Breakfast shed fears

By Johnny Commansingh

Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) is known as ‘The Land of Steelpan and Calypso.’’ No one would ever declare that it is also known as ‘The Land of Bacchanal Kuchoor, Mauvais Langue and Jhanjhat.’ In almost every sector of life in T&T, there is always some modicum of inequality, racial discrimination, discontent, dishonesty, corruption and, of course, dotishness (stupidity). Here’s why I chose to write my observations on breakfast shed fears in T&T. Let’s start with my existence in primary school.

There is a part of a folksong that I learnt in high school that goes like this: “Every time ah pass yuh look at mih. Every time ah pass yuh look at mih. Ah go tell mih mudda doh send mih dong dey.” And so every time ah pass in front of this house on the Eastern Main Road (EMR) in Sangre Grande my mind flashes back to the Sangre Grande, Breakfast Shed. Why? In this house lived Ms. Mongo,’ one of the ‘lunch ladies’ who worked in the Sangre Grande Breakfast Shed.

‘Mongo’ was the name I heard and remembered when her co-workers called out to her. If my memory serves me right, that was about 60 years ago. It’s a smidgen of history that I will never forget. The wooden house with jalousie windows is still standing. People, maybe Mongo’s grandchildren, are still dwelling in that quaint little house located obliquely opposite to Sherwyn Williams Paints on the Eastern Main Road in Sangre Grande.

My subject today is not so much about Mongo’s house (see photograph). Although I was sometimes ‘sent’ or possibly ‘sentenced,’ I found myself in the breakfast shed at lunchtime for a plate of food. However, to me, this place was nothing more than a dreaded colonial ‘institution.’ The breakfast shed stood adjacent to the old fire station on Brierley Street in Sangre Grande. Today, the fire station I knew is no more, and so is the breakfast shed.

Much to my disgust, the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, demolished the two buildings in 2017, erasing part of the cultural heritage of Sangre Grande. The Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) now occupies the space with quite a few derelict buses. In my research,  I saw that the Internet and Facebook have a record of the fire station, but no mention was made anywhere about the breakfast shed where so many hungry primary school children were fed.

Of the hundred or more children present, I remember seeing children from St. Francis Roman Catholic Primary School, Government Primary School, and the Seventh Day Adventist Primary School. I saw one student from Northeastern College. According to the song, “…those were the days my friend. We thought they’d never end,” but fond memories about certain activities in this place does not exist in my mind.

A longtime school friend from Picton Street, Sangre Grande visited me and ol’ talk about the Sangre Grande Breakfast Shed ensued. No conversation about this ‘infamous’ breakfast shed could be entertained without the mention of Mongo. How I managed to fall into the category of breakfast shed attendance is a long story that I will briefly relate here. I promise that I will not use any expletives or invectives.

To find a big British penny to ‘buy’ my plate of food was a difficult thing; my mother did not give me a penny because she did not have a cent! Although I was given the chance to be a substitute attendee at the breakfast shed, many a time I did not have that penny. Because he knew about our economic circumstances, the principal would sometimes give me that much-needed penny. A penny in those days was big money. A penny could buy a plate of food! Today, a plate of that food or a bowl of cow heel or chicken foot soup could cost between $35 to $50.

Getting the penny was one thing but facing Ms. Mongo was the next. I could now understand why some children speak so unkindly about the famous ‘lunch ladies.’ This woman had a kind of fire in her eyes; smiling was not part of her ‘regular’ demeanour. With ever-questioning eyes, this old woman who walked with an insidious shuffle always appeared vex, fed up or discontented. Her eyes struck the fear of God in you as she annoyingly perused every corner of the building. As if that was not enough, she actually flagellated some children with a leather strap before they ate lunch.

She resented any kind of oppositional behaviour or complaint. It was as though Ms. Mongo was born with a God-given right to flog little children. By choice or by force, we had to understand the maxim: “Speak when you are spoken to.” As a child, to me Ms. Mongo was someone to be feared. I did not really fear the breakfast shed, I feared Ms. Mongo, and what she could have done to me. Nevertheless, there were a couple times when I saw her smile. She smiled when her grandchild appeared for food. She smiled, and was quite subservient when the ‘governess’ came for a visit.

A few lines from my poem ‘The Sangre Grande Breakfast Shed’ published in the Delaware Bards Poetry Review states:

Sometimes I felt I was living inside of “Great Expectations”

The Breakfast Shed was still my great salvation

To eat some rice, beans, and a piece of stewed chicken

No box of KFC, but surely the food was “finger lickin.”

