Recognize a Guyanese

Recognize a Guyanese
Guyana Memories

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"HOW TO RECOGNIZE A GUYANESE"

"You Know You're A Guyanese, If...."

Conference: Kaieteur Connection
Forum: Traveltalk Gang

Date: June 16,1997 10:59 AM Author: Jokemeister

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A GUYANESE, IF...

If you grew up thinking filaria only happened to fat ladies in the market.

If you understand that an offer to "go an' knock/lash a chinee " might not be as much fun if you don't find at least one roach in your rice.

If you know that"bakin' pon"' and "gettin a no ball" has nothing to do with an oven and cricket respectively.

If you fgured out that catching crabs was easy if you could avoid the "tengle- leh".

If you endured "Mass" Games and learned nothing about God.

If you have ever been' vatored' or' vice', had a'buss-head' or a'boongie'.

If, having seen Pancho on TV, you have decided that GT was better off without it.

If you knew that Colonel Ferdinand was never in the GDF.........just GBC.

If you know that neither "eye pass" nor "fat eye" relate to optometry.

If your BeeTee winks when you hear that the Bongo Squad had you shortlisted for an imminent interview......and you can still read this list.

If you call anyone who studies harder than you a 'Book Worm'.,

If you (personally) know at least one 'catchar' who has 'cut up yuh runnings'.

If you have "put two bob pon yuh ticket'.

If you grew up knowing that 'Luckhoo's' was a pool and 'Merriman's' was not.

If 'having no dunzai' was a temporary drawback because either
(a) 'Yuh always know a banna at de gate'; or
(b) 'Yuh could always mole up at de freeco round de corner'. or
(c)Yuh know yuh cud jump de fence...or 'scale de palin'. NB Even if yuh had dunzai...yuh still used to try fuh jump de fence as you believe that not payin is a God given right.

If very early on in your dating life you relalized that he who walks....walks alone.

If you know that 'Number 63' is a beach.

If you know dat 'Lot 12' is not a place to visit or be living.

If you considered the very concept of growing old in Uncle Eddie's or 'The Palms'or 'The Dharam Sala' to be an oxymoron.

If you know that 'Rice- Eater' is a species of dog.

Date: November 20th,1997 10:00 AM Author: Lostlamb

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A GUYANESE, IF...

You know bout cent a 'juk', penny a 'feel' and three cents fuh go round the'hairy wheel'
You know wha is a 'Ace A Bushy'
You know when somebody ask yuh if yuh playin 'pocket pool' wha de tellin yuh
You can sing 'Miss Mary eat meh Dirty, Miss Mary drink meh 'Pee'...
You know 'bout 'Abna babna lady snee......Ocean potion sugar and tea'...

