Curry duck glory and All Fours showdown in Curepe

Our Lady of Fatima RC Church, Curepe came alive on June 19 for our very first Curry Duck & All Fours Competition and it did not disappoint!

On that Labour Day holiday, the code was energy smarts! Fun activities for the children, whilst the ‘big people’ focused on food preparation and slick card playing moves!

Nine teams fired up their pots and went pot-to-pot for curry duck glory, while 40 pairs of players shuffled, and hang-jacked their way through a serious All Fours showdown that had the whole compound buzzing till the end.

DJ Kashif Jacob and mic man Brendon LaCaille kept the tempo alive, whilst patrons and competitors kept pace with the goings-on!

Now, any Trini will tell you a good curry duck is difficult to master and no joke. It starts with the chunkay: hot oil, garlic, and curry sizzling down just right. Then comes the balance, just enough pepper to wake up the tongue without burning down the tent, and methi and masala spices measured with a steady hand, so that the masala sings instead of shouts. Get the seasoning, slow burn, and meat tenderness in harmony. You’re assured of having a pot worth celebrating.

Our judges had the hardest (and tastiest) job of the day, scoring each team on tent décor, team camaraderie, uniformity, tidiness, balance of flavour, aroma, meat texture consistency, and presentation.

After plenty tasting, the results were in:

First – D’Ducktors (from St David’s RC School, Kelly Village, Caroni)

Second – Jam’n Culinary Saints (from Our Lady of Fatima RC, Curepe)

Third – The Quackanators

Best Dressed Tent: Jam’n Culinary Saints

Prizes included a trip to Tobago with accommodation, drivers’ dream car kit hampers, exquisite top-tier wines and spirits, among other rewards.

Parish Priest Fr Brent Alexis O Carm was beaming with satisfaction at the success of this ‘community-building’ event. We also were stoked by the presence and participation of Fr Hasely King O Carm, Episcopal Vicar, Suburban Vicariate. Perhaps his presence motivated the Holy Cross, Santa Cruz team who won the All Fours Competition!

– Anthony Narine, adapted from Facebook