Caribbean Vacation: How a Baker Makes His Living
If you live in a first world country such as the United States, the way locals organize trade and commerce may surprise you. People go about their business similar to colonial times.
Banking is an exception. A few of the smaller islands have a thriving offshore financial business. And attract millions of dollars deposited by people who live in first world countries.
Trade and Commerce, on the other hand, have individual households providing the labor, capital and risk. Many of the islands are too small to enjoy economies of scale as seen in the United States, United Kingdom, and even in some of the larger Caribbean countries.
This means many of the Caribbean people still make goods — and buy and sell them the old way.
In this Caribbean travel snapshot, Lacfadio Hearn, an American traveler describes trade and commerce in the Caribbean during the late 1800’s.
It is the pastryman passing by. He has been up all-night to gain his livelihood — always content — always happy. Oh, how good they are (the pies)! Oh, how sweet they are!
… The quaint stores bordering both sides of the street bear no names and no signs over their huge arched doors. You must look well inside to know what business is being done.Even then you will scarcely be able to satisfy yourself about the nature of the commerce. They sell gridirons and frying pans in the dry goods stores. Holy images and rosaries in the notion stores. Sweet-cakes and confectionery in the crockery stores. Coffee and stationery in the fabric stores. Cigars and tobacco in the china stores. Cravats and laces and ribbons in the jewelery stores. Sugar and guava jelly in the tobacco stores!
But of all the objects exposed for sale the most attractive — because the most exotic — is a doll: the Martinique. There are two kinds. The capresse, of which the body is covered with smooth reddish-brown leather, to imitate the tint of the capresse race — and lined with black leather. When dressed, these dolls range in price from eleven to thirty-five francs. Some, dressed to order, may cost even more. And a good one is a delightful curiosity.
Both varieties of dolls are attired in the costume of the people. Each doll has a broidered chemise, a tastefully arranged petticoat of bright hues, a silk scarf, a collier-choux, earrings of five cylinders, and a charming little yellow-banded Madras turban. Such a doll is a perfect costume-model. A perfect miniature of Martinique fashions, to the smallest details of material and color: it is almost too artistic for a toy.
Excerpt taken from Lacfadio Hearn’s Midsummer in The Tropics, 1889.