Faces of Jamaica [Part 6 of 10] "The Patty Man"steemCreated with Sketch.

in reggaesteem •  5 years ago  (edited)

The Patty Man

This could very well possibly be the most famous person on all of the 7-mile sandy beach strip in Negril, Jamaica. Everyday, "The Patty Man" traverses the beach, beginning somewhere near the round-about in the town centre, and he makes his way to the beach. He treks all the up (or down) the beach, wheeling in his old bicycle cart, selling his well renowned Jamaican style delicacies.

Jamaica 2014 052.jpg
A great shot of the patty man on the beach

His sole commodity is that he sells homemade beef and veggie patties - the Jamaican style. To underestimate the quality of these patties would be a mistake. I've seen this man on every occasion that I've been to the island. I personally spoke with him the last time I was there in 2014. He said him and his wife make the patties from scratch in their kitchen at their home located somewhere in Negril. Where exactly, remains a mystery to me.

All of the photos in this post are from the 2014 trip, however, I have numerous photos from previous encounters with the patty man as well.

People on the beach wait and wait just for the patty man to show. And, you can always count on him to be there, as his life's calling - selling patties in Negril - has been a way for him to provide for his entire family for several decades.

Steven Jamaica 2014 204.jpg
Scuba Steve & "The Patty Man"

I know personally my son and his buddy, Scuba Steve, fall victim to this - waiting and waiting for the patty man to appear from the shadows of the many palm trees that line the beachfront shops and restaurants. They normally get hungry between breakfast and lunch, so a daily tradition is to sit and wait for the patty man to appear as it is inevitable. He has the best patties in all of Negril. We once were downtown visiting Mitchigan'z and Blackz at their Gadgets store. As we headed back through town, we stopped at the bakery and the boys got some patties. The patties were of no comparison to "The Patty Man's."

Jamaica 2014 111.jpg
Mitchie and Blackz Gadgets store downtown

He once told me his name, but I am struggling to recall exactly what it is at this time. The last trip we took, we saw him one early morning eating breakfast at our favorite local joint - Coletta's. This is where all the locals go. We found this place and never went anywhere else for breakfast. We blend in with the local's and enjoy the rich culture, and of course, fantastic Jamaican style breakfasts.

Jamaica 2014 073.jpg
Coletta's Restaurant sign

Jamaica 2014 068.jpg
A closer look at the menu

Jamaica 2014 069.jpg
Our personal waitress each time we ate at Coletta's

Jamaica 2014 070.jpg
A tasteful breakfast option

We saw him sitting there, eating and enjoying his breakfast, and sipping his warm cup of blue mountain Jamaican java. We talked for a bit, but I didn't want to interrupt his meal time. If you ever go to Negril, you absolutely must stop in at Coletta's. Best local food and you will pay the local prices. Eat most anywhere else and you will be paying the "tourist" prices. It is just up the road a bit from the Rondel Village on the left side, about 300 or so yards past the Jungle - a hot spot disco nightclub.

Jamaica 2014 029.jpg
Coletta's restaurant from the outside

"The Patty Man" is a legend in Negril. He is a permanent fixture on the beach, and he treks up and back everyday, 7 days a week, 52 weeks and 365 days a year - rain or shine.

Hey @crypticat, when you are visiting Negril, you must stop the Patty Man and try one of these delicious treats. I can tell you he was an older gentleman the last time I was there, probably in his late 70s, so I hope he is still well and in good health. Please let me know if you are able to find him while you are there, I would love to hear all about it!

Oh, and P.S. - make sure to also hit up Coletta's. It is an absolute must when in Negril.

Stay tuned for [part 7 of this 10-part series]: Faces of Jamaica "T.B.D.'"

To view the previous 5 Faces of Jamaica and there accompanying stories, please visit the referenced links below:

  1. Faces of Jamaica [Part 1 of 10] "The Brain Doctor"

  2. Faces of Jamaica [Part 2 of 10] Dean "Bongo" Robertson

  3. Faces of Jamaica [Part 3 of 10] The Story of "Mitchigan'z and Blackz"

  4. Faces of Jamaica [Part 4 of 10] "Michael the Key Keeper"

  5. Faces of Jamaica [Part 5 of 10] "The Bourban Man"

Irieeee,

@super-irie


Posted via ReggaeSteem | Reggae Culture Rewarded
Authors get paid when people like you upvote their post.
If you enjoyed what you read here, create your account today and start earning FREE STEEM!
Sort Order:  

Vivid memories of a personal story. Thanks for sharing these wonderful vignettes. I really enjoy reading these faces posts.

