the jerk

The shifting tones of Patrice Leconte's "My Best Friend" make you wonder if you should take his ultimate answer seriously. His key question involves the nature of friendship, but since he throws some standard comedy arrangements at you during the course of this compact film, it's easy to think he might be pulling your leg.

As an undergraduate at a party more than a half-century ago, I overheard an argument over something attributed to Jean Paul Sartre: "Hell is other people." Even as a naive student, I sensed the arguers were clinging out of context to the simplistic notion that, one way or another, the statement summed up all of existentialism. In point of fact, it was merely de rigueur that year to talk about death and Sartre.

A sad scene

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I recalled that party as I watched an early funeral scene in "My Best Friend," in which an otherwise cold-blooded antique dealer, Francois Coste (Daniel Auteuil), looks around sadly at the tiny crowd in the church. The deceased apparently had left this world almost friendlessly.

Coste brings up the sad details of the ceremony at his own birthday party, for he would like to think, when the time came, all his friends would attend his funeral. Since he has angered several of them by purchasing an ancient Greek vase for an exorbitant price, they speak frankly to him. They agree that not only are they not his friends, they can't stand being around him.

His gallery partner (Julie Gayet) speaks to him most candidly after he shows surprise that she's a lesbian. He's more interested in old crockery than in human beings, she says, so why should any of them care a fig about him? When he insists he has many friends, she bets him he can't come up with one best friend in the course of a month. The ancient vase will go to whoever wins the bet.

Once Leconte sets in motion Coste's method of seeking out his acquaintances in order to determine friendships, you realize what an insufferable jerk the man is. He first goes to a fellow art dealer named Bertrand, who immediately provides evidence he's an enemy rather than a friend.

Some time later, he grinningly tries to rekindle what he thought was a friendship developed in elementary school. That guy and his wife leave him in a huff after saying in no uncertain terms what a hateful jackass Coste had been, even at age 11.

Halfway through, it would seem director Leconte is trying to make a point contrary to the oversimplified existentialism from that party long ago. Coste's hell clearly shows the absence of "other people," certainly the kind that would bring more cheer to his foreseeable funeral.
The cuisine was entirely jerk at Florida's Jamaican Jerk Festival last Sunday, at Markham Park, Sunrise in Florida. Everything you could think of was jerked; yam, chicken, pork, lobster, fish, banana, even ice cream.

There were about 100 booths displaying Jamaica's great heritage through culture and food. Among the many food stalls was the famous Boston Jerk, straight out of Portland, Jamaica. And, of course, Raymond 'Tari' Marshall, one of Boston's finest jerk men, did not disappoint.

Hungry patrons


Sharon Jefferson's master jerk chicken.

Just after 10:00 a.m. when the festival began, he already had three huge jerk pits fully operational. Plus, there was jerk chicken and pork awaiting hungry patrons. Other stalls such as Truck Stop, homemade West Indian, were busy preparing for the crowd.

It rained intermittently during the course of the day but that did not stop the large crowd from coming out. The local police estimated a turnout of about 15,000. As the day progressed, there was a massive build-up at stalls that earlier were easily accessible as patrons tried to purchase their favourite Jamaican dishes. The lawn was coloured with people from all walks of life listening to live entertainment or just enjoying their meals.

Jerk Ice cream

The jerk ice cream was a big hit, not just among children but adults alike. One patron who came all the way from Manchester, England, stood among the crowd waiting to try the much talked about novelty. "It is good, a little hot but good. The jerk festival is also great and I will definitely come back and bring others next year," she said as she dug into her ice cream.

Stooping under a tree devouring a jerked fish was Herman Walters from Chapelton in Clarendon who now resides in Florida. He too thought the festival was great. "It never miss mi man, every year I am here. The time gets a little hot so I find this tree to get some breeze while I enjoy my jerk fish," he said as he took the fish apart.

The Cook-Off


Raymond 'Tari' Marshall doing his thing on the jerk pit at the Boston jerk stall.

There was a lot to keep patrons entertained; cooking demonstrations, samplings and the highlight of the day, the cook-off. Micheal Anderson from Jerk Werks, showed patrons how to make jerk chicken salad and jerk ribs. The cook-off had seven contestants vying for the coveted Dutch Pot trophy. They were; Ricky Ginsburg, Marcia Minott, Sharon Jefferson, Mark Robinson, Michael Anderson, Everton Welsh and The Gleaner's Jerk Seasoning Competition winner, Caecuis Scully.

They were to prepare a dish from any of the following three categories: jerk pork, chicken (boned or de-boned), seafood. Other meats (lamb, mutton, beef) and vegetarian; fruits, vegetables (tofu or veggie-meats etc.). They were judged on presentation, texture/tenderness, taste, want more factor and chef's appearance/work area. The judges were Helen Wilinsky, founder of Helen's Tropical Exotics, Dwight Lauderdale, journalist at Local 10 News, and Nigel Spencer, executive chef at Ripe Kitchen and Bar.

