Dining out here in the islands can be quite interesting at
times. Some dishes are unique to each locale, and some share common roots, such as Saltfish Accra,
Ground Provision, Roti, and Pelau. I try
as many as I dare (I am often accused of being a wee bit perspicacious....but I am not nearly as bad as some think!) and
find I enjoy many (Goat Stew is a winner), and downright detest a few.
(Saltfish Accra takes top award in this category) Every chef puts their own spin on things as
well, so you are never quite sure exactly what will show up to the table, even
when ordering what appears to be a familiar dish-take for example, our dinner
last night: Bill ordered Fish Roti, and
I ordered Chicken Roti. Roti is a curry dish that arrives wrapped in a
"skin" and looks like a big burrito.
We both dig in happily and munch away for a minute or two, and then Bill
asks (with a puzzled expression) "Did you get the Fish?" I
contemplate this for a moment, because honestly, if they had used Tuna in the
Roti, it could taste pretty darn meaty...and then tell him, nope, pretty sure
it's the chicken. We go back and forth
for another minute or two, and then decide to switch meals, as maybe I did, in
fact, get the Fish. I take two bites,
realize that my original plate was the correct one, and want my dinner back. Why the confusion? This particular restaurant deep fried the
fish before sticking it in the Roti, which made it seem an awfully lot like
they used leftover chicken fingers in it...and, again, Tuna is a pretty darn
meaty fish! So we swap again. Of course,
Bill ends up having some of mine anyway, since I can rarely finish my plate :)
How does this relate to the Christmas Winds? The Christmas Winds are what locals call the
sporadic, high gusty winds (25-35+ knots) that can kick up in the winter
months, typically in late December and January.
The wind can last for days, and can really drive up some big waves over
time... making passages interesting, to say the least. Rain may or may not accompany the wind. The last week or so here on Saint Lucia has
been pretty wild, so we spend a lot of time opening and closing hatches as the
wind and rain drive through! It is
amazing how loud the wind is; you can hear it long before it reaches you, as it
starts literally roaring down out of the hills.
Think of a train speeding towards you, getting louder and louder as it
closes in. When it finally hits the
boat, you can hear everything creaking and groaning as the boat strains against
the dock lines, sailing about in the slip.
The backstays "sing" as they vibrate, making interesting pinging,
almost whooping noises (ever heard the sound sheets of tin make when you wobble
them?) and the entire vessel shudders and sways. Any line, halyard, or other potentially
airborne item not securely fastened down (on any boat in the Marina!) will bang about, adding more noise to the
already cacophonous din. Sleep
much? Nah. Not really. But hey, living the life, right?
*Laughing* Fortunately, this is not a
long term thing, and makes for great story telling! Anyway, getting back to how this relates to
Adventures in Dining...
With only spotty periods of sunny weather, getting off the
boat to do things has been a bit of a challenge, so dashing into the Marina during
breaks in the weather for a meal out has been pretty much our only time off the
boat in the last couple of days....the good news? We are getting lots of "boat
projects" done, and Morgan discovered the Gelato at Elena's Cafe Italiano-yum!
We also found that The Bread Basket
makes good sandwiches for lunch, while the Ocean Club has the best Happy Hour,
and the Pizza joint (part of Elena's) is outstanding! Who could ask for more?
Saturday, we are taking the bus into Castries, the capitol of Saint Lucia, so we will soon have more adventures to report....
No comments:
Post a Comment