Introduce Yourself to Reggaesteem
My introduction to Jamaican culture began as a kid growing up in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada when I went to a store called Paddy King. I would buy spicy Jamaican meat paddies as a snack-not the frozen junk, the fresh ones! I always loved spicy food but I didn't delve into the flavours of the Carribean beyond meat paddies at the time.
On the radio, we all heard reggae songs, I knew Bob Marley but was never into the Rasta culture. Like most, I had respect for and listened to any good music and Jamaica certainly had talent. The first Jamaican song I really liked was Beenie Man - Who Am I. I was working my first job with some colleagues from the city smoked a lot of weed, drank and listened to rap or dance music while at work, I was 16 they were really cool. A lot of Dancehall and other pop music from Jamaica was playing on the radio and it was a nighttime job so the songs were live from the clubs downtown. Mr. Vegas - Heads High was another favourite, Shaggy - It wasn't me, some Sean Paul, the list goes on all the way up to Major Lazor, I had obviously moved on from that first job by then but not from Jamaican music.
Beenie Man - Who Am I
Once I graduated university I began to travel intensely, having visited over 30 countries although I have never been to Jamaica. There are many direct flights to Jamaica from Toronto, there is a large Canadian-Jamaican population here and many people close to me have been there so I am bound to go one day. I hope to meet some of the people behind #jahm and #reggaesteem when I do.
I frequently go to Jamaican restaurants for lunch, I love scotch bonnet sauce, jerk chicken, rice and peas, coleslaw, goat curry, roti, and ginger beer. When my friends, clients, and colleagues go to Jamaica they often bring back Blue Mountain Coffee which is some of the best in the world. My mother loves Appleton Estate Rum and it's the only alcohol she drinks, when I go to Jamaica I'll make sure to bring her back some of the good stuff!
Looking forward to being apart of the Reggaesteem community, keep Jammin'