A tropical drink is almost a requirement on a Caribbean vacation. In the Bahamas, this has inspired a plethora of exotic concoctions with fanciful monikers: Bahama Mama, Love Boat, Goombay Smash, and Seeing Double are just a few.
Even the underage crowd enjoys the non-alcoholic tropical drinks, especially the daiquiris that taste like iced tropical fruits. Our favorite? The Mango Daiquiris from The Twin Brothers Restaurant in the local hang out, Fish Fry on Arawak Cay.
Going To The Fish Fry
Our new Bahamian friends, two girls who we met working at The Atlantis, offered to introduce us to Bahamian cuisine.
We piled 6 people into each of the girls’ 5-seater cars, seat belts optional. I was in “Choco Babie”, as the car proclaimed on its windshield decal. It’s a sweet ride, but it couldn’t keep up with the other car.
Every few minutes, our driver’s cell phone shouted, “It’s Peanut Butter, Jelly Time,” signaling that our friends in the other car were checking up on us.
It’s a catchy tune, but, here in the Bahamas, it should have been, “It’s Daiquiri, Conch Time.”
Our friends made early reservations at the very popular Twin Brothers Seafood & Steakhouse to beat the local crowd that converges after the race tracks let out. Even so, it was a boisterous setting with competing loudspeakers from at least three clubs, including the popular Cricket Club.
Comfortably ensconced on the balcony, we could hear the music and look down on the gathering crowds. And, we could almost imagine what it might be like to visit the Bahamas during Junkanoo, when bands “rush” Nassau’s streets.
But, we weren’t there for the music, or the party, or even the “down home atmosphere.” We were there for the “Down Home Food.”
Conch, Conch, and more Conch
Early in the day, Kayla visited the touch tank in Atlantis’ mythical “archeological ruins,” The Dig, where she handled a real, live, conch.
Later, when sampling the Conch Salad, with seasoned raw conch, I couldn’t help but remember the live conch in the touch tank. But, this didn’t stop me from fully enjoying the dish!
And, I fully enjoyed the Conch Fritters and…
…the Grilled Conch in a foil packet filled with vegetables with side dishes of plantains and pigeon peas and rice.
Find the recipes for these Bahamian dishes, and more, on Bahamas Recipes.
Culture Shock
Oh, yes. I ate well, and after a day of sun and fun in the water rides, I was yawning at the table.
That was when my new friends accused me of suffering from “niggeritis.”
Okay, well, I was surprised, and possibly a little shocked. The “N” word is usually not considered acceptable, and I’d never heard of this particular term.
Apparently, some Blacks use this to “refer to the feeling one gets after eating large amounts of food, often associated with the need to take a nap after eating.”
And, supposedly in the Caribbean, “niggeritis” is used as:
… a direct allusion to the laziness of Africans.
The dazed state of inactivity or sleep brought on by extensive over-eating, after the Trinidadian snake that devours small animals whole and lies in the same place for several days after, digesting; the politically correct or polite version is “Macajuel syndrome” of the more well-known but less socially acceptable “niggeritis”
From The Urban Dictionary.
Well, it’s not a term that I will ever use, and we ended up having an involved discussion about why this is not an acceptable word in our vocabulary. I wanted to make sure that my children understood that it was a demeaning and inappropriate word that should not be part of their vocabulary.
Still, I guess that I should be flattered that my new friends felt sufficiently comfortable with me to even use that term.
I guess that I was blending in pretty well. At least that’s what I choose to believe!
More Flavors:
There are some culinary delights that I’ll never sample. For example, grilled scorpion is one menu item that I Won’t Try For Love Or Money.
Selecting tropical fruits in New York City in Flavors of America: A Tropical Fruit Stand In NYC.
Discover corn dogs and Italian ice at Coney Island in Flavors of America in New York City.
Ice Cream Incentive - The ingredients in Blue Moon ice cream are a well-kept secret, but see if you can pick them out at Moxie’s in Troy, NY.
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