Adventures in Eating

 

Since the Bahamas, I’ve enjoyed photographing some of the most, uh, interesting food and drink we’ve encountered. We’ve eaten very much as we always had, needing to make only a few adjustments, as we’ve found certain staples aren’t always available, but discovering new culinary delights is a major advantage to traveling. I can only hope it gets to be even more fun as we move along.

THE BAHAMAS:

These are, appropriately, called "Goblin Fingers"
These are, appropriately, called Goblin Fingers
Say it isn't so! Who's next, Snuffleupagus??
Say it isn’t so! Who’s next, Mr. Snuffleupagus??
One of my favorite finds, until I realized coconut milk is available EVERYWHERE
One of my favorite finds, until I realized coconut milk is available EVERYWHERE
Got a gripe with your baby? There's a remedy for that!
Got a gripe with your baby? There’s a remedy for that!

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

I was delighted to find Crystal and Louisiana hot sauces all over the DR. I wish I'd picked up more, because that was the last place I saw it.
I was delighted to find Crystal and Louisiana hot sauces all over the DR. I wish I’d picked up more, because that was the last place I saw it.
Salsa=Sauce. So, of course, soy sauce is "Chinese salsa", and Worcestershire is "English salsa"
Salsa=Sauce. So, of course, soy sauce is “Chinese salsa”, and Worcestershire is “English salsa”
I don't usually enjoy soft drinks, but this is different! I first encountered Vita Malt in the Bahamas, and have found variations on malt beverages everywhere since then. If you like the taste of malt, you will love this! For those of you home brewers, it tastes a lot like the wort used in the brewing process, but carbonated. So good!
I don’t usually enjoy soft drinks, but this is different! I first encountered Vita Malt in the Bahamas, and have found variations on these nonalcoholic malt beverages everywhere since then. If you like the taste of malt, you will love this! For those of you home brewers, it tastes a lot like the wort used in the beer brewing process, but carbonated. So good!
Cream of Wheat by another name. Uh, yeah, nothing racist about this.
Cream of Wheat by another name. Uh, yeah, nothing racist about this. And why is Isaac from The Love Boat a cream of wheat poster boy?
Mofongo (mashed plantains) cups stuffed with chicken. All food should come in edible cups.
Mofongo (mashed plantains) cups stuffed with chicken. All food should come in edible vessels.

PUERTO RICO:

Roadside rotisserie in Mayagüez. We'd never had such delicious food from a truck!
Roadside rotisserie in Mayagüez. We’d never had such delicious food from a truck!
Who can say no to bimbo chips?
Who can say no to bimbo chips?
One of the things that drives me absolutely crazy is how almost all produce comes pre-wrapped on styrofoam. I am someone who never even put her produce in a plastic produce bag. It is so wasteful!
One of the things that drives me absolutely crazy is how almost all produce comes pre-wrapped on styrofoam. I am someone who never even puts her fruit/veggies in a plastic produce bag. This is so wasteful!
This is a calabash. I'm not sure if they're edible, but I love that they just spring straight from the big limbs of the tree.
This is a calabash. They are reported to be edible, but we weren’t comfortable stealing this one to find out. I love that they just spring straight from the big limbs of the tree.
I thank my friend, Ashley, for telling me about sea grapes. I waited almost 6 months to find some ripe ones, and they were definitely worth the wait!
I thank our friend, Ashley, for telling us about sea grapes. I waited almost 6 months to find some ripe ones, and they were definitely worth the wait!
John-Michael was thrilled to find turron, a sweet childhood favorite, in the checkout line. No Milky Ways, Skittles or Snickers - just this.
This is turrón – nougat, typically made of honey, sugar, and egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts. John-Michael was thrilled to find this sweet, childhood favorite in the checkout line. No Milky Ways, Skittles or Snickers – just this.
Cilantro haters look away! This is, by far, my favorite find. I was incredulous that I could never find cilantro in PR. Turns out it's sold in a completely different form than I'm used to, and called "culantro", but it's just as delicious.
Cilantro haters look away! This is, by far, my favorite discovery. I was incredulous that I could never find cilantro in PR. Turns out it’s sold in a completely different form than I’m used to, and called “culantro” or “recao”, but it’s just as delicious.

A note on how our eating habits have changed. We have started accumulating new staples, which I may have only had occasionally back on land. We have a fridge/freezer, but space there is limited, so storage of veggies has to be timed just right so they don’t rot in our hot, humid environment. Grocery stores aren’t always easy to find, and most have limited selections of produce. “Must-haves” now include, cabbage, large carrots, more onions than we ever used to consume, potatoes (weird, but we really never ate them before), and other hardy veggies that will last a very long time. We also eat, pretty much, every part of the veggie. I can’t believe I ever tossed broccoli stumps! They are delicious in salads, or pan roasted.

Cooking differently has become a fun challenge. We prepare a lot of food in a pressure cooker, and have started learning how to bake on our outdoor grill.

Onions are a staple on most boats because they last forever. We eat them with almost every meal. Caramelized is a favorite. (If these look slightly burned, blame my sis-in-law Debbie for distracting me with her hilarious texts that night.)
We eat onions with almost every meal. Caramelized is a favorite. (If these look slightly burned, blame my sis-in-law Debbie for distracting me with her hilarious texts that night.)
black-beans
My weekly pot of black beans. They’re so good, after over a year of eating them almost daily, we still love them.

I can promise you this, if you come to stay with us, you will not go hungry!

7 comments:

  1. Hey Steve and Melissa are on Yarika and they are currently at St. Martin. Steve wants to know where y’all are. FYI Steve was a PICU nurse at Oschner. And what is your opinion of the Cape Dory 270?

    1. Oh, we totally know them. I realized immediately when you mentioned the boat name. It’s funny how sailors become their boat name instead of their last name. They came to introduce themselves when they saw our boat is from NOLA and we were in the same anchorage. Small world!

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