Speaker 1: 0:03

Hello everyone, welcome back to another special edition of Carry On Friends. I'm excited to be launching a new series with a couple that I really have gotten to know in the last couple months and really enjoy, and this is called Caribbean Adjacent, and I wanted to do this series to incorporate those who are part of the family through marriage and friendship, and this was inspired by my uncle and his wife of 30 years, african-american, born in Memphis, tennessee, and I recognize that there are so many more of these stories out there. And I've come to know Randy from his last interview If you haven't checked that out, you should go and check it out and I wanted to talk to him and his wonderful wife, shauna. So welcome to Caribbean adjacent, shauna and Randy, how are you both?

Speaker 2: 0:57

We're doing well. Thank you so much for having us, Carrie-Anne. It's a pleasure to be here.

Speaker 3: 1:00

Doing great. Thank you so much. We're excited for today.

Speaker 1: 1:03

All right, so I told the audience a little bit about who you are, but give them a quick intro about both of you and your brands and then we'll get into our questions.

Speaker 3: 1:13

Awesome. So I'm Randy Palaia and this is my wife, shauna Vocalaia. We're the founders of West Indies Pepper Sauce. So West Indies Pepper Sauce, we are a brand that is focused on preserving food culture from the Caribbean and the West Indies. So when grandma and mom passes on, food culture does not have to die. We understand how important that is about preserving culture, because Sean and I myself we lived in Vietnam and South Korea for five years career. For five years been to 60 countries, six continents. We've seen with our own eyes how cultures around the world they're losing part of their identity. And for us, with our mission on keeping our culture alive for future generations, for everyone to enjoy, Wonderful, all right, so let's get into it All right, how did you two first meet, right so?

Speaker 2: 2:05

let's get into it. All right, how did you two first meet? Hey, so I can start. I'm sure Randy's gonna, you know, fill in the pieces that I miss. Like Randy said, we love to travel. We met while we were traveling. We met at the JFK airport in New York.

Speaker 2: 2:19

I was coming back from a trip with some girlfriends right after college. We backpacked Europe for about two months. I was coming back, going back to Arkansas where I'm from, had slept at the airport, so it was pretty exhausted, coming over a cold. And then Randy was going to his brother's wedding in St Thomas and was just coming off of properly partying from Halloween night. So still on the game, right, partying from Halloween night, so still on the game, right. And then, yeah, so we met in the security line, actually JFK American Airlines. And, yeah, I was looking at my pictures of my trip and he just struck up a conversation with me that he had went to London for study abroad. Yeah, and then we exchanged information. He would say within like two minutes, but it was a bit of a longer, you know, line, I had time to take out my camera. So, yeah, did I miss anything there?

Speaker 3: 3:09

No, I think that's accurate. This is like five o'clock in the morning and you know JFK is busy all day, every day. And it was a 5 am flight and I was with my grandparents and my cousin and we were on our way to catch a flight from New York to Miami because my older brother was getting married in St Thomas. And yeah, as Shana mentioned, I struck up a conversation and I'm from New York, so that was real quick. That was like two, three minutes, but no, we just had a conversation and it was great and we exchanged phone numbers and it blossomed.

Speaker 1: 3:44

What I find fitting in all of this is that you both met at the airport and a lot of your life has been traveling, and I think it's just so apropos and a nice meet cute that you met at JFK, of all places, one of the you know most international airports. So that's cute. If you don't remember where Randy is from, caribbean culture, randy tell the people in which country you represent.

Speaker 3: 4:15

Yes, my mom and dad is from Guyana. I was born in Richmond Hill, queens, new York, so representing, you know, guyanese culture, but at our brand, west Indies Pepper Sauce, we're representing everybody across the board.

Speaker 1: 4:26

All right. So, shauna, most of this is going to be on you, so my next question is describe a moment where you felt out of place but embraced it with humor, sure?