Looking forward to #7 and can’t wait to find out who it will be

Cheers

Posted using Partiko iOS

Glad you enjoyed. Stay tuned, have lots of photos to unleash memories.
Bless up conradsuperb
Respect

Posted using Partiko iOS

Great series of yours on the 'beach characters'. I remember one from Corfu who used to yell, loliloliloli.. he sold lollies.., great memories and he served awesome sandwiches too.

Our brains are full of memories, you just have to open the vault. What’s that combination again.
Respect #71

Posted using Partiko iOS

Hi super-irie,

This post has been upvoted by the Curie community curation project and associated vote trail as exceptional content (human curated and reviewed). Have a great day :)

Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.

Oh great memories.
Thank you for sharing them.
I felt at home, because in my country (Venezuela) it is also a tradition to eat empanadas by the beach.
Congrats on a Curie vote!

Thanks for the reach out. I need to visit Venezuela some day. There appears be a lot of steemers from that part of the world.

You are always welcome.
If you like the beach the best is the east of the country and the island of Margarita. The best beach hotels and tourist sites.
Just consult a travel guide.

ehy dear @super-irie, you wrote a beautiful story! your characters are all interesting and funny. it's nice that you brought us with you in your memories !! :-)) keep on and congratulations on your curie rating

Thank you for your very kind words.
Respect

Posted using Partiko iOS

What beautiful faces of Jamaica !! I loved that breakfast option: a crepes with tropical fruits (pineapple, banana, papaya and guava), should taste delicious. Regards @super-irie

owesome

Posted using Partiko Android

Thanks ayjoe. Stay cool.
Respect

Posted using Partiko iOS

Did you ever try the patty with akee ;)
#vegan style


Posted via ReggaeSteem | Reggae Culture Rewarded

Never tried. But next menu with that as appetizer, it’s a done deal.
Thanks luca
Respect

Posted using Partiko iOS

Cool ;)
They often got them as special patty when it's
akee season...
Respect Bro

@super-irie, Keep bringing more stories and in my opinion you are highlighting those aspects of people which doesn't receive much recognition. Stay blessed.

Posted using Partiko Android

Thanks for all your support.
Respect chireerocks

Posted using Partiko iOS

Welcome and thank you.

Posted using Partiko Android

Hey Super-Irie,
I will definitely keep an eye out for this guy and let you know if he is around. Honestly can't wait to go there. Every place has its characters and you've done a great job portraying those of Negril.
Super read


Posted via ReggaeSteem | Reggae Culture Rewarded

Thanks ‘cat’.

Posted using Partiko iOS

Hello Hello!

It is seen that this trip was fun, a time of distraction from the work haha

Greetings from Venezuela :)

Hello iamsaray. Thanks
Glad you liked. Respect

Posted using Partiko iOS

I could use a patty and a Red Stripe right about now! Hope to meet him someday.

Yes mon, well the good news is that the Red Stripe is in the fridge. The bad news the paddy is 1543 miles away. I’m gonna have to book a flight. Well worth it.
Thanks genuinehuman.

Posted using Partiko iOS

Hello, @super-irie! We heartily appreciate the time and effort you put towards your DIY/How-to article. It is, for this reason, we built a website known as Build-it, where your efforts are fairly rewarded. At Build-it we welcome all sorts of DIY, How-to, and Lifehack articles.


Build-it is a tribe on the steem platform that sharpens your #diy and #how-to skills, in an attempt to save more money for yourself.


The recommended tags required when creating a DIY article are #diy, #build-it, #how-to, #doityourself and #build. You'll get rewarded with BUILD tokens in form of an upvote from our @build-it.curator account upon every valid post/project which can also be exchanged for steem on steem-engine when you use any of the recommended tags as well as posting via our website.


Need help? Live technical support on Discord or Telegram

|


This project is run and supported by our witness @gulfwaves.net. If you think we're adding value to the steem platform, your witness vote will be appreciated! Click here to vote for us

Congratulations @super-irie! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You received more than 1000 upvotes. Your next target is to reach 2000 upvotes.

You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!

I could eat a patty right now LOL. You need another trip to continue the series past 12 :)


Posted via ReggaeSteem | Reggae Culture Rewarded

dmilliz.....your turning out to be my favorite streemer. You always have a potion positive reply. I wouldn’t mind a patty right about NOW.
Yeah Mon.....if series continues with current success I would like to continue and add a few more profiles of the terrific Jamaicans I’ve encountered. Have lots of material and memories.
Be Blessed and Respect

Posted using Partiko iOS