“Finger lickin” yes, it surely was, you know

Many children at lunchtime received quite a few blows

At the hands of “Miss Mongo” who strutted around with a belt

I sat quietly in fear and wondered how they felt.

Her piercing eyes could see everywhere

I remember so clearly her hideous stare

She was indeed a loud “assassin” an assailant!

Listening to the other “lunch ladies” with their terrible rant.

In Caribbean News Global (19/02/2025), I wrote:

“Yes, I was glad for whatever the lunch at that breakfast shed comprised, but I was also angry because I was treated as nothing more than a wretched beggar. I am not ungrateful…people could say whatever they want now. The Sangre Grande Breakfast Shed was part of my childhood.”

My ‘precious’ Sangre Grande Breakfast Shed is gone, erased for the landscape! Nevertheless, there is another breakfast shed in Port of Spain where vendors are now under serious pressure, fearful. A couple of times, I purchased local food there. A dispute has erupted, and it seems that vendors fear that they will be evicted. That breakfast shed, situated adjacent to the Water Taxi Terminal near the Port of Spain Waterfront, is an icon embedded in the history of T&T. Saieed Ali, the host and producer of Real Talk (March 10, 2026), said:

“Vendors at the historic, “Breakfast Shed” on Wrightson Road in Port of Spain have been ordered to vacate the waterfront facility by April 30, 2026, prompting concern among business owners and workers who rely on the decades-old food hub for their livelihoods. The eviction notice was issued by the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (UDeCOTT),   and vendors are also being asked to settle rental arrears of about $1.94 million.

Financial advisor to the vendors, Robert Le Hunte, described the notice as heavy-handed and said previous attempts to engage UDeCOTT to resolve outstanding issues had been unsuccessful. He emphasised that the vendors are not refusing to pay rent, noting that significant payments have already been made over the years.

The Breakfast Shed, operated under the Femmes du Chalet Co-operative Society Limited, is a longstanding cultural and culinary landmark in downtown Port of Spain, supporting dozens of small family-run businesses and providing primary income for many workers. Employees have expressed anxiety over their future if the dispute is not resolved.”

Look at what Shane Superville reported in the T&T Guardian March 12, 2026:

“Vendors at the Breakfast Shed (Femmes du Chalet) are renewing calls for a meeting with officials of UDeCOTT, as their advisers urge government intervention to resolve the dispute. On Monday, financial adviser to the vendors Robert Le Hunte said they received an eviction notice from UDeCOTT instructing them to vacate the Waterfront property by April 30.

During a media briefing, Le Hunte expressed disappointment over what he described as UDeCOTT’s lack of engagement, noting that he had made several attempts to initiate discussions on behalf of the vendors…Last year, Le Hunte wrote to the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC), arguing that the Breakfast Shed’s Waterfront facility had been incorrectly wired under a commercial electricity classification. He claimed this resulted in vendors being overcharged, with monthly electricity bills averaging about $13,000. He also contended that vendors have experienced several unresolved issues at the facility, which he said required UDeCOTT’s attention.

“And when we ask, ‘Can I bring an electrician to see about it ourselves,’ they say ‘No, you have no authority to touch the building.’ So what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to survive?”

Le Hunte also lamented that during the COVID-19 pandemic vendors continued paying full rent and electricity rates despite being unable to operate normally or earn an income. He said monthly operating costs were approximately $50,000. Referring to documents, he said vendors have collectively paid more than $3.5 million in rent to UDeCOTT and over $8 million in electricity bills to the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC).

“These are not people who have not been paying their bills. These are people who have been having some issues and who have been prevented from generating the types of income that they once had.”

Thank heavens that the vendors were given a little more time until these pressing matters are resolved. Rickie Ramdass in his article ‘Breakfast Shed Vendors Get More Time’ published in the Daily Express on May 14, 2026 said:

“Vendors operating at the Breakfast Shed in Port of Spain have secured a temporary reprieve from eviction after a High Court injunction restraining UDeCOTT remained in effect following a High Court hearing on Tuesday… Given this, the injunction, which was first granted on April 29, remains in place until the matter returns to court on May 26.”

The bacchanal continues where many historic buildings have been demolished and erased from the landscape. It’s sad and disheartening when the authorities seek directly or indirectly to obliterate or lay stress on even the culture itself. I have accepted the fact that the Sangre Grande Breakfast Shed was demolished, but I sincerely hope that the kuchoor (confusion, drama) and jhanjhat (messy situation) will cease with regard to the Port of Spain Breakfast Shed in an effort to preserve that part of our gastronomical culture.

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