Is the Art of Cooking Dying?
When I arrived in Jamaica an article caught my eye about food. It was titled Restaurant Week 2018, 9th to 17th November. It was a good read and the picture of the meals was quite tempting. There was one mention of Hanover in Jamaica but most of the restaurants were in Kingston, Jamaica or Montego Bay, Jamaica. The prices were reasonable.
We all have busy lives and technology, including modern cooking utensils, has not made our lives easier. I have never considered the kitchen as a place that you ‘slave away’: it is a place where your artistic talent hits the taste buds. Presentation counts. If the smell of the meal is so appealing and the taste is good you can sometimes ignore how it is presented. The expression is ‘pile it in the plate’. Watch your weight!
The meal at the start of this blog is from the above restaurant in Savanna la mar, Jamaica. It was jerk pork and sweet potato mash. It was nice.
You are always guaranteed hot weather and spontaneous rain in Savanna la mar so the open air approach (with the roof) for this restaurant is quite nice. It is in a good location.
Let’s start from the beginning. I was at the airport to capture a flight to Jamaica. Once the bags were checked in I entertained a good breakfast at the airport. It looks good and tasted good and it was presentable.
It was washed down with a good cup of coffee. Always start the day with a good breakfast. The meals provided on the flight were alright and I was in Jamaica. It was time to put my cooking skills to one side and allow others to take care of me. Time moves so fast when you are on holiday.
Welcome to Savanna la mar, Jamaica. It is a town in Jamaica that is not to far from Negril. The sky always drops a clue that rain is coming.
When it comes you have to do the best that you can to stay dry.
The downtown part of Savanna la mar has a sea view.
Fresh fish is always available.
Some of your future meals will also cross your path. I love my seafood.
In uptown Savanna la mar they have a Friday special of lobster, fried prawns and curried conch.
This must be my first lobster meal. Seafood has a nice taste.
My next meal was in Montego Bay. A cruise ship was docked. Let’s hope they got a taste of restaurant week whilst in Jamaica.
There was soup, festival, jerk chicken, plantain with rice, and sorrel and cranberry juice. I love this place. The meal was worth the trip. I also recommend the beetroot juice. It is so refreshing.
Let’s go to the country side. Some call it bush. This is to advise you that this chicken was not harmed in the preparation of the next meal.
Whilst in Broughton, Jamaica I had a lovely soup. It was quite filling. The presentation was tempting
Westmoreland in Jamaica is quite leafy and there is an abundance of food. The above is ackee.
This type of cooking I leave to the experts.
Above is the ackee. Where is the saltfish? Thank God for restaurants.
My next trip was to Kentucky, Jamaica for an event. This was cooking on a large scale.
There was rice but I settled for curry goat, chicken and solid food.
After a good meal a good drink is in order. The above is sorrel in fluorescent lighting.
They look a different colour when a flash is fired. Stay focussed on the food.
Red Stripe with sorrel goes down well after a good meal.
Jamaica has fruits in abundance to make your sweets. I love the taste of Jamaican oranges.
Try strawberry ice cream (with strawberry bits) and one Jamaican orange. Try it, it works.
There is always a relative who likes to bake so do not spend your life in restaurants.
This coconut cake tasted good with rum and raisin ice cream.
Food shops in Jamaica have a sweet counter. The pudding is a good finish to a meal. Enjoy it.
I could go on and on. Simply put. When you are not enjoying the art of cooking somebody else is and you have the option to taste what they have cooked.
The art of cooking is not dying in Jamaica. I have travelled and know it is not dying in other parts of the world. If like me you enjoy cooking but some times have other priorities try what is out there. You will be surprised what hits your taste buds.