Penny Bread

One of the funniest stories I can recall that really emphasizes the way Bequians didn’t trust mainlanders had to do with the bread that was sent daily from St. Vincent.  Bequians for some reason were suspicious of Vincentians, and from the way they talked you would never believe they were from the same country let alone the same planet.

Local “penny breads” were small fresh loaves that would arrive on the Friendship Rose each day in a special wooden box, and once the shops re-opened at 2:00 Bequians would buy them for the evening meal.  They were little buns with pointed ends that were baked each day on the mainland and then sold five to a bag for .25 cents EC.  People ate them in the evening, often with corned beef, sardines or cheese, having consumed their big meal at lunchtime.  They would also be enjoyed with coco-tea in the morning.

I had noticed a peculiar Island trait when it came to these penny loaves.  Mac’s family always ripped the pointed ends off the buns and tossed them away before eating them.  Then I realized it wasn’t just Mac’s family, everybody on the Island seemed to throw away those pointed ends and I wondered why!

One day I asked Mac why Bequia people didn’t eat the ends of the penny loaves, it seemed like a waste of bread to me, I certainly ate them!  When Mac told me the reason why the tips were always discarded I refused to believe him. The next time I saw Momma Simmons I said, “Momma, why do you throw away the ends of the penny breads?” She looked me straight in the eye and very seriously replied, “because those Vincentians pick their noses with them, they damn nasty”.

That was the answer Mac had given me, I guess he was telling the truth after all!