The contestants eagerly stood by their displays as the judges went around tasting and observing their creativity. The competition looked stiff to onlookers as they waited on the judges to name the true winner. Some contestants were a bit nervous, as they were first time entrants. However, supporters of Michael Anderson and Everton Welsh were sure each would have been walked away the winner. But, it turned out that they were a little off with the predictions.

Dentist, Sharon Jefferson came out victorious, she won the gold Dutchy trophy along with US$1,500. Everton Welsh got second place wining the silver Dutch Pot trophy and $500, while Ricky Ginsburg got third place taking home the bronze Dutch Pot trophy and $250.

The festival continued until about 9:00 p.m after the rain decided not to stay away this time around. Nevertheless, people were still piled up in front of their favourite food stalls trying to get the last taste of jerk before they left. For many stall owners it was a good day as they were sold out.
There's something about Jamaican food that makes perfectly sensible, otherwise sophisticated people lose control, and the many spectators at the sixth annual Jamaican Jerk Festival were no different.

The thousands who turned out to the festival at Markham Park in Sunrise on Sept. 24 celebrated the Jamaican culture and teased their taste buds with a variety of spicy, jerk foods.

"I love Jamaican foods, and particularly jerk," said WPLG Channel 10 news anchor Dwight Lauderdale, one of the judges of the festival's cook-off competition. He said the festival reminded him of the R&B Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Lauderdale estimated that the crowd at Markham Park was about 10,000 people.

The rain poured down, but no one seemed to mind. The show went on as the crowd crammed under their umbrellas and jammed to the live island music and performances.

Emcee Sir Steve Rockwell wooed the crowd on one of two cultural stages that highlighted the talents of Miss Jamaica Florida Meleisha Mignott, who performed a dramatic piece on the first female prime minister of Mozambique: Luisa Dias Diogo.

Little Miss Jamaica Florida 2007 Khrisan Grant gave a tribute to Shirley Chisholm.

Jamaican and other Caribbean immigrants who don't go home often get to sample just about everything jerk―chicken, fish, shrimp and pork from many vendors such as Jerk Machine and The Tropical Oasis. The secret each of the vendors brought was hidden in the seasoning they used on the meat―whether a wet rub jerk sauce or a blend of dry seasonings such as allspice, pimento and scotch bonnet pepper.

The meat is grilled slowly in closed drum pans until it is tender; the smoke adds a savory flavor. The people in the park devoured the jerk with Jamaican hard dough bread or festival (fried dumpling with sugar) and washed it down with an ice-cold Red Stripe beer or a Ting.

Newcomers as well as old-timers continuously flocked to the infamous jerk ice-cream booth for a sample.
Other dishes people consumed were oxtail, curry goat, curry chicken served with rice and peas and roast corn, bammy, fritters or calalloo on the side.

Some people preferred the hot manish water or fish tea; others cooled down with some coconut water, carrot juice, or Irish moss.

Those who couldn't take the spiciness of the jerk settled for a beef patty and one of the many flavors of Tropical Rhythms drinks or wine from Purple Reign Wines, which showed the crowd how to pair different wines with jerk foods.

Arts and craft booths sold T-Shirts, head scarves, rings, bracelets and necklaces depicting the colors of island flags and the Rastafarian movement.

The Winn-Dixie Kidz Zone featured rides, games and activities for the children, and cricket, netball and domino lovers enjoyed a game of each.

"I got to see people I haven't seen in a while," said Joel Dunkley of Coral Springs, who said he came to meet people, eat, chat, and enjoy the music.

Smoke rose to the already overcast sky as old friends got reacquainted and new ones mingled.
Jamaican actor/comedian Oliver Samuels showed up for his first visit to the festival.

"It's very exciting," Samuels said. "I'm overwhelmed."

Nadje Leslie, an award-winning violinist, played to reggae beats of the Blue Glades Mento Band; comedians kept the audience in laughter; Marva McClean read poems from her book Bridges to Memory: Poems by Marva McClean;

The talented Jeanne Powell told unrehearsed stories, and the Jamaican Folk revue performed traditional folk songs.

'We have a lovely crowd, and they are enthralled and enjoying everything," said Bridget Edwards, coordinator of the cultural stages.

Fyah Wuk opened the show on the main stage, but the headliners were Byron Lee and the Dragonaires and Alison Hinds, who rocked the crowd with old-time reggae hits and soca music. Reggae artist Sizzla serenaded the younger crowd.

For many, including Charmain McBean, who came to the festival last weekend for the second year, it was a time of revisiting Jamaica and retaining its culture.

"It's awesome. The food is great. It's good to come out because I haven't seen my friends and my culture. I'm not home, so