Speaker 2: 4:39

And so we've been married for 12 years. I've been, you know, with Randy for a long time, even before we got married. We were together for like seven or eight years before that. So I've been part of the family for a long time and very honored to be part of, you know, his family.

Speaker 2: 4:54

Guyanese culture, the Caribbean culture not a very diverse place and you'd be surprised there are, you know, several Asian Americans there. That I'm Vietnamese American. So there's actually a Vietnamese population who came there from, you know, being refugees. There's a small Lao population, marshallese there, so you'd be surprised, you know, there's some diversity and Hispanics too, but not really anyone from the Caribbean. So when I met Randy, like I said, at the airport, he told me you know where he's from New York and he said, oh, but my family's from Guyana. I was like, oh, and then he probably saw my face that I didn't know where that was. So he kind of explained it to me, like he's probably used to doing, you know he did it so graciously.

Speaker 2: 5:39

But yeah, I guess you know being Vietnamese American, and then you know being with his family who's from Guyana I think there's a lot of Chinese, guyanese who are in Guyana, right, and so I think one thing was with his family. They would kind of associate anybody who's Asian to be Chinese, right. So they'd be like, oh, the Chinese girl. So I'd be like, yeah, and then I just use it, as you know, a teaching moment, so just to let them know. You know, yes, the originations come from China, but my family's from Vietnam and you know all that. So I think it was a teaching moment for them, but also for me, like you know. That's just how they describe, you know Asian people. So you know they're very accepting and I'm very proud and honored to be part of the family.

Speaker 1: 6:27

So that is a good story and I'm glad you used that as a teaching moment. All right, next thing I wanted to ask you have you ever gone to a Caribbean Guyanese FET, and what was that like for you when you first experienced it?

Speaker 2: 6:47

Yeah, the first one I can remember was when we were in New York for Labor Day. This was the four kids, so the New York Labor Day.

Speaker 1: 6:56

West End Day Parade in Brooklyn, yep.

Speaker 2: 6:58

Yeah, we went to explore and went to that parade and I thought it was really cool with, like, all the different the floats or the trucks that came by with all the flags that represented each country. Definitely, the costumes were very elaborate, right. So I felt like, you know, underdressed but not underdressed, right. So quite elaborate. You know how they have everything set up. I thought it was great. I think it's so cool that everybody's very proud of where they're from. We got a Guyanese flag and wore it, you know, on our bags and my hair and things like that too. So I thought it was awesome. And most recently, we actually went to a FET in Miami. So the Soka, the food, wine and FET that Vanessa James puts on in Miami. It was a great event. You know that's one of the first events, that where we had whips, west English pepper sauce. So we met, you know, a lot of great people there, a lot of chefs, they had DJs there and everything. So I think you know the fets and the carnivals. They're a great part of the Caribbean culture.

Speaker 1: 8:01

All right, I'm taking you off the hot seat for a little bit. Randy, were you ever concerned or worried when you're like, okay, I'm gonna take Shauna to this party? Were you ever worried or concerned about maybe what your friends or family would say or whether you know something would have been too much for her to manage initially? Tell me about that.

Speaker 3: 8:26

You know that's a great question. I never really thought about that, but the long answer and the short answer is no. I've never concerned or worried. So you know, I mean, what are your? Guyanese, jamaican, trini, bayesian?

Speaker 3: 8:37

We're proud of our culture, right, and we're not going to hide it, we're not going to gonna sugarcoat it. So when I first met shauna and we started dating, actually you know I didn't hide anything. It was this this is our culture. I remember she came to new york and I was at work and my cousin was gonna pick her up and we were in queens, richmond hill, and anybody knows from queens, they're gonna know a guy in a bake shop. I remember she was on the phone with my cousin. She was like, hey, I going to know a guy in a bake shop. I remember she was on the phone with my cousin. She was like, hey, I'm in front of a guy in a bake shop and she just got thrown right into it. So the long answer is no. We come from proud cultures as well, as her culture is very proud. Never for a moment.

Speaker 1: 9:20

I love the story so far, by the way, all right.

