:-)

I’m going to miss m niece when they return to school! :-’(

Our family is going.
Two trips.
There might be an earlier return trip.

I don’t think I’ve ever been to Toco!

I woke up for Suhur with a cramp in an upper calf (?). That was new.

And why am I so tired?

I STARTED BACK WORK!

Monday was a nice easy drive.
Wednesday, since the parents were going up that side I didn’t bother drive myself (NOTE: not driving, sitting in the back, aids car sickness). There was traffic for some unknown reason and it took about 1hr 30min to reach (it is usually just over an hour).

Today there was traffic. It just took over 2 hours! They say traffic was backed up all the way to Gasparillo.
Unfortunately we knew why.
There was a 3-person 3-car fatality and others taken to hospital. I don’t know if any more died. My heart goes out to them :(

And tomorrow?
Well as I was coming home today, I heard that a portion of the northbound highway collapsed so single-lane traffic and big jam. I wonder how far and if I will get stuck.
(Mom says don’t go to work!)
I’ve already been leaving early because of Ramadan.

Anywayz, I do have pictures to post but I’m beat. I fell asleep after breaking my fast for like 3+ hours and only just ate dinner and seriously contemplated skipping. I’m off to shower and pray Tarawih (and everything else) all by myself. On a chair!

All the best on the roads. Be careful!

And from there, I got to the press release on TDC’s website. Okay so you’re thinking why didn’t I go there in the first place? Well they didn’t link me to there did they?

I wish they could keep track of their multiple websites.

Previous posts:
Taste T&T 2010 Hits the Road
Further Thoughts

(Ramadan post coming soon…I have pictures of food! But I haven’t looked at them yet…doubtful as to their quality. But our masjid has at least 3 more iftars! woohoo!)

It occurs to me the workshop is on September 2nd and 3rd.
Bear in mind, so you don’t attribute anything to sour grapes, I have no expectation of being invited.

But, that’s during Ramadhan. You know fasting?
But I guess muslims only account for about 6% (or something like that) of the population.
And of that, who knows how many fast, right?
So, maybe muslims not really invited.
Maybe after all, we’ve not really contributed to what’s made Trinbagonian food so unique…so good.
So fasting muslims don’t need to be invited to the workshop at all!

And then the first Sunday lunch is on September 12th.
Well, let me tell you, Eid-ul-Fitr is most likely September 10th or maybe the 11th.
Will I really be able to convince my tired parents and other muslim family to drive up to Toco the next day?

Well, Chennette might be here for that weekend.

ETA: This link has two links to T&T websites, neither of which work.
What a release.

Taste T&T 2010: Many Flavours ONE FESTIVAL

Wow!
And I wonder to myself when is it?
How often do I pick up the physical newspaper and read it?

Have other people heard about it and not me? But I do check Twitter. Chennette keeps track of local food blogs better than me…

Anywayz, details for those who might not have seen it (someone tell me how long they running these ads because if it is only today then seriously need new committee real bad…if beginning of August…still need one).

It is in two parts all to discover what makes our food unique.

On September 2nd and 3rd is the Taste T&T 2010 Workshop (by Invitation Only) where local and international chefs will analyze our dishes.

Then they will continue on for a series of Sundays in the “villages that made our trademark dishes famous”. Come for Sunday Lunch (10am to 5pm)

• Toco Sea Food, 12th September @ Toco Regional Complex Grounds.
  Special Prize for Best Seafood Broth
• Tunapuna Creole Food, 19th September @ Honeymoon Recreational Ground.
  Special Prize for Best Curry Duck
• Debe East Indian Delights, 26th September @ Venue to be determined.
  Special Prize for Best Doubles

ADMISSION FREE

Did I just give TDC a free ad?? :)
(ha! not much people read this)

Well they said for further information call head office or go to the website gotrinidadandtobago.com but I didn’t see anything listed there for current Taste…SURPRISE! (not!)

Not sure I want to go.
But want to go. Not sure about Chennette’s plans.
It’s very annoying…have they been planning this long?

Now, my theory as to why Patrick called a snap election…he preferred being beaten by the UNC/Alliance in a General Election rather than his own party turning on him. All roads lead to him not being PM so lesser of two “evils”?

Or maybe he really did believe PNM would win a landslide.
I can’t believe that one.

Monday May 24th!

And the 3rd is nomination day.

I hope my family will come back home to vote!

(My headache after Juma prayers must be really bad because I was sure I saw the dates as 25th and 4th!)

wishful thinking i guess

Anyway, as much as I am not pro-UNC or pro-Kamla, I would be willing to vote for UNC (or whoever a hypothetical alliance) runs here, barring of course, Kelvin Ramnath.

I think this could be entertaining if it didn’t mean so much to me and a lot of us here.

PM’s move an act of cowardice, says Kamla [Trinidad Express] (should I boycott them?)

Did PM move to pre-empt no-confidence motion? [Trinidad Guardian]

Many years ago (when my parents first made Hajj), the Saudi embassy used to send emissaries to process passports and visas for the pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.

For various political reasons (so went the talk), they stopped coming. So the embassy in Caracas, Venezuela was assigned to the Caribbean. So pilgrims or the hajj leaders went there to get visas. Students go there too. Yes, our hajj visas were issued in Caracas last year too.

Well, the word was that they were coming again to Trinidad this year, and we were very happy because that Caracas trip is *stressful*.

On the news tonight, it was reported that a Saudi diplomat came in on Sunday to issue visas. On Monday the police came to his hotel room to interrogate and intimidate and search his room at the Hyatt. I think they said for guns…or whatever.

