Elvi's Kitchen, 1986, and Mr. Enrique Staines
Loved those late nights when I wanted some food to soak up the alcohol. Loved Mr. Staines. How beautiful that tree was when in full bloom.
I remember using the phone there, one of the very few phones on the island. I remember when we lined up next to the Police station to make calls. Fortunately for me, I made many calls via my Army Radio equipment. Dial and dial. I believe there was only 25 international lines out of the country of Belize back then... I remember when Elvi's, Paradise Hotel and Woody's had some of the only phones.
We sat outside at picnic tables under the bougainvillea tree to eat our "Macho Burgers". The following year John Edwards might have had something to do with closing it in. 1987 the year after Mosquito Coast!
One evening I was at Elvi's having my Rice & Beans and Chicken with pico de gallo and I asked Mr. Staines...how old is the Bougenvalia Tree? He said... you guess... Daveed! I said... must be 50 years old!. No... he said. It is just 7 years old! He said... I put a lot of fish in the ground when I planted that tree! And now... today... that tree... is 30 years old!
As a 5&6 yr old as on occasions Mr Enrique would have me take 2-3 burgers across the street to Martha’s Store and cloth shop and he paid me in burger as well. He was the waiter, the deliveryman, bussboy & raked that sand beautifully inside there
For more information on the history of Elvi's Kitchen, click here
Photograph by Kay Scott, Photo of Mr. Enrique Staines by David Childs
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