Dear Editor,

Are you even Jamaican if you don’t know what it is to try to bite into a piping hot Tastee patty?

That slight scorching of the lips and tongue has been the hallmark of eating Tastee patties ever since I was a child. I remember my parents having to blow on each piece, as I anxiously waited, before feeding it to me.

In later years I would buy the patties, and if I wasn’t going to consume them immediately, I would tightly fold the patty bags to hold the heat until I reached my destination, and usually they would still be hot.

In the last year or so, however, I have noticed that the patties are no longer scorchers but lukewarm imitations. Whether purchased at Sugar and Spice or Tastee locations the patties are disappointingly tepid. Even when they seem to be fresh out the oven, the heat factor is no longer there.

I was so perturbed by this development that I conducted an informal survey among my peers — fellow Tastee patty devotees — to ascertain if anyone was having a similar experience. They all agreed. All told nostalgic stories of that long time ago when they ate a hot patty.

One respondent, however, advised that the Half-Way-Tree location is the exception. I have not been to that location in years, but based on this advice I will be certain to visit shortly.

Tastee, ‘the home of Jamaica’s tastiest patties’, I will not give up on you. But, please, can you restore the heat.

Carol Walker

cwalker@gmail.com