Speaker 2: 9:40

So, keeping on the theme of FET, right, what's the one song that goes like wine with me, wine with me. Of course I'm a bad singer, and so he had to help me.

Speaker 3: 9:48

Remember what it was. It was Mr Vegas.

Speaker 2: 9:51

Yeah, always the one I remember. Okay, yeah, trying to dance to it, but you know.

Speaker 1: 9:59

No, that's a brave song to dance to, you know, but I love it. I love that you catch the vibe that you wanted to dance. I love it. Shauna, go on with your bad self, All right, all right. So how does the concept of family in the Caribbean culture compared to what you are used to in your culture?

Speaker 2: 10:23

That's a great question too. I grew up in a family of. I have two sisters and a brother. My mom, she was actually adopted from Vietnam, so we didn't grow up like in the Vietnamese culture as much. My parents split up when I was like 10 or 11. So he was a refugee from Vietnam. She was an adopted child from Vietnam when she was like three or four. So we didn't really grow up like speaking the language. We had some of the foods, we went to, you know, some of the traditional things that they had in the Vietnamese culture, but not a lot.

Speaker 2: 10:56

I had cousins who are, you know, vietnamese, american cousins too. So, yeah, we're very close, and as we grow older, of course, we get closer, and even with my cousins too. So, yeah, we're, we're very close, um, and as we grow older, of course, we get closer, and even with my cousins too. So, um, we definitely value our time together. Um, we value each other's opinions and I think it's very similar in the Caribbean culture and the Guyanese culture. I think they're very close, they're very respectful people. Randy and his brothers are very respectable. Um, they're hard workers. You know, coming from, you know first generation American background, we're all sort of like really hard workers and I think we do as much as we can for our family. So I think that's, you know, very similar in both of our families and I think that's one of the reasons you know all the values we have together. That's one of the reasons why we're together. So we definitely value each other's time, opinions and everything.

Speaker 1: 11:47

So All right. So if you had to sum up what being Caribbean adjacent means in one sentence, what would that be?

Speaker 2: 11:57

So Caribbean, jason, in one sentence, to me means that you're immersed together and sort of what I was talking about the family, like I've been immersed into Randy's family. I'm, you know, doing different things that I wasn't used to, you know growing up with, like even the Hindu culture and the religion. So I think it's just really being immersed together and sharing the values together.

Speaker 1: 12:26

That's a great answer, shauna. And so, lastly, what would a Caribbean adjacent survival kit include, based on your experience, oh gosh, that's a good question 's.

Speaker 2: 12:44

Um, yeah, I mean definitely, you know. From a food perspective, let's start there. Um, I grew up, you know, not eating a lot of spicy food. Like I said, I grew up vietnamese, american. But my mom she learned, learned some Vietnamese dishes, but not a lot and mostly like no spice, right. So when I met Randy, a lot of the food is definitely spicy, yes, and it's all like the whole peppers, right. I remember there was a time when he made some fried rice and he put the whole, like where were your pepper in there? And, uh, when I eat, I just like eat.

Speaker 2: 13:23

I didn't really pay attention to what was in the food. I was like this tastes good, um, so, um, I had a whole bite of the. Where were your pepper? The whole thing in my mouth. Um, I had a drink, I think a couple glasses of milk, so, um, I'd say you know, have some expectations of you know spicy levels. Um, you know it's not only the spice but it's pepper sauce. So like having you know boston some expectations of you know spicy levels. You know it's not only the spice but it's pepper sauce. So like having you know West Indies pepper sauce. You know I've come, I'm accustomed to the heat now, which is great, and I love it. So yeah, making sure you can eat up, you know, to the spicy foods.

Speaker 1: 13:58

You know, that's a really good point, because when you were talking about like he put the whole pepper and I'm like all right, what's wrong with that? In my head, but I didn't realize that. Oh wait, that's not a normal thing really for everyone else. So when it's part of your culture, you don't even think of, like you know, maybe other people don't quite do that. So thank you for bringing that awareness to me, cause I'm like, yeah, you're supposed to put the whole pepper in it. We want it. Boss in the pot. Is that the term you use, randy? It has to bus in the pot or something 100%.

