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Curly Nikki

Mom’s Jerk Nuggets!

By January 27th, 202131 Comments
Mom’s Jerk Nuggets!

Growing up, I can remember my mother dropping nuggets of knowledge on
Sherica and me. Since we were kids, most of her nuggets went in one ear
and out the other! However, on their way through our green little
minds, the nuggets would leave crumbs on their way out. LOL! Now that I
am an adult, I have managed to take those crumbs and make my own nuggets
that I’ll feed to my kid if I’m blessed with one. The most hysterical thing about my mom’s nuggets though, was that
they were smothered in jerk sauce or curry! My mother’s Jamaican accent
was so thick that her already parable sounding quotes sounded like
another language all together at times! Truth be told, my mom’s curry
and jerk nuggets of knowledge have stuck with me forever. Sometimes,
she’ll still use them. When she does, I either giggle or roll my eyes
(when she’s not looking of course), but I always appreciate it. Below
are some of my mother’s favorite quotes and how I have applied them to
my life. Read on and enjoy my mom’s nuggets. Feel free to take extras so
you can share them with your kids too!

1. Getty getty nuh wantee and wantee wantee cya getty. This translates to “The person who has it doesn’t want it, but the person who wants it can’t get it”. Along
the way, we see people with things that seem so awesome. Big houses,
fancy cars, closets full of designer clothes and shoes, and gaggles of
friends. It’s so easy to want these things for ourselves and even envy
the person for everything they have. However, sometimes those same
people struggle with some heavy demons. Though they have all this great
stuff, they may long for the days when they didn’t have any of it. Mo’
money mo’ problems. Sometimes the most beautiful and wealthy people have
the loneliest lives. With that said, I’ve learned that it’s always a
good idea to be grateful for what I have and for the people that God has
put in my life for me to share myself with.

2. Ah nuh everyting good fih eat, good fih chat. Translation: Not everything that’s good to eat, is good to tell others about. This nugget has reminded me time and time again to keep some of my business
to myself. Mind you, there are people in my life that I can go to with
just about everything. For those few things that only God will
understand, I take those to him. I am very careful about how much I
share about my life with people who I don’t know. Sometimes you might
say something in passing that seems so harmless to you, and before you
know it, your name is all over the place in a way that you did not
expect or were prepared for. I try to live a transparent life so that
people know exactly who I am and what to expect from me, but I keep some
stuff tucked away in boxes, ie marriage, family issues that have yet
to be resolved, and some personal struggles that I am still working
through. It’s not a bad idea to keep some things in your life private.
You usually don’t know a bad person’s intent until it’s too late.

3. If you cya hear, you must feel. Translation: If you can’t hear, you must feel. When
I was younger, this used to be a warning that if I didn’t shape up, my
mom was going to ship out on my back side. LOL! Even though I am long
past spankings, this quote has been one that rings through my head at
least once a week. The lesson I have taken from this quote and
experiences surrounding it, is that you gotta learn to listen to people
when they warn you about certain things. Especially if that person is
someone who you trust, who you know loves you and only wants the best
for you. If you always find yourself being so stubborn that you can’t
hear what advice others are sharing with you, you’re liable to get hurt.
The damage can sometimes be irreparable.

4. Good friends are better than pocket money. Cherish
your friends. Whether you’re rolling in cash or dancing on loose change,
an awesome friend will stick by your side no matter what.

What nuggets of knowledge has your mom dropped on you? Do they have a flavor?

31 Comments

  • InNARA2 says:

    Reading this postmade me laugh and brought back memories growing up with my younger brother and grandmother.Can picture her saying everyone one of those nuggets miss you grandma xx.

  • watkinsabob says:

    i was rambling about something yesterday and something my mama says came up out of nowhere. "FOOT on what somebody else's thinks". I chuckled so hard, thinking to myself, what the heck does FOOT mean? hahahahaha By the way i'm not caribbean, but southern. 😀

  • Anonymous says:

    AHHHHHHHHH!!!! I heard #3 all the time!!!! Caribbean people man lol Gotta love them

    Ashley L.

  • 'Chone says:

    @leah omonya that is weird but it makes sense lol all of the nuggets really spoke to me. especially the one from First Lady V. i have to remind myself not to rush and just let things play out the way they are supposed to. My dad is the one that always gives me advice about life. the one that really helped was him telling me that "everyone is not gonna like you or want to be your friend. you have to be ok with being alone." his advice really worked even tho it wasnt always what i wanted to hear growing up lol

  • marianela says:

    I heard all if not most of these lil nuggets growing up too. The thing is, now that I have kids I know how much frustration the elders in my life felt lol. Kids will grow and realize that you were right in time, at least that what I tell myself. Knowledge is past on through the generations so make sure to pass those nuggets to the lil ones in your life too. Thank you for the article, it really put a smile on my face :).

  • Anonymous says:

    I heard #3 growing up too. But it went like this: I hard head makes for a soft a$$…

  • Anonymous says:

    Don't have a pot to piss in or a window to chuck it out of…

    Translate: Owns nothing, broke, and should have nothing to say about anything or anyone else

  • moya says:

    love,love this post another yardie as them call we Jamaica…my mom n dad nuggets go like this "Who caan hear wi Feel…lol that means say if u get advice not to do something and you nuh listen, ur bam, bam ago feel it..in other words spanking.. another one wantie, wantie cant get it. and getty getty nuh want it. appreciate weh u hve cuz some ppl out deh dnt hve it…something like that…lol!!