Date: July 03,1997 09:24 AM Author: Jokemeister
- When eating out you indicate your choice by saying "Ah using.....or Ah doan use....".
- You always expect one or all of the following for dessert:
  - Sugar Cake
  - Pone.
  - Floutiee
  - Custard Black
  - Conkey
- - Kunksie"
  - Dirty"
  - Do a mud"
- You know that 'pokey' and 'lowlee' are polar opposites as it were.
- You can understand how the words "yuh big scunt" can be either an affectionate greeting, or a gross insult.
- During a conversation someone mentions the word "backoo" and you know what it means. Further you know that they are kept in "brown bottle" and live on bananas and milk.
- You find it impossible to explain to colleagues exactly what a labba is...but you know that you can curry it.
- You always laugh or suck yuh teeth whenever strangers,(island people in particular) show you "a river".
- In your view humming birds "stickle" not hover.
- You always stir your rum on the rocks with your finger.
Date: July 09,1997 11:10 AM Author: KANAIMA
- You know what a "TAW" is.
- You know what "COMMONESS" is.
- You know what "COCOBEY" is.
- You know what it means to be a "LAMITER" or to be "PAGALEE".
- You always first try to "POPE" the event before paying the admission.
- You know what it means to give a "LAST LICK".
Date: July 25,1997 09:43 AM Author: Cynic
- You know how much is "Jonah Crown", and only "big eye" people tek dat much.
- You know when is "Dig Dutty Day".
- You can play "naable" with a "taw" (iron taw is de best, because you can bus de Awara and Curu seed taw when you "beefing" after getting you taw in de "gulley").
- You play wid fire you gon pee you bed.
- You know dat an "English Duck" is not an animal.
- You know how fo play "Taga".
- You know that a "dam bed" is not furniture in de house.
- You know " Coolie water rice, poke-n-spice, wash u-b-t with dhal-n-rice."
  "Black man sala, pound massala, thief e mumma choka 'n' run a koka."
- You know bout Half A Head Man, Dutch Man Pan Eh Horse, Fire Rass, Ole Higue, And Jingle Lady.
Date: July 26,1997 05:21 PM Author: ansey
- You call a quarter a Bobb.
- You go into a store and ask de shop keeper if they sell aggie, and he look at you as if ya mad.
- You went and jump ya neighbour new brand pale round fence at night to thief they BIG ripe succulent red MANGO, and while ya coming down de tree ya meet up face to face with ya neighbour dog, whom ya swear was never there until that night, and all hell break loose and u still get away with aleast one of them mangoes.
- You went to de cane field one hundred times in ya life, but ya didn't peel the cane with de cutlass, yuh use yuh teeth....
- Ya is a girl ya play dolly house baking mud pies in coconut shells and ya dolly is de pointa broom.
Date: July 27,1997 11:16 PM Author: Jokemeister
- You know that "molee biscuit" and "vhum-vhum cheese" don't refer to a delicacy.
- You know that to "fly uncle charlie kite" has nothing to do with Easter.
- You know exactly what "caanta" means.
- Either you know how to "mek it" or you know somebody who does "mek a good kankee".
- You realize that yuh could never depend on the six o'clock bee to sound off on time.
- At some time in yuh life yuh played "weigh saltfish, weigh poke".
- On at least one occasion, at Christmas, yuh end up with a cork gun instead of a caps gun.
- Yuh know that "no big ting" was a radio program.
- Yuh expect every corporation in the US to have a name starting with Ameri... since it seemed that everything in Guyana started with Guy.
- Yuh know that yuh had to "fight down" dem bannas at the market to get a good price for the goods yuh buy.
Date: July 30,1997 02:14 AM Author: Guyanese
- You can relate to Buck Bead, Razor Grass, Congo Pump and Black Sage.
- You use to say as a kid: "Do you want mango?", and someone will answer: "yeah", and you will say: "Dance tango".
- Also, you might ask "Do you want jammoon?"; someone will answer: "Yeah", and you will say: "touch the moon".
Date: July 30,1997 08:49 AM Author: Coolie
- You wha a "pookney".
- When you pickney get "bad eye" you ga fo tek em to de pandit or magee fo jaarah am.
- You know that dhal puri is a type of puri and not a roti.
- You know that "Married man poke" is not flesh from pigs.
- You know that a "Malali" can be used to buy things.
Date: August 04,1997 09:24 PM Author: dandilion
- You know what a "ole higue" sucks.
  (If you know what a ole higue sucks, but don' know what to do wit' de pointa broom and de rice - you are a Guyanese born in North America. Come back home and learn some thing nah.)
- You know how to stickle on you bicycle.
- You know NOT to "cut you eye" on de' neighba.
- You are a pretty Guyanese girl if you was able to cut you eye and suck you teeth on de boys and get away with it.
- Ya lying Uncle Lionel (dat like he rum) seh he see a Moongazer and ya Grandmuda, who ya Mudda said "shudda a know better", back he up.
- You know that Putagee does get "big foot".
- You fada/mudda is a Guyanese who en tell you nothing about Guyana, if you eat the leaf at a Indian wedding an you comment about the "tough lettuce".
- You know what "flim show" is.
- You use to go to "flim show" at de "theater house".
- You was a "rangatan" if you go to "flim show" in the pits and had to search for bedbugs with a lighted match stick at the same time baring the kanks on you head.
- if you had a bug house. Worse yet, if you wore one to school.
- if you use the word (prounounced "nah") at the end of most sentences. "Come nah" "She look nice, nah" "A wah you do deh nah" "How you do, nah"
- if you know that COMMONNESS was a lot of FUN.
- if you know that commonness was a lot of fun, some body else was getting.
- You had a lot of fun if you use to go regularly "fuh cane".
- if you tell all foreigners that eating labba and drinking creek water will ensure that they will return to Guyana BUT you DON'T DO IT because creek water gives you the runnings.
- You know what a numb fsh is.
- You know that some fun times could be had by those so inclined at Cambridge.
- if you do not recognise the culture and contribution of all our races to our common heritage and culture.
- you do not recognise how much all of us have in common with each other irrespective of our different races, creeds, values.
Date: August O5,1997 04:54 PM Author: Alex
- Yuh know how fuh "shark" in a party then " cop a beenie" and get some good "fine wine"
- Yuh know what happens when a woman "stereo playing low".
- Yuh know what happens when a man "off side".
- Yuh know what happens when a man got a "goad-dee".
- Yuh know what is a " frenchie".
- Yuh know what is a "top stick".
- You know what is "sugar cake".... "rice cake"... "chi-nee cake".... "black cake"... "Patta cake"
- Yuh know what is a "ganda egg".
- Yuh know what is a "bull cow".
- Yuh know what happens when a "bull jump a cow"
- Yuh know what happens when a fowl cock "thread" a hen.
- Yuh know what is a "dogjook"
Conference: Kaieteur Connection
Forum: General
Thread: WHAT IS GUYANESE CULTURE??
Date: July 14,199710:49 AM Author: St. Sidwell's Anglo Guyanese

