On Machetes

The first time I saw someone walking down the street with a machete, I was alarmed.  Then I saw another and I was frightened.  By the third person, I realized that carrying a machete here is the norm.  I didn't realize why until our hike in St. Mary's, and it made more and more sense to me as our trip progressed.

Jamaicans use machetes like Swiss Army Knives.  They peel fruit with it, file their nails with it, cut things with it.  They truly are an all-purpose tool.  Just on the hike, I saw Lion, our tour guide, use his machete to:

1. Clear the path
2. Cut pods/fruits/leaves off trees
3. Chop fruit
4. Peel fruit
5. Scratch his back (I'm not kidding about this one)

And, just walking through town, I saw people cutting their grass with their machetes, using them as walking sticks, and chopping and serving chicken on the grill with them.

Of course, they also serve as a precautionary measure against thieves during the night, but that is the least of its uses.  I have never seen a tool so useful to Americans as a machete is to Jamaicans.