  • Anonymous says:

    you have to suffer to be beautiful!

  • Unknown says:

    You always have amazing posts. If you yourself become a mother one day you will have great nuggets of wisdom. I think the last nugget was funny in that it was standard American English and the rest were a diff dialect.

  • Anonymous says:

    My mother is Jamaican as well and no longer with us. I was laughing out loud at this post because she said number 1 & 3 all the time!!!

    She also said: Belief kill and belief cure.

    That means your beliefs if positive can bring you a positive outcome & your beliefs that are negative will bring you exactly that negativity! Wow, just realizing how powerful this statement is. Anyway thanks for reminding me of the great things my mom used to say.

    Miss you mommy!

  • Anonymous says:

    I LOVE this post!!! And I too thought a recipe for jerk chicken nuggets was to follow. LOL. I was pleasantly surprised though. I am from Trinidad and my Mom's nuggets were too many to mention but I will include a few: God doh sleep (God sees it all especially unfair things); Crapaud smoke yuh pipe (you are in big trouble); and Do so eh like so (basically pot calling kettle black).Good stuff!

  • T_Mac says:

    Nothing like some good old Jamaican advice…LOL. My favorite saying, "fling stone eena pigpen whoeva bawl out, ah dem it lick". Meaning: when you say something that's of a critical nature, the first one who is quick to defend the position, may be guilty of the offense.

    Also, if you live in a glass house, don't throw stones. The very thing that you may be criticizing, you may be the biggest offender.

  • Abby says:

    Cock mouth kill cock

    Basically watch what you say!
    Wish some people would remember that philosophy when they call my hair a Brillo pad

    NATURAL 'N' PROUD!

  • Jax says:

    I really enjoyed this post and hearing these generational proverbs. I'm from Antigua and we also say "sorry for mawga dog, mawga dog turn round bite you"

    here's another: "one one full basket": ie., you can accumulate money/savings/things by putting aside small amounts regularly (be patient in other words.

  • Only in Puerto Rico says:

    My mother would always say- A hard head, makes a soft behind… and mine is baby soft! LOL

  • Anonymous says:

    These are so funny and true. I used to hear the Trini variation of #1: Duck have water to bathe with that fowl want.

  • Anonymous says:

    My mother's nuggets are straight southern fried! "If you don't have nothin good to say about sum one, then don't say anythang at all"

    Translation: If your about to say something that you know will hurt another persons feelings. Keep those thoughts to yourself!

    sn: I won't lie, I def thought I was about to get a delicious jerk nugget recipe! lol

  • Unknown says:

    I love that you wrote out mom's quotes in patois 🙂 My family is also from Jamaica…and I get an earful all the time. I love listening to my grandmothers drop knowledge.

    I for real thought we were going to get some jerk chicken out of this. Living in Texas has me fiending for Jamaican food, reggae music, and Caribbean people in general.

    Lucky me, we're all getting ready for a high school graduation in a few weeks.

  • Anonymous says:

    lol, i use to hear those nuggets all the time growning up in Jamaica. Hey how about this one: sorry fi mawga (meagre) dog, mawga dog turn round bite you". Meaning that the same person that you help out in a jam and feel sorry for might turn around and stab you in the back, so just be careful of who you help out.

  • Anonymous says:

    "If you invite the devil into your life, don't be surprised when all hell breaks lose."

    In other words, choose your company wisely.

  • Anonymous says:

    LOL @Anon 12:50…

    I was looking for the tasty nuggets too…;)

  • Anonymous says:

    Really nice post but was I the only one thinkin (based upon the title) this was going to be a recipe for some spicy chicken nuggets? It must be my lunch time…..

  • Anonymous says:

    Southern Nugget "Even teeth and gums fall out sometimes" What I have taken from it: Sometimes people are seasonal and we don't know why but life goes on.

  • MelMelBee says:

    P.S- Those nuggets are straight COUNTRY…Dirty South style!

  • MelMelBee says:

    My grandmom's nugget: "The same dog that will bring a bone, will carry a bone back" Translation…if someone comes gossipig to you about information they saw or heard, they will just as easily take something they saw or heard about you back to someone else.

    My mom's nugget: "If you lay down with dogs, you'll get up with fleas" Translation: If you do something dirty, you'll have to pay the consequences

  • Anonymous says:

    I Love this Post.

  • Unknown says:

    My mothers african nugget is: 'Who's going to eat you when you die' (loose translation into English). This basically means, 'get over yourself' You are not important enough to be preserved after death to the quality that people will be able to eat you, your just going to end up in the ground like the rest of us, so get over yourself.

    Weird, but effective

  • First Lady V says:

    My grandmother's nuggets are Texas BBQ. "If you're hungry enough, you'll eat anything." Be careful of getting too hungry physically, mentally, or spiritually. If you do, you will end up eating, believing, or living with something you wouldn't ordinarily want.

  • Anonymous says:

    My Grandmother's nuggets are southern fried…"Play with a puppy and he will lick you in the mouth". If you put yourself in a situation with an obvious outcome, don't be surprised when you get what you get.

  • LifenotesEncouragement says:

    mine have a bajan flavor; but i have a friend whose mother is jamaican and she has become one that drops these nuggets on her daughter. I wish i spoke patois!

    How about "what's for you can be not for you" and "there's a lid for every pot!
    love the nuggets – brought back memories

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