What's for dinner?

I admit that I have it easier than most with a chef as a husband.  And a chef as wonderful and creative as Didier Virot, even better.  When I was pregnant with Virginie I gained 55 pounds and my OB/GYN with her big brown eyes would look at me and ask, "Stephanie, what did you eat this week?  You know we have passed the recommended 25-30 lbs and you still have half way to go?"  Yes, of course, thank you.  I cannot blame Didier entirely, but we really did eat well all through both pregnancies.


Cooking in Barbados has been challenging, as has been finding interesting things to eat that will not cost your preschool tuition.  Which is to say that while I know there are good restaurants in Barbados, one cannot eat at them everyday as it is cost prohibitive and just not that exciting.  Sue me.  I came here from New York.


Our troubles at home begin with the heat.  It is hot.  Every day.  But more challenging is the heat that could be generated by the oven.  I say could because we don't even bother.  Before we arrived, Didier cooked using the oven and thought he might die of heat shock in the house, with no one to find him for days.  If I ever need to blowdry my hair, and yes, I am a Black woman, so that time does come on occasion, I do it outside!  That's how hot it is in here.  We don't want to add any extra heat.  That leaves us to the burners on the stove, the barbecue, and cold salads and dishes.

Now I know that many people, I was surely one of them, imagine that living on an island, one would find fresh fish, produce and vegetables to cook and eat and savor.  But this couldn't be further from the truth here.  Barbados imports nearly all of its food from other countries.  There are many options from the States, Europe, and Canada but they are either frozen options or insanely expensive. 

There are a few local varieties of fish but none that appeal to our taste.  Meat, red meat and pork, is expensive.  The protein of choice here seems to be chicken.  Chicken is everywhere.  There are two fast food staples on the island, KFC, if you can believe it, and Chefette.  Chefette is a Trinidadian-Syrian owned fast food/casual dining combo that produces chicken based meals with side dishes and although they have an enticing playground at all establishments, is no draw for us.  I found it similar to cafeteria eating at Freehold Township High School.  When cooking, we primarily buy frozen fish, shellfish, chicken, red meat which Didier then cuts and portions, and whatever vegetables look decent.  Often there are foods that are not available for months.  I finally realized that this was because they were not in season, if they were fresh foods, avocados, berries, haricots verts or because there was no delivery or import trouble, Goldfish, brownie bites, pretzels.  I agree with food only being produced when they are in season, so I live with this.  But no Goldfish?  Anyone with kids under 5 years old knows just how devastating this can be.

Anyway, at dinner, we usually have a protein or pasta and a cold salad.  The local carrots are incredibly flavorful and Didier makes this wonderful carrot salad with his own dressing.  We also eat cabbage salads, mixed greens and lettuce, frozen edamame (for me), very simple foods.  We were able to bring in a few bottles of wine from his collection at home and have found a few good, light wines here, primarily from Wine World.  They are overpriced, though not as much as liquor and truthfully, with the tax they pay on these wines, we are lucky to find any good selections at all.  We do also have millet, found at a health food store, rice, and sometimes potatoes as a side.  The heat usually determines our menu.


The girls, well the girls are another story.  Lily eats pasta, noodles, or spaghetti nearly every day.  While these things may all seem like the same thing to you, I dare you to say so to her.  We make french fries, pizza, corn pancakes and gauffres from scratch for them and serve lots of fruit--apples, pears, grapes, oranges from Jamaica, and cantaloupe.  There are brownies and cookies and juice boxes, the ubiquitous Goldfish and Cheerios.  Yogurt.  Ice cream that will break the bank--this stuff is like gold here, extraordinarily expensive.  Recently, Lily has broken down and has begun eating a little chicken, some steaks, maybe turkey franks.  An eater as finicky as that could nearly kill a chef.  But not to worry, Virginie eats everything. 

I was sad about our food options because I had become so spoiled in New York with the availability of everything.  But I have found some places that have put a real smile on my face.  I'll tell you about them soon.


 (c)copyright 2010. Citymominthejungle