I admired the deep blue headwrap of the woman grilling the chicken. It called out, and intensified, the paler shade on the green, white, and blue flag of Sierra Leone, hanging nearby. The colors of my black-eyed peas and joloff rice (a complimentary plate) came from palm oil and tomato respectively — but perhaps I could have kept in mind the roadside stand I'd seen minutes before, just around the corner, brimming with bushel-sized mesh bags of brilliantly orange, yellow, and red chili peppers. Scotch bonnets, or something like them.
And I should have taken note (and accepted) when the woman held out a bottle of water so matter-of-factly. Those were some mighty hot peas.
African Heritage Cultural Festival
Park Hill Ave. between Osgood Ave. and Sobel Ct., Park Hill, Staten Island
www.Eventbrite.com/e/african-heritage-cultural-festival-tickets-72345253601
(The 2019 festival took place on September 28)
