Haiti Awake

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Pa jete vye chodyè pou chodyè nèf

This is translated: “Do not get rid of the ancient pot because of the new one.”

Haitian people give cooking a great importance in their daily lives. People, especially women, dedicate a great part of their daily time to cooking. And the main utensil they use is ‘chodyè’ meaning ‘pot’. They specially use it to boil ingredients. People remark that ‘vye chodyè’, old pots, are more sensitive to heat, which allows them to boil easier than the ‘chodyè nèf’, new pot. And sometimes, new pots present some kind of imperfection and need new treatment to be able to give the result expected.


Haitian people say this proverb to show the importance of experience. Even though some people are old and their methods are old fashioned, they still work. New comers, new ideas will need time to be experimented to know their result. They also say that even though we want to use new products, new ideas or supplies, we should hold the ancient ones as a backup in case that the new ones are not giving the expected result or present some kind of dysfunctions. 


Remember not to get rid automatically of the ancient working supplies that you have. You might need them some time. Ancient doesn't mean bad, and new does not automatically mean good, either. Let’s be patient and consider the value of things instead of their age or their external appearance.