A hand with the Jamaican flag painted on it and overlaid title.

I’ve been tagged in a Jamaican blogger tag by Exotic You, who have a really nice blog for fashion, beauty, hair and everything in between. Thanks for the tag! Based on what I’m seeing from other blogs, this tag is to link Jamaican bloggers to other Jamaican bloggers…which we need to do for each other! So, the tag rules:

  • Title your post “One Love: Jamaican Blogger Tag”
  • Link back to the blogger who tagged you (you may add a brief definition of what a tag is for the benefit of your readers)
  • Copy and paste the rules at the beginning of your tag
  • Copy and paste the questions as well so readers know what’s going on
  • Answer the questions
  • Tag 7 other Jamaican bloggers to continue the trend. Kinda forces you to make friends, no?

 

1. Why did you give your blog its name? (If it is named directly after you, try and make your answer interesting. eg: Did you feel nervous at all about putting your name out there? Did you just lack creativity at the time?)

I can’t really say it’s my name per se since Jessiker is my nickname; but simply Jessiker Bakes is to represent the fact that of identification and what I do on this blog. And it’s not Jessica because that’s more my formal, law school attending side. Jessiker is the sillier but driven, passionate and entrepreneurial side of me.

 

2. Why did you start blogging and why do you blog now?

I started my blog for my baking business Jessiker Bakes and rather than a blog about a business, it developed into a  blog about my love for baking, and also random musings about my life. Now, I’ve decided to include more of those random musings as I’m realizing the amount of things I want to blog about, but keep it focused on food. I blog now because I love it so much; it’s my ultimate hobby and keeps me cool, calm and collected. Sometimes haha.

 

3. Do you think being Jamaican influences your blogging style?

I think being Jamaican influences everything I do. In terms of what’s on my blog, I have probably ONE Jamaican item. Oops. Maybe I should make that next year’s resolution? But in terms of the category of food on my blog, you will definitely see a lot more tropical food  inclusive of fruits, and bright food. I love bright colours and I know being Jamaican influenced that! Also, being Jamaican affects what appeals to my palate and so foods that appeal to other cultures definitinely will not appeal to me (like Snickerdoodle Hummus) and vice versa.

 

4.  What do you think about the increase in bloggers in Jamaica?

I think it’s fantastic. I started blogging in 2010, a lonely year for Jamaican blogs and quite frankly I could hardly find any other than some belonging to blogger friends I met online; now, it’s very easy to stumble upon a Jamaican blog through google or social network.

 

5. What is your favourite thing about being Jamaican?

I guess you could say my favourite thing is getting to experience the Jamaican culture first hand; I get to see not only the white beaches on the North coast, but the busy life in Kingston and St. Andrew, it’s really a culture like no other. And I can say that objectively from living in a different country for almost 10 years. The way we express ourselves is so distinct that when you’re in a different country and a Jamaican even simply *kissteeth* you know immediately where they are from!

Non Jamaican readers – (kissteeth is a way of expressing annoyance, anger, anything along those lines. It could even be slight annoyance. I don’t know how to describe it through words but it sounds like when you’re getting food out of your teeth? Jamaicans did I do justice??)

 

6. Ackee and saltfish or “(mackerel) run down”?

OMG I love mackerel run down so much. I do like ackee and saltfish, but mackerel anyday.

 

7. Stew peas or stew chicken?

Uh, well stew peas has beef which I can’t eat, so stew chicken? I don’t like stew chicken either.

 

8. Tastee Patties, Juici Beef Patties or Mother’s?

Tastee’s Patties. They’re really the best patties.

 

9. Pantucky or KFC?

I’m not a KFC fanatic although I may occasionally eat it if it’s bought for the family. “Pantucky” aka Pan Chicken on the other hand, is one of the best ideas ever. What’s Pantucky? It’s just a spin on the word Kentucky from KFC, but for my non-Jamaican readers, you know how you have food trucks in the middle of the night? This is that. Except just the pan (like a grill? Made out of what people would play steel pan) with the food and maybe wood depends on how they make their chicken. But, it’s delicious, jerked or grilled chicken served with bread usually, and taste best after a party.

 

10. What do you hope to be the future of blogging in Jamaica?

Well that we continue in the way we are going. And that Jamaica Blog Awards does not remove the foodie section for their next awards (was very annoyed by that not for me since I wasn’t entering, but what is that to mean? That there are no Food Blogs in Jamaica? Very insulting). I say that to say that we should embrace each other, and let’s try not to copy another culture to do our things, let’s do what appeals to us by simply being Jamaicans.

 

Okay, and now for the tagging.

The Suave Symposium
Chaz Deans

Bells n Whistles JA

Moody Mediocrity

Stiletto High Hopes

 

Girls Crazy About Football

A Distant Dreamer