I vividly remember purchasing my first rice cooker. I refused to use the kitchen at my off-campus student residence (if you saw it you would too) and quickly tired of buying a slice for lunch and dinner. Once autumn rolled around, I began to pine for the meals I had back home in Jamaica; not […]
Vaughn Stafford Gray
Posted inNews + Opinion
Making the case for Black spaces
No, it’s not segregation. Neither is it reverse racism which, by the way, is not a thing. The need for Black people to have their own spaces is, in a word, healing. It’s been almost 54 years since the end of Jim Crow and whether it’s Gucci or Halloween, we are still trying to convince […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Alternative Christmas plans
Ah, the holidays. Finally, the time of year when you can participate in that long-standing Halifax Christmas tradition of having your entire social circle head to Ontario while you’re here by yourself. Great! The yuletide season can be festive, delightful and frustrating all at once. From terrible Secret Santas (really, hand sanitizer?) to over-indulging in […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How I learned to embrace the Halloween spirit
I celebrated my first Halloween at 22. And since this is now in print, I have to publicly apologize to my God-fearing parents. Sorry, mom and dad, but I am still a good boy. Growing up Baptist in Jamaica, Halloween wasn’t really a big deal. In fact, it was rebuked. As the end of October […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Atlantic fridge festival
And like that, summer is over and everyone is back to the grind. Just like winter, it happens every year but always seems to bushwhack even the most prepared. Back to school is daunting for some and sheer frustration for others. Laundry will no longer magically appear washed and folded at the foot of the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Being a Jamaican man in Nova Scotia
Last week, Cumberland North MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin gave me my “told-you-so” moment of the month when she shared her concerns that legalizing marijuana could make Nova Scotians lazy like Jamaicans. Smith-McCrossin said in a subsequent apology post on Facebook—since deleted—that her comments “were criticized as racist and insensitive.” Of course, they were. Many quickly came […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Nothing but good vibes
“A s a young boy people called me Mr. Food,” says Dwayne Green confidently, discussing his role as chef and owner of the newly-opened restaurant, Jamaica Vibes. “By the time I was seven I was making Sunday dinner for the family, and I don’t mean simple things, but complicated dishes like lights”—pork, goat or sheep […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Jamaican jerk 101
Nothing irks Jamaicans more than the miscategorization of jerk. (Well, that and people randomly shouting “irie man” as a primary greeting and asking “Have you seen Cool Runnings?”) Jerk, as a stand-alone term, is not a seasoning blend but rather the process by which meat, poultry, fish, seafood and vegetables are seasoned and cooked—it’s a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Where I work: OZ
OZ 1887 Granville Street WHO SHE IS One step into OZ you might think you’ve walked through some kind of portal to a modern footwear exhibit at the Bata Shoe Museum. Michele Giffin opened slick shoe store three months ago on Granville Street, a literal stone’s throw from street fashion emporium RCHMND. Is this the […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Shucking champ Eamon Clark is in town
Halifax Oyster Festival Sep 28-30 Halifax Waterfront, Salter Block oysterfest.ca To understand Eamon Clark you should watch season three, episode 11 of Mind of a Chef, featuring Scandinavian chef Magnus Nilsson. Not that Clark is a two star Michelin chef overseeing “the most daring restaurant in the world” but rather, like Nilsson, he approaches his […]
Posted inArts + Music
Kiss a Frog’s cos and effect
One would think that nerds would be the most welcoming of people, however, when we get into the realm of cosplay things can take an ugly turn. Oftentimes Black cosplayers are on the receiving end of sickening vitriolic racist comments. And, when we add body politics to race, we get a whole other volatile kettle […]
Posted inArts + Music
X man, Mitch Pileggi
T wo things about Walter Skinner on The X-Files stand above the rest: He was the badass of all badasses; and Scully kissed him. She kissed him on the lips. Skinner was that recurring character that when first introduced, we were not sure if he was one of the good guys. But season after season […]