Speaker 3: 14:36

Yes, you need a flavor right.

Speaker 1: 14:38

Yes, yes, oh, my goodness. So in your survival kit is like listen, make sure your belly's strong, or whatever it is for the spice, because it is coming. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it Wonderful. And then last question what advice would you give to someone dating or becoming close friends with someone from the Caribbean, with someone?

Speaker 2: 14:59

from the Caribbean? That's a good question. I mean, I think a lot of my friends and family who are associated with people in the Caribbean, with Randy's family, more people that we meet, that we meet at the markets selling West Indies pepper sauce, they always say, oh yeah, I have a friend who's Guyanese, or my boss is Guyanese, I'm gonna get this for my friend. And they always have great things to say about the people of the Caribbean, of Guyana too. So I mean, everybody's so accepting, everybody's so kind, and they really try to tell you about their culture or show you what their culture is, even if you're not really asking for it, but they're going to share it with you Absolutely. That's a really great aspect of you know people from the Caribbean is that it's just who they are, you know. So it's who they are, and then they they share their culture, their values with you and everybody just feels so accepting.

Speaker 3: 15:59

So yeah, and I would probably add to that carry on. You know, being jamaican guyanese, you know it doesn't matter where you're from the caribbean, the west indies there's 44 million souls on this beautiful earth that represent the caribbean, the west indies 44 million souls. So we have more similarities than differences. And I think to Shana's point is anytime we meet people at the market or we're selling our pepper sauce, we always hearing stories and it's great that we can connect with all of our people, because when we tell the story about what we're doing at West Indies Pepper Sauce and preserving culture, because if we don't do it, others will come in and try to dilute it. So they love what we're talking about, because everybody's always trying to tell a story and we're a prideful group and I think we're a very unique group. You know, that's what I would say. We're very unique and proud of where we're from and we got to tell that story very unique and proud of where we're from and we got to tell that story, yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:08

And even when we are communicating interculturally, you know like a Guyanese will tell me oh, in Guyana we did this, that You're educating people in your conversation. So we don't make assumptions that a Jamaican knows what's going on in you know Guyana or vice versa. So even in our conversation, we do find ourselves explaining certain things, part of our culture, and I think it's just our natural positioning to be telling people what's going on in our culture. So I think that's great that you've been having such a wonderful experience, part at Fambly, through marriage. And, randy, my last question is for you when you look back at this life and experience that you've had with Shauna and what you both are building with West Indies Pepper Sauce, what is the legacy, with your joint cultures, that you are looking to impart to your children, because they are now representative of both cultures?

Speaker 3: 18:09

I love that you asked that question, carrie-anne. The legacy that we're looking to leave behind our kids we got a guy and he's Vietnamese remix right. Everybody already knows me as Reggae Randy, right? So the legacy that we're trying to leave for our young kiddos is be proud of where you're from right, understand where you're coming from and where you're going right. So our kids are seeing us in the kitchen, right. If I'm making curry or Shauna's making pho, you know we do a remix. We make some Guyanese Vietnamese food, right. But it's not only Guyanese Vietnamese food. We're making all kinds of food from the Caribbean and West Indies right, and we're making that twist to it. So we just want to keep that strong for the future generations, for everyone, because culture is important to continue to have.

Speaker 1: 19:01

Thank you both for joining me for this inaugural episode of Caribbean Adjacent. I just really, really enjoy both of you and wish you enough more years, plenty, plenty, plenty more years together and all the success with West Indies Pepper sauce. I'll make sure I put where people could connect with both of you in the description and all the good things Just go to at shop whips all over the place is the same thing. I fully, fully endorse the yellow sauce. That's the one me like, fully endorse it. All right. So thank you again both for joining and, as I love to say, walk good.