For those whose parents or grandparents are from the West Indies or who can relate…Lawwwwwd ah Mercy! It’s about time

You know your BBW….

When you call Cornish Pastie – Cornish PATTIE

If you remember going to family parties where the base from the speakers would lick you a new heartbeat.

Your scrambled eggs are black (pepper overload!!!)

Bayrum & Hot Ribena are considered cure for the common cold

As a child, going to church – WAS NOT AN OPTION

You drink tea with Carnation milk!

You remember the tune “Silly Games”

When you know all the words to the song “My Boy Lollipop”

You know how to bogle

You know the first line of the song ‘ Ting-a-ling’ but dats it!

You live or have some family connection with Harlesden or Brixton

Your hearing quality is 20% impaired below average because of music at family parties.

When you wear “panty” under your swimsuit

You point with your lips

You nod your head upwards to greet someone

You hate to throw away empty containers

You’ve eaten ackee & saltfish for breakfast

You knew about PRIMARK waay before its recent MAINSTREAM popularity

You chew the ice when you finish your drinks

At Christmas you have to have “black cake”

You can kiss your teeth (stupes) for more than 3 seconds……

You bring home food from a party (enough for your breakfast the next morning, your lunch and your dinner!)

You got asked, (when you were crying after having been told off) whether you wanted so mething to cry for?

You know you’re BBW when your acting bad and your mum gives you THAT look!!!

You know your BBW when you got 3 different string vest, and you always wear 1 under your t-shirt

When “kiss mi neck” implies surprise as opposed to a request for affection

When it’s bad manners not to acknowledge your elders in the street

You know you are definitely a BBW if you have threatened to call CHILDLINE (after you or someone else in your house got beat)

You meet a new “Auntie” at every christening

You attend at least 3 Christenings a year

You DON’T attend the wedding but you DO attend the wedding party…late!!!!

You get served food at weddings by three fat black women

Your gran makes you watch “Songs of Praise”

Your gran makes you write her letters to “Back Home”

You don’t actually like Ackee and Saltfish

You like Yam but no one who is not black know what it is…

Your cot rattled to the bass!!!!!!!!

Your sister had a baad weave at least once in her life

You were never allowed into the the “front room” with the glass cabinet, doilies, Alsation statuette, white cat and blue marble fish figurine!!!!

If your mum of gran washed out old “vitalite” and “ice cream” tubs and use them as “tuppa wear”

If your=2 0cupboard always has a bottle of Sasparilla

If all your mums friends are aunties and all their children are your cousins

If your mum makes you keep your old clothes to wear as “house clothes”

If you understand that the word “egg” contains an H but the word “teeth” doesn’t

If someone told you they have something to tell you and then bit up your ear!!!

If you have been cuffed up in public

If you had your hair (aka head) straightened (aka burned) with an iron comb when you were younger!!!!

When plain rice is no substitution for rice and peas on a Sunday

The thought of “bringing shame on your family” is more fearful than death

Jonny Cakes aka Fried Dumplins are a common feature of your diet…

You have never left the house without creaming your face first – if you ever did, you remember that day vividly………

When you fear your parents more than you feared the police or any schoolteacher

When at parties all the children were sent to another room while “big people” were doing “big people tings” like…..drinking, smoking, playing dominoes and playing Gregory Isscas….

When your mum never let you eat on the road or from people houses – cos then they’ll think that she don’t feed you!!!!!!!!!!

When times were hard it was about corned beef and rice or20sardine and rice (hense why its called “poor mans” food)…..

When you get home late your parents first words were “so you know where you live then”………..

You were never allowed to sleep at a friends house!!!!!!!!!!

The words “my friend has one” the answer would be “go and live with your friend”

At christenings, weddings & funerals you NEVER have to pay for your drinks!!!!!!!!! You rent a hall, someone from your family is on the makeshift bar serving FREE drinks, NICE HOT FOOD – not just sandwiches, sausage rolls and the grapefruit (hedgehog) with the pineapple/cheese and cherries on them……………..

Going to Sunday School – having to wear a dress!!!!! coming home having… a to change then help clean the house whilst mum was cooking – playing some old school reggae tunes on the record player!!!!!!

Then during cleaning you would have to run to the shops to buy either, an onion, thyme or coconut milk because it had run out – and you know that the rice and peas ain’t the same without them….

Or having to get some black pepper or seasoning from the “Indian man shop”……as mum used to say….

Your mum had a special occasion glass cabinet…….which NEVER got used!!!!!!!!!

The one that wasn’t on here that I added was…..

When you call a face flannel a wash rag!