What To Eat, What To Buy In The Carribean
Relaxing oceanside with a cool beverage and a good read may well be the first activity that comes to your mind when you book a Caribbean getaway or cruise. But there are only so many hours you can spend on the beach before you get hungry for some tasty food and stylish souvenirs.
Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, Caribbean travel expert, black-belt international shopper and founder of JetSetSarah.com knows the best dishes to sample, the coolest items to snag and where to find them in three popular Caribbean cities and Royal Caribbean International ports of call. Check out her savvy suggestions below.
Nassau, Bahamas
Eat: For a true taste of the Bahamas, you have to try conch, the meaty mollusk that thrives in the archipelago’s warm, shallow waters. It’s served a variety of ways – “cracked” (battered and fried), curried or dusted with seasoned flour to make fritters. However, I recommend the traditional local preparation, conch salad, which is a ceviche-style dish made with raw conch meat and diced onions, tomatoes and sweet peppers, tossed in fresh citrus juices. But no matter how you enjoy conch, remember one thing: it’s pronounced “conk,” not con-ch!
Where: I like Oh Andros, located in the string of seafood restaurants in Arawak Cay.
Buy: Let’s face it: nobody needs another souvenir shot glass. That’s why I get my Nassau mementos from My Ocean, local makers of handcrafted glycerin soaps, body lotions and colorful ceramic pieces. With prices beginning at $12, they’re a great deal – and way better than a $10 T-shirt!
Where: Check out their stores in Festival Place at the cruise terminal and in the Prince George shopping plaza on Bay Street. Or shop online at myocean.com.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Eat: Don’t you dare leave San Juan without trying mofongo! Made with green plantains that are fried, mashed with broth and then mixed with garlic and bacon and stuffed with seafood or meat, this flavorful local specialty is a must for any cruiser with curious taste buds.
Where: I love the mofongo at Café El Punto, a tiny cafeteria tucked between the shops on Calle Fortaleza in Old San Juan.
Buy: When Matilsha Marxuach couldn’t find the perfect reusable grocery bag, she designed her own. Now her signature cotton tote – capacious and super-comfy to carry with its wide webbing straps – is a bestseller at her Old San Juan boutique. I love the colorful limited-edition fabrics and that it works equally well as a beach bag or city tote.
Where: Concalma, 207 Callé San Francisco, Old San Juan
Castries, St. Lucia
Eat: Enjoy some real local flavor for around $3 a piece with a cassava cake. These small round breads are a popular St. Lucian snack, made with organic flour from the root vegetable Americans know as manioc or yuca. The tasty baked rounds come in a variety of flavors, both savory and sweet. I personally love saltfish and coconut.
Where: My favorite cassava cakes come fresh-baked from Plas Kassav, a tiny roadside bakery in the village of Canaries. If you’re going on a Royal Caribbean shore excursion to Soufriere, ask your driver to stop along the way.
Buy: Nothing says “Caribbean” like a colorful souvenir, and craftsman Zaka’s wooden masks are some of the best. Using raw wood and old telephone poles, Zaka transforms the discarded into the desirable, creating a collection of whimsical, hand-painted Crayola-bright sculptures that bring a touch of the Caribbean into any home.
Where: Zaka’s pieces can be found in better gift shops all over St. Lucia. But for the best selection and a chance to watch the artist at work, I recommend a visit to his cottage studio in Soufriere.