Personal Narrative: Soup Joumou

Soup Joumou

I woke up to a text message from my mother with precise instructions on where to purchase all the groceries for this year’s Soup Joumou. When I arrived at my local supermarket, I took out my phone to look at the grocery list that my mother sent me, I walked up and down the various aisles, and was at the super market for an exhaustingly long two hours. I collected 2 cloves of garlic, 2 scallions who had already been sliced. I also got dried thyme, one medium sliced shallot, 1 scotch bonnet chili, already stemmed and seeded, I got lime juice, of course I wouldn’t hear the end of it If I forgot the salt and pepper.

Finding the 1 pound of beef chuck was not an easy task, but when I finally did, I made sure I got it cut into half inch pieces like my mother asked. As I continued down the list, I found the olive oil, 8 cups of beef stock, carrots, celery, 4 small leeks, and yellow onions. I was almost done, I rushed and found the last few ingredients, which were, 1 large yucca, gold potato, one medium turnip and one small green cabbage. I left the store feeling happy, accomplished and confident, knowing

We all gathered and sat around the dinner table. The hot soup sat in the middle of the table steaming hot with its distinct scent that I get to smell every year. While pouring me a bowl of soup my dad reminded me why on New Year’s Day we eat Soup Joumou. “Remember,” he said, “Haiti became a free country on January 1st, 1804, before that, while blacks and slaves worked hard over a hot stove to prepare Soup Joumou for their masters, they were not allowed to drink this soup in Haiti. It was a delicacy, it was reserved for the privileged French slave masters. That’s why when Haiti gained its independence, we decided to give it a new meaning.” That’s why this soup,” he continued holding the bowl of soup up high, “became a symbol of Haitian independence and freedom.” We all smiled at each other and enjoyed the delicious soup Joumou we