Daddy’s Roti Shop
Subba Rao
The storefront doors of Roti shop were painted green
The countertops were painted yellow to match
One Roti please
Chicken, goat, shrimp or beef?
Asked the East Indian woman at the counter
Umm, chicken no, goat Roti please
Anything to drink
A Carib
Coming up.
Roti, a large circular shaped thinly rolled pan cake or
Dahl Roti, Roti lightly stuffed with ground split peas
Originally brought from India by the farm workers to Trinidad
Now the main staple for East Indians in the Caribbean
Modified to make it less cumbersome to eat
Cooked meat, goat, chicken, shrimp, beef or vegetable curry
Wrapped around in a plain Roti or Dahl Roti
Looks more like a Mexican Burrito
Sold island wide in Roti shops
Daddy (nickname) moved from Coryal in Trinidad to
Brooklyn, New York
Started ‘Dadday’s Roti Shop’ to make a living
Sent his daughter to medical school in New York
After 30 years selling Roti
Sold his Roti Shop to return to Trinidad to lime
He missed liming for too long living in New York
Back in Trinidad, a bottle of Carib in one hand, Roti in another
Spent time liming and playing wabie with friends.
PS: Trinidad slang Lime or Liming means hanging out with friends.
Wabie: A silly game in which people race each other by throwing small plant twigs in city open drains or streams and watch twigs flow to a designated spot (goal).
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