Where
is Queens? Where is Guyana? Where is Sybil's?
Do
you know where Sybil's is? Do you what it is?
Sybil's
is a small chain of Guyanese bakery/restaurants located in Queens
and Brooklyn.
Do you know where Guyana
is? Do you know what it is?
Guyana
is a country in the northeast corner of the South American continent.
Most of the Guyanese people are of Indian ancestry (Asian Indian,
not aboriginal) and the primary language of the country is English.
Through colonialism, the country is stamped with British culture
to a level similar to that the formerly Italian neighborhoods
of Ozone Park and Richmond Hill in Queens is marked of the culture
of the Guyanese people who have immigrated here over the past
two decades and who continue to come.
Do you know where Queens
is at?
Queens
is the largest (in area) of five New York Boroughs. It is not
only near Manhattan and Brooklyn, but also the Bronx.
Spread
through a few neighborhoods in the southern part of Queens,
not too far from JFK Airport, this enclave of Guyanese culture
has developed. Few remnants of the old Italian culture and neighborhood
remain on or near Liberty Avenue, but it continues to thrive
blocks away in Howard Beach, over which clouds of cultural intolerance
are still remembered. Liberty Ave. sustains an "urban" flare,
similar to neighborhoods predominately dominated by Puerto Rican
and Dominican culture. Guyanese flag banners hang from the mirrors
of the cars bouncing down the avenue, and hip-hop music, along
with forms of Guyanese tinged and mixed rap and dance music,
blasts out of their windows. The reciprocal nature of the Guyanese
relationship with New York is evident if you speak to any of
the Guyanese youth who embody not only New York hip-hop culture,
but also distinct elements of their ethnicity, which differs
from that of P.R. and D.R. cultures.
At a fork in Liberty Ave., in an island-like median between
two city streets sits Sybil's, or least a Sybil's. Most of the
time, as you approach the yellow and green triangular store,
you will also see many people inside, and sometimes outside,
waiting before their number to called so they can place an order.
The smell of freshly baked breads, sweets, and rolls mingles
with the smell of the curry flowing out of the various rotis.
When you place an order, don't worry about the language barrier-
they all speak English with only the slightest of accents and
many have adopted an American accent. The women behind the counter
usually are friendly, so long as you place your order quickly
and you don't ask many questions (another example of the New
Yorkification of Guyanese culture). Don't forget to take a number,
or else you will be elongating what might already be a long
wait. As you wait, check out the menu on the wall and the food
simmering in the hot buffet table.
Try a tennis roll with cheese, which one of the women will warm
for you in the microwave, for a dollar. That could hold you
over while you wait and pay for you food. The breads are very
thick and heavy. Pick one up, they are everywhere. Roti. After
you get your food, you may come to realization, if you have
not noticed already (the smells are distracting) that there
are not tables to sit at in the store. You can try to walk around
the hood and try to find a seat on a bench, stoop, or a curb.
If you drove, you could sit on your car and eat. Maybe you could
ask a bartender at one of the many local bars if you could bring
the food in and eat there. Or you could just eat a restaurant
that has tables, but then you will not be eating Sybil's.