Ray,My Guyana El Dorado, is an enchanted land of anticipated pleasures. Guyana is a walk in the Botanical Gardens....laden with hanging Frangipani trees and Victoria Regia Lillies floating peacefully in a pond. Guyana is charming in its innocence, romantic at its heart, and neat little cottages, painted in white, silently sitting on stilts. Buildings made from the wood of Guyana's pristine forests, designed with the reflection of England, especially that of the Victorian era.
Guyana is roast beef, plum pudding, fruit cake gently covered with icing and almond paste. Guyana is blamanche, trifle, and Cadbury's chocolate inspired by the British, but captures the very essence of Guyana's unique style. It can be said that Guyana is where England met Africa on the beautiful shores of South America, and spiced with Amerindians, our native peoples, Portuguese, Chinese, and East lndians. Guyana is sugarcane for as far as the eye ean see, gently swaying in the breeze, and reminiscent of the swaying Africans that once worked the fields. Guyana is a profusion of colours, slender Hindu women on their way to market, tall African women moving to din in the air, Chinese shopkeepers, Indian men in mini buses, Afro- Guyanese men in police uniforms who keep the peace, Portuguese businessmen, and a few hardcore Britishers who continue to enjoy the good life in Guyana. This is Guyana, the land of many waters.

Date: July 14,1997 08:08 PM Author: St. Sidwell's Anglo
Ray, Guyanese will always celebrate Christmas, because Christmas is one holiday that is satisfying and pleasurable to all Guyanese. St. George's Cathedral will always be there, for it is one place that is celebrated in the minds of all Guyanese. Cook-up rice, dhal-pouri, channa, metamgee, roast beef, Cadbury chocolates will always be there because these are foods that generations of Guyanese have loved, and will be loved by future generations of Guyanese and people that love delicious food. Which Guyanese can forget the smell of a black cake baking in the oven on a December afternoon, or a pungent prawn curry on an old year's afternoon, or sipping a glass cold, ginger beer on a hot August day. These are little things that Guyanese cherish, and these things are what captures the very essence of the soul of Guyana. Let us not replace them, for we might live to regret replacing things uniquely Guyanese.

Date: July 15,1997 I 1:04 AM Author: St. Sidwell's Anglo

Dear Exile,I remember the porcelain statues of British choir boys, dressed in Anglican choir robes out on the ledge at the old Bookers Dept. Store. There was a record playing Green Sleeves, and 'Away In A Manager'. I remember the trees in Company Path lit up at Christmas time.

Christmas was angel hair, ribbons, and Christmas cards, and although Guyanese did not invent Christmas we certainly crowned the tress with tinsel, and jolly father Christmas. The splendour of past Christmas' in Guyana is captured in my heart. For me Christmas was/is black cake with royal icing, roast beef, pepper pot, salt fish cakes, chocolates, dolls, toys, cards, and a Christmas tree.

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