Granny's Kitchen: A Jamaican Story of Food and Family
by Sadé Smith
illustrated by Ken Daley
illustrated by Ken Daley
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Granny's Kitchen, a Jamaican story of food and family, by Sada Smith, illustrated by
00:17Ken Daly, for my grandmother Kerline and my sister Sushana, S.S., to my Belvode grandmas,
00:24Yuli Thomasine and Ivy, K.D., Shellyann lived on the beautiful island of Jamaica where the
00:29sun is always shining and the weather is sweet. Her grandmother had a lot of vegetables
00:34and fruit trees growing in her yard and all around her house. She even had a big mango
00:39tree. Shellyann liked to climb it, or lie under it, snacking on mangoes all day long.
00:45Shellyann loved when her grandmother took her to the market to buy rice which she would
00:49sometimes carry on top of her head. That always made Shellyann laugh. Shellyann loved her
00:54grandmother. In fact, Granny was Shellyann's most favorite person in the whole wide world.
01:00One afternoon, Shellyann was picking vegetables in the garden when the scent of sweet peppers
01:05made her very hungry so she went into the house to ask her grandmother for something
01:09to eat.
01:10Granny, how do you make dumplings? Shellyann asked. Granny smiled and said, Gil, you bada
01:16can cook, and she promised to teach her. Granny pulled over her iron pot nad recited the recipe
01:22to Shellyann from memory. Need two cups of flour with three quarters of a cup of water,
01:28said Granny. And don't forget to pinch of salt. Shellyann rused to the pantry to get
01:33the flour. Her mouth watered as she imagined taking a bite of a soft fluffy dumpling. But
01:38when the took out of the frying pan, they were all black and burnt. I can cook, cried
01:43Shellyann. Don't worry, said Granny. Dumplings burn easily if you leave them in the frying
01:49pan for too long, you will get it right next time.
01:52The next day, Shellyann was playing hopscotch on the sidewalk when she became hungry. So
01:57she went inside and asked her grandmother for something to eat. Granny, how do you make
02:02ackee? Granny replied, Gil, you bada can cook. Granny pulled out her recipe card and read
02:08the instructions to Shellyann. Pick a ripe ackee that has split open on its own. Peel
02:13the ackee and boil only the yellow parts in water until tender then fry until cooked through.
02:19Make sure you do not ever eat the seeds. Luckily, Shellyann could just reach the bright
02:23orange fruit on the tree in Granny's backyard. With a little help, the yellow ackee swirled
02:29around the pot until it was soft and tender. When Shellyann was finished frying it, she
02:34thought the ackee looked a bit like scrambled eggs. But when took a bite, the ackee was
02:38too soft. I can cook, said Shellyann. Don't worry, said Granny. Ackee is easy to overcook.
02:46You will get it right next time. A few days later, Shellyann was skipping rope
02:54on the porch when her stomach rumbled so she went to ask her grandmother for something
02:58to eat. Granny, how do you make saltfish? Granny smiled and answered, Gil, you bada
03:04can cook. Granny went to the cupboard to pull out a skillet and to gather the ingredients.
03:10Soak the codfish in water for two hours and then saute all your vegetables and herbs.
03:15Add the saltfish, mix it all togeher, and cook until tender. The scent of spices filled
03:20the entire kitchen. Shellyann was so excited to try the fish. But when she took a bite
03:25it was too salty. I can't cook, cried Shellyann. Don't worry, you will get it right next time,
03:32said Granny. The fish needs to soak a long time to make it less salty.
03:36The following morning, Shellyann was chasing chickens around the coop. It made her very
03:41hungry, so once again she went inside to ask her grandmother for something to eat.
03:46Granny, how do you make plantains? Granny grinned. I know I know, Shellyann said with
03:51a giggle. Gil you bada can cook. Granny laughed as she pulled out a frying pan and a spatula.
03:58Pick some ripe plantains then peel and slice them into thin pieces. Fry the plantain slices
04:03in oil until brown and tender, Granny told Shellyann. The slices of plantain popped and
04:08sizzled in the oil and Shellyann's mouth watered. But when she took a bite they were
04:13too mushy. I can't cook, cried Shellyann. Plantain slices need to be a little bit thinner,
04:19said Granny. Don't worry, you will get it right next time. I don't want to learn how
04:24to cook anymore, Shellyann said. Ive tried and tried and I never get it right.
04:30Granny wiped Shellyann's tears, then picked up her homemade recipe book and handed it
04:34to her granddaughter. If you try and don't succeed try try and try again. When Shellyann
04:39woke up the next morning, she noticed that Granny was still asleep. She was very hungry,
04:45so she tiptoed into Granny's bedroom. Granny, whispered Shellyann, can you make me something
04:50good for breakfast? With a sigh Granny replied, I am too tired to cook this morning. And she
04:56closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Shellyann went to the kitchen table and sat down. She
05:02opened the recipe book to find old pictures of family and friends from the neighborhood
05:06enjoying Granny's prize-winning dumplings. The smiles on all their faces reminded Shellyann
05:11how much joy Granny's dumplings bring to everyone. It must have taken Granny a lot of practice
05:16to make the perfect dumplings, Shellyann said to herself. Then she became excited. I just
05:22have to try try and try again, Shellyann said. And don't forget the pinch of salt. She went
05:28out to the yard to gather what she needed needed. She hauled all the ingredients into
05:33the kitchen and pulled out a big dutch pot and a skillet from the cupboard. She fried
05:37the dumplings. She cooked the ackee. She soaked the saltfish. She sliced the plantain, just
05:43like Granny had taught her. Shellyann put all of the food onto two big plates and tiptoed
05:48into Granny's room. Granny, she whispered, wake up. Granny opened her eyes. Dumplings,
05:55ackee, saltfish, and plantains. Granny was delighted. Granny took one bite of the food.
06:01Then she took another. And another. Gil, you can cook, Granny exclaimed. Shellyann beamed
06:07with joy. I can, Granny nodded and said, and it's even better you made it with love. Shellyann
06:13was very proud of herself for making Granny the perfect breakfast. The dumplings were
06:18not burned, well maybe a little. The ackee was not too soft, most of it anyway. The saltfish
06:24was not too salty, nothing a little pepper couldn't fix. And the plantains were not too
06:29mushy, at least the ones in the back weren't. Everything was irie, the end.