“Wooden shelves leaning against the wall, holding cakes of soap and boxes of detergent and oats and bottles of beer and stout… the closet filled with spiced buns and bread and water crackers, two unopened tins of New Zealand cheddar…” (Powell, 18)
When I searched up “spiced buns,” one of the first results that came up was of Jamaican spice buns, which I thought might be what the author was referring to given the setting of The Pagoda. Now eaten throughout the Caribbean and typically associated with Easter, Jamaican spice buns are a derivative of hot cross buns, which in turn originated in Europe; their creation demonstrates the unceasing spread of religion and tradition through colonization and imperialism. Common ingredients for the Jamaican variation include beer, molasses, and dried fruits and surprisingly, it is also usually eaten with slices of cheese. The alcohol and cheddar are also two foods that are including in the inventory described in this excerpt of the book, showing their commonality and use in some parts of Jamaican cuisine. Spice buns are an extremely important part of Jamaican culture and their use as goods in Mr. Lowe’s shop shows his assimilation. Despite this, the destruction of his shop and death of Cecil show that he is still viewed as an other, an outsider, and though he may have lived in Jamaica for decades now, he is still not seen as “one of [the people’s] own” (19).
Citations
Blackwood, Michelle. “Jamaican Spice Bun,” healthier steps. 20 Nov 2020, https://healthiersteps.com/recipe/jamaican-spice-bun/
Imma. “Jamaican Easter Spice Bun,” Immaculate Bites. 02 May 2020, https://www.africanbites.com/jamaican-easter-spice-bun/
Pierola, Taylor. “Jamaican Traditional Easter Bun and Cheese,” culture cheese mag. 12 Aug 2013, https://culturecheesemag.com/blog/jamaican-traditional-easter-bun-cheese/
Hi Grace! I think you make a great connection between Mr. Lowe’s assimilation and the spice buns he sold. After reading your post, I was curious to learn why spice buns are associated with Easter. When googling this question, I came across images of hot cross buns and learned that the cross mark on top of hot cross buns represents the crucifixation of Jesus. It is really eye-opening to see how the Jamaican spice buns’ religious significance is due to its European predecessor.