruments were made. Also the Mamas had 'grown' plants in the school grounds and showed the children the uses of each. It was a very culturally enriching afternoon for the children. Thank you Mamas.