SUGAR/LIFE
I don’t have OWN, but I must finish Queen Sugar asap. Binged it over Thanksgiving when I went to visit my family. Got all the way to the last episode of the season and then: Ugh! my flight left before the next one became available on demand :0\
I thought the series started out slow and I didn’t know what I was getting into when Ralph-Angel was robbing that store in the second scene of episode one (had he been in prison all season, I don’t know that I would’ve stayed with it, however “realistic” it may be), but I love the show. I love the complex relationships of class within one black family unit (so true!).
And the sibling dynamics be real.
The dilemma of black American land ownership and its relationship to history (not giving it away, but OMG! the episode where Vi tells the kids what’s going on with those two white families is so yummy surprising yet inevitable and THAT is what makes great drama).
My favorite part about the show is learning more about the farming of sugar and what it takes to run a working farm. I mean, damn. So much new respect for farmers!
And sugar, sugar, sugar…
it bleeds into everything.
Did you know? Sugar was one of the most dangerous crops to farm during slavery. The average lifespan of a slave on a sugar plantation was 7 years.
SEVEN.
Sugar. This substance we now find in everything was at first only available to the aristocracy in Europe. It was considered an uncommon treat. Like caviar. And then there were the plantations.
Sugar got bloody. It got into the bodies of men, women, and children all over the world who tasted its glory and were hooked.
And now, look at us. It’s in everything. If you’re trying to avoid it, best not breathe the air in any populated area.
Sugar is a major substance/subject of my playwriting. I’m writing about its role in the process of plant photosynthesis for my play, SKiNFoLK.
I craved sugar all day yesterday. Those cravings have a life all their own inside of me.
Most times, they make me bow down, but I will keep writing it out. Respect Queen S in other ways without destroying yourself from the inside.
We’re meant to consume sugar in the way the royals did. One tiny silver spoon at a time.
Have you tried to give up sugar? How did you win?
Photo by Avery Friedman