Goes to Trinidad Carnival once: and now we're being introduced to Bacchanal Beloved. Clearly the brand is strong and expanding! Shireen being of Antiguan and Jamaican descent, she's always had ties to the experience "on di road" as Charles says. His good friend Kareem is Trinidadian and wanted to experience his first carnival at home so Charles went with him. Shireen breaks down the costs of carnival; both financially and physically!(0:12-4:55). Charles didn't know Shireen was West Indian until he met her mother with an accent. African American Christmas vs. Antiguan Christmas was a culture shock. Shireen didn't play much soca around Charles while they dated so he wasn't familiar with aritsts like Kes. Charles confused Kes with Kem, the R&B singer and Shireen and BK had to promptly correct him(5:26-12:47). Charles carnival time was a guys trip and was anti Shireen wanting to come along to do her own thing. Carnival is so packed with people that you could do it without running into people you know. Charles didn't want no smoke about getting wined on and being on road for 12-16hrs. Shireen describes the even calendar for carnival week. Monday fetes(the Caribbean word for parties) have one costume and Tuesday is for the major costumes. Kareem planned the trip since he's Trini but it was hiis first time so they booked an AirBnB 30min away from the events. So no breaks, once you're on road, you're there for the day. The original dates they booked would've had Charles leave and miss the highlight of carnival Tuesday but Shireen updated them and they stayed(13:29-22:21). Shireen and Rene(bestie and season 2 guest) agreed to let Charles tag along on their next adventure, now that Charles knows the lay of the land. Charles and Kareem randomly ended up in the same band/group as Rene this year so they were running around together the whole time. Shireen was so happy that Charles called to say he wished she was there so they could experience it together. Charles now wants to explore the other Caribbean carnivals like Cropover in Barbados. He was fascinated by the Indian population in Trinidad(due to slavery/colonization). From a production standpoint, culture curator Beloved was pleasantly surprised and impressed. The sound, the trucks, the food, the digital screens on stage, the brands present, organization getting in/out. It worth the price to pay for the experience(Haagen Dazs was a highlight). Shireen is hype that Charles is immersing himself in Caribbean culture and wants her children to experience it. Shireen drops a hot take that her sons may not marry Black women so the culture has to be passed on through them! 

 

Get your tickets for The Oxtail Off @ The Beehive on Sunday May 25th in LA! https://events.eventnoire.com/e/the-oxtail-off/tickets

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