Available in English: Click here En Martinique, on n’est jamais à plus de 12 kilomètres de la mer. Egalement, une distillerie n’est jamais très loin ! C’est rare que le paysage, les gens et les traditions d’un pays sont dans telle harmonie avec un produit – mais le rhum en Martinique est plus qu’une denrée,…
All Roads Lead to Rum
Disponible en Francais: Cliquez Ici Just as you’re never more than 12 kilometres from the sea on this island, you’re also never far very away from a distillery. It’s not often that the landscape, people, culture and tradition of a country are in such harmony with a product, but rum in Martinique is more than…
Crab is King for Easter in Martinique
We had originally planned to celebrate Passover/Easter by combining a little bit of what I remember from Catholic school and mixing it with a little bit of Martinican tradition: watching The Prince of Egypt while earnestly singing along and eating frozen stuffed crab from Leader Price… It became clear Easter was around the corner when…
A Traditional Family Christmas in Martinique
“MARIE ACCOUCHE!! Agathe yelled to everyone a few minutes before midnight, as she acted out the giving of birth. At midnight on December 25th is when Mary gave birth to Jesus and specific songs from the cantique be sung just before, exactly at, and directly after midnight. We were hurried to the terrace to sing. *** I’ve…
Fait Maison – Homemade Ice Cream
“Fait maison,” or homemade, isn’t just a buzzword in Martinique – especially when it comes to ice cream. Around populous beaches, in towns, and during festivals, you are bound to find someone selling ice cream (and often patisseries) they made in their homes and brought to the beach/roundabout/street in a van. It’s hard to go wrong when you…
(Not) On Dominica, Part 2
A man in an official looking red dinghy drives over to our catamaran at 1:00 AM and starts talking to our skipper. Busted. I’m anxious by nature and Victor had told me about the time he brought undeclared Haitians to Dominica. I panicked. I was undeclared, in Dominica for the World Creole Music Festival. I thought the…
Gâteau Malélevé – Sweet Potato Cake Recipe
My partner and I are what you might call gourmets. We enjoy good food and our grocery bill will attest to the fact. Despite the limited budget being English language assistants provides, we don’t economize on food. Fruits and vegetables, both local and exotic, are most bountiful in our shopping cart. Fresh fish and healthy…