A few years ago I wrote a post about the many ways that Jamaica has bent my mind. Well this morning after waking up and spending an hour of ridiculousness running around the house I realized that Jamaica has done it again.
The house where I live in Jamaica is a shared situation. It’s not my house but I live here when I’m in Jamaica so not everything is the way I would have it if I did live here full time. When I woke up this morning of course the first thing on my mind is a cup of instant coffee so I head down to the kitchen to do what should be a simple thing…..plug in the kettle and boil some water. Only this morning it seems the kettle has finally kicked the bucket. After fiddling with it for a good twenty minutes I realized the kettle is just dead, which thoroughly annoyed me.
So my next thought was to kick it old school and boil some water in a pot on the gas stove. No big deal…..until I realized that since I quit smoking a few months ago I no longer have a lighter on me at all times. But I’m standing in a Jamaican kitchen so finding a lighter near a gas stove should be no problem right? Wrong. I searched this house high, low and everywhere in between for a damn lighter or matches but do you think I could find one? Nope. And trust me, there are a hundred drawers in this monstrous house but not one drawer has a lighter in it. In a kitchen this size there seems to be no way to make fire!
So after an hour of trying to make a kettle work and trying to find a way to light the stove, there I stood, perplexed as to how the heck I’m going to have a simple cup of instant coffee. I was talking to myself and cursing out loud about how stupid this is, and getting more agitated because I just wanted my coffee!
What happened next is one of those face-palm moments where you want to just smack your own head at how complex you just made the simplest situation. What would I do if I were in Canada and wanted a cup of instant coffee? Duh….I’d put a friggin cup of water in the microwave. But because I was standing in a kitchen in Jamaica the microwave never even crossed my mind. Why? Because here I never, ever use a microwave. I’m accustomed to just boiling water the manual way because the manual way is the WAY here.
I’m a little embarrassed that it took me an hour to think of using a microwave to make a cup of coffee. Thanks Jamaica! I’m now on my way to the store to buy a new kettle.
Comments
2 responses to “Another Way Jamaica Has Bent My Mind”
Oh my gosh. I can’t stop laughing! I was sitting here, trying to figure out the end of the story; was there possibly a coffee pot you didn’t notice, was the lighter in your pocket or something. Not ONCE did I think about the microwave either! My man NEVER uses the microwave! We do the kettle, on an electric stove thankfully. Even if he wants to reheat food, he puts it in a pan on the stove. LOL
I know right Jamie! I’ll make SURE there is a coffee pot if and when you decide to come stay here lol.