Genesis
Oblivious, perhaps. Naive, perhaps. I had no idea, didn't even consider, what "Strong Rum" meant until the next day, when Francois poured some into a coffee cup, held a lighter near, and we watched it torch above the brim. But, despite not remembering much of the backseat ride from Belize City to San Ignacio, I was alert enough to chime in, "Can I help? Would you teach me to cook traditional foods?" when the caretaker at our AirBnB offered, for a vague fee, to prepare breakfast the next morning. Which was why I was in the kitchen at 6 am on day 2 of our winter holiday in Belize, sifting flour for Johnny Cakes. Johnny Cakes, it turns out, aren't my favorite Belizean food (not even close). But preparing them as a team evoked the same openness and vulnerability that other communal rituals, especially those in service of others, create. Even when conversation is halting, stumbling on words between languages, or ideas without cultural equivalency, working toget...