Mouth Hot Like Pepper.

"WHEN SPEAKING UP IS SEEN AS RUDENESS"

Caribbean parents are walking hyperboles and I say that with love. Not just mine, all of them. Everything is dramatic. Everything is an emergency. Spill a little juice on the floor? “Yuh tryin’ to flood out the house?” Ask for one more snack? “All yuh does eat whole day like yuh have worm?”

It’s never just a simple situation  it’s always turned up to level 100.Everything is exaggerated, dramatic, and said with the kind of conviction that could end wars... or start one.

This theory of mine was only confirmed when I stumbled upon Kyle Boss an Instagram and TikTok comedian whose videos perfectly capture the Caribbean childhood experience. It’s like he grew up in our exact homes. The comments section? A full-on therapy session where strangers from Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, and the wider Caribbean bond over shared trauma, licks, and legendary clap backs. Some even joke that we need a regional support group. Honestly? They might be onto something.

But let’s take this a little deeper. What we’re dealing with here can actually be understood through a sociological lens specifically informal deviance.

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Deviant behavior, in sociology, refers to actions that violate social norms but not necessarily the law. Informal deviance, in particular, includes stuff like loitering, talking loudly on the phone in quiet places, or yes  talking back to your parents. No legal charges, just shame, side-eyes, and maybe a flying slipper.

Now, here’s the twist: what’s seen as rude or inappropriate depends on culture. In the Arab world, for example, eating with your left hand is frowned upon. In the Caribbean? Telling your parents anything that sounds remotely like a different perspective is borderline criminal.

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Let me explain. If you try to give advice to your Caribbean parents not even disrespectfully just a calm suggestion like, “Mummy, maybe we shouldn’t boil the rice for an hour,” or, “Daddy, that thing you read on Facebook isn’t exactly true,” suddenly you outta place. You’re a deviant. You are met with pure fire.

And that’s where the expression "Yuh mouth hot like pepper" comes in.

In Trinidad and Tobago, we’re home to some of the hottest peppers in the world the Moruga Scorpion, the 7 Pot Douglah, and the Caribbean Red Habanero. All capable of melting your soul. Just like your mother’s words when you try to “act big.”

"Yuh mouth hot like pepper!"

Translation? You have too much to say. You’re too bold. You’re stepping out of line.

Now imagine this: you simply ask, “Mummy, why we always have to go by Aunty Patsy every Sunday?” That’s it. An innocent question. And next thing you know, you're being hit with a lecture about manners, family loyalty, and “when yuh get yuh own house, yuh could decide where yuh going!”

But here’s where the Caribbean irony kicks in  the very thing we were told was “bad” is exactly what we need now. Having a "mouth hot like pepper" isn't about disrespect it's about speaking truth, standing firm, and adding flavour to conversations that need spice. Just like our food, bland won't do.

As a young Caribbean woman navigating a changing world, I’ve learned to embrace my pepper-mouth to use it for good, not just to prove a point but to make one. It’s not always easy in a culture that still clings tightly to “children must stay in children place,” but it’s necessary.

Because when your words carry heat with purpose, with power, with presence you’re not just talking back. You’re talking forward. And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly what this generation needs.

So let your mouth be hot like pepper.

Because you were never meant to be mild.

So next time someone tells you your mouth hot like pepper, smile.

Because pepper adds flavour. And you, my dear, are the whole pot.

In fact, maybe being seen as "deviant" isn't a bad thing at all. Sociologists might define informal deviance as breaking unspoken rules  but sometimes, those rules deserve to be broken. In a world that rewards silence and submission, it’s the ones who dare to speak even when it’s uncomfortable who bring about real change.

So be bold. Be spicy. Be “outta place” if it means standing up for something that matters.

Because when you speak truth with power, purpose, and presence, you're not a problem.

you’re a movement in the making.

And that, my friend, is hot

Always Remember,

Love Your Journey🎒