One country, two realities

May 18, 2026 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists

(Kaieteur News) – De Waterfall newspaper tell us people now begging to buy tennis rolls one-by-one. One-by-one. Like how we used to buy single cigarette from the back door during de Burnham days. Because a whole bag of six done get so dear, yuh would tink de baker rolling gold, not dough.

But wait—dis ain’t just about tennis rolls. Dis about how living expensive like a Georgetown lawyer.

Dem boys seh, while some ah we counting crumbs, dere is people in this same country who ain’t even see a tennis roll on their table since oil discover. No joke. We gat some rich folks in this country does bring in dem own bread from overseas. It wrapped in plastic with French words. We gat shops in Guyana wah does sell overseas bread. And de rich people does but it like how children does buy toffee.

Dem rich people does be having continental breakfast: lil slice of smoked salmon, some avocado rose, a cappuccino wid foam art. De next day dem have Mediterranean-style with: olives, feta cheese, some roasted tomato drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. And de following day dem switching to Levantine brunch with za’atar and labneh. And de next day is Scandinavian open sandwich with pickled herring.

Some people living de good life while de ordinary man trying to scrape some nut butter—if he can afford de nut butter, because dat too gone up—onto a roll he now buying like a loose sweetie.

And leh we not talk about milk. Milk ain’t cheap no more. So, you have people drinking black tea like they on some monk retreat. Corn flakes? Dat is luxury now. Corn flakes! Today, corn flakes is for dem who get bonus.

So, while some ah dining al fresco on imported rustic sourdough, de average struggler watching de six tennis rolls like a treasure chest. Dem boys seh, de real divide ain’t East Bank or West Bank. Is between those who break bread and those who break single tennis roll over de counter, praying inflation don’t touch de last one.

Talk half. Leff half.

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Burnham days, Dem Boys Seh, Realities

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