Letter From a Mother

Peace Over Plenty

Motherhood

Island & Spice Magazine has been quiet for a minute. With good reason. I was pregnant. I’m now a mom. I entered motherhood thinking that I could tackle it all: Write a book, hold down an online magazine, travel, give birth to a baby. While I may have been able to do them all, it occurred to me that I had a choice. I chose peace over plenty.

I turned inward and transformed into a mom – a metamorphosis of sorts – without the influences of social media, work and even many friends and family members. Motherhood has given me a new perspective on nearly everything, especially food.

My reverence for traditional Caribbean staples deepened after watching my son take gummy bites of spicy curry goat and oxtail and giggle and coo when he gets to suck the juices off a brown stewed chicken leg. He also lights up for the foods of his Chinese heritage: fried rice, steamed egg and tofu. I know now that these classic dishes are what love – one thousand years in the making – tastes like.

With each bite, his ancestors reassure him through flavor that, ‘yes, this is who you are. Yes, you are loved by your mother, your grandmother, your great grandmother and all the mothers before them. We are all here for you.’ His jiggle of joy is how a 14-month-old says ‘I love you, too, and thank you.’

I wish I could tell you what this means for Island & Spice. The truth is, I don’t exactly know. I will continue to challenge how Caribbean food is viewed and hope to respect the classics. Until then, thank you for being a part of this journey.

To all the mothers, thank you.

New mom,
Rochelle Oliver