Cat In The Bag and the Featherless Guinea

I went on a little road trip with a friend a few weeks ago. We drove from the Capital to San Pedro de Macrois and La Romana. I never really know quite where I am but it was around in there somewhere.

We took back roads in the Batey areas. Along these dirt roads there was mostly sugar cane fields with a little village here and there.
As usual, I love to stop in the Colmados and talk to the locals. Buddy would stop and take a walk taking pictures and I would sit in the Colmados talking to people. My grandmaw used to tell me I had diarrhea of the mouth. Even now with my bad Spanish I still have the running of the mouth problem, jejej.

There was a Colmado along one of these dirt roads and they had some great smells coming from inside so we stopped to get something to eat.

There were a few men standing along the road with a guinea hen holding it by the legs. The feathers were beautiful, black with white spots. I went over to ask him if I could have some of the feathers to make some jewelry with. He offered me a wing feather but I wanted some of the smaller ones. He pulled a few out and gave them to me. I wanted more but just as I was about to ask the chicken lifted it’s head from the hanging position!! I was so shocked! I thought it was dead. I apologized to the poor chicken whose feathers I was holding while the men were laughing at me.

I went back and joined Buddy and ate my food. Then Buddy was off to take some pictures. I took my beer and sat on the wall surrounding the Colmado next to an older man holding a large rice sack.

I started talking to the man, of course. I asked him what was in his sack as it looked empty except for a little bump at the bottom. He told me there was a cat in the bag. I asked why he had the cat in the bag (remember my Spanish is not that great). He told me the cat was good for eating rats and I thought he said that he was going to eat the cat!

Now I have heard stories about Dominicans eating cat but I never really saw it before. I asked him why he would want to eat this cat as it was a small kitten and it didn’t have much meat on it. He started laughing while I sat there in shock, feeling really bad for that little kitten who was going to be someones dinner.

He then explained, slowly, that he was taking the cat to someones house so the cat could eat the rats. Ahhh, now I understood.
I asked him if I could see the little kitten. He told me it was really mean but he untied the top on the bag and I stuck my hand inside the bag. The kitten was so cute and friendly, not mean at all. I told the man that the cat was mean to him because he put it in the bag. How would you feel if someone stuck you in a bag? I don’t think I would like that person either!

So we talked a bit more as I pet the cat. Then the bus pulled up. The man tied his kitten sack back up. Off they went, the old man and the cat in the bag. To the cats new home.

These are some of the pictures I took that day. Sorry, i didn’t get any of the Cat in the Bag and the Featherless Guinea…