Breakfast: pineapple, orange, papaya, otaheite apple and naseberry |
If you’ve never been to Jamaica, I highly recommend you go.
In addition to sand, sun, great music, a vibrant culture and some of the
friendliest people you’ll ever meet, it’s one of the most flavorful foodie
experiences you can have in the Caribbean.
Last week my husband and I took some much-needed time off
from work to celebrate our wedding anniversary in Jamaica. Having gone for our
honeymoon, we were far less timid this time around and wasted no time seeking
out the best that Jamaica has to offer. But it turns out we may have been in
the minority in our approach.
Jamaican jerk and Red Stripe |
Though we mostly kept to ourselves on the resort, we got to
chatting with some other Americans during a group dining event. Being that food
is always top-of-mind for me, I started sharing about all of the interesting
dishes we had tasted and asked about their food experiences. With puzzled
looks, they said that they had preferred not to try anything that was
unfamiliar and instead were sticking with the more American-style fare the
resort offered.
Though not entirely shocking, their statements bothered me
for the rest of the trip and still bother me now. I hardly expect to travel in
the United States and get the same foods everywhere. Part of being a
contemplative carnivore, and frankly eating the freshest and best quality food,
is to eat like the locals eat. This means when I’m in Maine I eat lobster and
blueberries, when I’m in Georgia I eat peaches and turnip greens, and when I’m
home in Washington I eat cherries and salmon. So the thought of going to a
foreign country and expecting to eat food from my home country is beyond
strange to me.
Curried goat |
While they ate their canned peaches and steaks and other
fairly boring foods, we fueled up on flavorful and interesting items like jackfruit,
naseberry, mammee apples, otaheite apples, bammy, curried goat, red snapper, conch
soup and Jamaican jerk. Not only was this couple missing out on some seriously
delicious food, but they were also missing out on an opportunity to make a more
sound decision when it came to the local environment and animal welfare.
Jackfruit |
So, the next time you’re heading to a new location, whether
it’s halfway around the world or just the neighboring state, remember to eat
local. You’ll expand your palette, eat fresher, support the local economy and
help the environment. And you’ll avoid having people like me blog about you. ;)

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