I was
one of 125 women who were admitted into the junior class at Yale University in
the fall of 1969 when coeducation began. Pretty soon after arriving on campus I
discovered Sid in the Department of Anthropology. I took several courses with
him, including one on the Caribbean. I remember writing a paper on Jamaican
obeah—a project that had me trolling not only in the dark stacks of Sterling
Library, but also to the New York Public Library in search of rare planters’
accounts. Early on, Sid taught me about the important links between
anthropology and history (and fieldwork in the archives), something I have
carried forward in my own work. That course and that project also sparked my
interest in the anthropology of religion, a course I teach to this day. And Sid
himself, through Worker in the Cane, gave me a model for my own work
with life histories. Although I majored in Latin American Studies at Yale, it
was Sid’s courses that lured me into anthropology. I left Yale for Brown but I
stayed in touch with Sid off and on and at one point he was gracious
enough to accept my invitation to come to Southern Methodist University (where
I am on the faculty) to speak. Sid was and is an inspiration.
I did
fieldwork in Portugal for my dissertation and thus I submit a recipe for a
classic dish of the Minho in northern Portugal.
“Rojões
à Moda do Minho” (Pork in the Minho Style)
3 oz. dry white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 lb lean pork cut in cubes
1 oz lard or butter
Seasoning to taste
Olive and lemon quarters
for garnishing
Make a marinade with the wine, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, bay leaf and seasoning. Put the pork in a dish, cover with the marinade and leave overnight. Remove the meat, pat dry (and reserve the marinade). Melt the butter or lard in a heavy casserole, add the meat and brown slowly on all sides. Add the marinade, over and cook over gentle heat until the meat is tender (about 45 minutes). Serve garnished with lemon quarters and olives and together with fried sliced potatoes. (Serves 4)
