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October is pumpkin month.  Pumpkin season lasts on into November—all the way to Thanksgiving.  Pumpkins are among the oldest known domesticated plants, dating back to 7000 BCE.

The pumpkin is believed to have originated in North and Central America, but today China, India, and Russia, according to the Internet, are the biggest producers of pumpkins.  (The U. S. is fifth after Ukraine.)

Pumpkins’ versatility ranges from medicinal to decorative, but one suspects that people are more familiar with jack-o-lanterns than a remedy which might soothe an upset stomach. For sure, we all know about the edibility of pumpkins—pumpkin pie is one of the most popular desserts there is.

Then there is pumpkin soup.  I learned about pumpkin soup when traveling to Jamaica.  We didn’t grow pumpkins on the farm that I grew up on in Middle Georgia, and on that first trip to “the island in the sun,” I ordered pumpkin soup thinking that it might be sweet.

It was a tasty treat which was overwhelming when paired with Red Stripe beer.  It was fun following a daily routine of arising for a fruit breakfast and hearing workers around the island singing calypso songs, followed by some outdoor activity which segued into lunch on the patio of the Casa Blanca hotel in Montego Bay.

That setting is one of the most memorable in a lifetime of travel.  The hotel was anchored into the Caribbean, next door to the Doctor’s Cave beach.  There never was a bad view, and with Pumpkin Soup and Red Stripe beer on the menu, there was never a bad meal.

Not sure that I have ever had pumpkin soup anywhere but Montego Bay.  It became a “must” for lunch, and I don’t know why I didn’t search for it when I returned home.  Surely somebody out there makes a good pumpkin soup. 

When I did a little research, I discovered that pumpkin soup originated in Haiti, during their independence.  Haitians probably wanted the French to know they knew something about cooking.

Continuing on with additional inquiry, there was the discovery that Red Stripe beer did not originate in Jamaica.  Much to my surprise Red Stripe beer was first made in Illinois but was sold to the Jamaican brewery Desnoes & Geddes which popularized the lager into the national drink of Jamaica.  Red Stripe does not have a high alcohol content which means you can imbibe in the sun without getting intoxicated.

Before Halloween brings October to a conclusion, I am going to search for a recipe for pumpkin soup, find a six pack of Red Stripe Beer and enjoy a flashback to those delightful days in Jamaica.

To make it complete, there will have to be some calypso music to accompany my meal.  When I think of Jamaica, I think of pumpkin soup, Red Stripe beer and calypso music.

Maybe I can find a rendition of “Shame and Scandal,” a Caribbean folk song.  It was known as “Shame and Scandal in the Family,” with the last word pronounced “fam-i-lee.”  It was about a boy going to his father and telling him that he wanted to marry a certain girl, but his father, said, “Oh no, that girl is your sister, but your mamma don’t know.”

It was a crushing blow to the young man, but he decided that it would not be wise to continue the romance, so he aborted his plans.  Sometime later, he found another girl whom he wanted to marry.

Again, he went to his father and told him, his plans, and the father came with the same refrain: “Oh, no, that girl is your sister but your mamma don’t know.”

Devastation returned to the young man.  Again, he chose not to continue the romance.   After time elapsed, he found another beautiful girl, falling in love a third time.  He goes back to the father who came with the same disclaimer once more, “Oh, no, that girl is your sister, but your mamma don’t know.” 

Following that rejection, he went to his mother who advised that he should marry any girl he liked, saying, “Your daddy ain’t your daddy, but your daddy don’t know.”