Why?

He travelled on a diplomatic passport and was met by representatives of the ministry of foreign affairs.

It’s outrageous.

Although I heard visas were issued this year, do you think they’ll ever come back to issue them?

They’ve already set small quotas for pilgrims coming…maybe they’ll stop us coming after all.

I am so ashamed but surprised?

If you know more, tell me. Right now, I’m watching IBN.

Or maybe quite believable. I wasn’t paying much attention and didn’t know we were playing until I woke up one morning and mom and dad were like look we’re playing. If you know me, when I wake up, I’m not quite lucid (very far from it) so I was a bit shocked. (Of course dad knew long time…and claims he told mom who forgot).

Anywayz…Happy Divali to all celebrating.
I’m sure I heard something fall on my roof! ;-)

One of them, about two to three hours into the drive, had BISWAS written on the side, in capital letters! Unfortunately I have no photographic evidence (we were in a bus)!

If you’re interested, check wikipedia or Amazon.com.

I know, I know, some of you Arabs/Arabic speakers (hmm do any read here?) will come and tell me what the actual significance of the phrase BISWAS is but for now…I prefer to imagine!

I think I’m going to do this by theme, except to note that current came back at about 12:20 am this morning and also inform you about the excitement that was going to be yesterday’s post: Iftar at the Airport!.

Very sorry to disappoint…but such excitement and…disappointment.

Water:

We have three big water tanks directly connected to the road water and a smaller tank. These are connected to our house. We also have a pump so that we can get water upstairs, or when there is hardly any pressure yet the tanks are filled, we can get running water. Growing up, we didn’t always get water. So tanks were necessary. Now we usually have even just a trickle. When water goes for long enough, we order it from some trucking place and they fill up two of our tanks for us and we buy drinking water because the bought water hasn’t settled.

Before the start of Ramadan, our pump never stopped pumping. Usually, it’ll just make it’s noise when it’s plugged on and someone opens a tap. But it wasn’t clicking off. Finally the pump man came (hmm into Ramadan, few days after promised) and he said it’s in the pipes. The pump is fine.

I’m not sure what we did then. Use water downstairs. Put on the pump to bathe. Sometimes to wash wares. I really love running water. I think it’s the best modern convenience. I feel like a fish out of water without it.

A week later, we got in contact with the plumber whose son was coming on Saturday.
And didn’t.

So basically, the pump isn’t working and we don’t always have water upstairs and usually a very fine trickle in the taps downstairs. Some days the road water pressure is high and we actually get upstairs. I think, happily, our tanks are filled so the clothes washing addicts can…wash.

Rains and Electricity:

Around 2 pm yesterday, I went upstairs to pray. It was raining but we already closed the windows on the eastern side of the house and that’s where the rain was coming in earlier.

I went into my room, and it looked like someone was *pushing* water under the external door. Just sloshing it in. Either that or the outside steps were deluged. I called dad as I had already closed the TV room windows while he was dealing with the back room.

In the time that I called dad to when he came (not much!), it was going through the upper balusters, pushing through the windows (they’re not sealed to the casing…there’s space). Water is pooling all over my floor. The fiber glass ceiling tiles on some kind of railing system are blowing out and all the collected dust and stinkyness is falling. I move my bed out of the way so we can dry up stuff. I shut down my laptop and move it and all my cookbooks and other precious electronics into the tv room. It’s storming so much that I figure I better shut down the imac in the next room. When I walk back into my room, I ask dad if he took off the lights?

Current went.

So we battle the storm upstairs with mom and my brother coming up to check and see if we need help and then realizing if my room is flooding out then maybe they better check their rooms downstairs. Now, my bed is dusty. All my books have this wet/lint/dust/spots on it. I need to clean clean clean. I’m so distraught. But at least we didn’t lose a roof. The water is pooling so much, dad sticks newspaper in all the cracks and lays newspaper down on the floor (hence my black feet).

But my flooded room didn’t flood out downstairs. Oh no, just the same way the rain came straight in, like vertical, through the porches and into the rooms. Oh my. Our house needs help.

And all this in the dark. It’s not 3 pm. Sunset is after 6 pm. And it’s sooooo dark. And we’re supposed to leave at 5 pm to go to the airport.

Sleeping arrangements that night, brother and family sleep in the big room in which Chennette was sleeping in. I was sleeping in the little bed in the tv room.

Because of all this, my sister-in-law sent clothes she was washing by her parents. She was supposed to go too with the niece and all the things she needed to pack (remember they were leaving the next day i.e. today). But she didn’t go. Finally some time after we left for the airport her mother and my mother strongarmed her into leaving. Shoved everything, bags, suitcases, laundry baskets into the car and went.

Pizza Making:

Well, if you remember, the night before we baked half the pizzas. We wanted them to have fresh pizza for travelling so we were baking four. After suhur, I woke up say just before 12 noon. I was very tired.

Chennette wanted me to take out the dough so it could relax for its 2 hours. I told her HA! I tired. None of that dilly-dallying. We taking it out *now* and we rolling it out and topping and baking.

So, pizza two was in the oven when I went upstairs to pray. I made wudu and then…you know what happened.

When current went, I wondered about the pizzas as there were 2 more to go plus a little one. But we have a gas oven so…I didn’t worry too much. I figured it was hot and as long as it was on the pizzas would bake.

Silly me. I guess our gas oven has an electric regulator thingy. A few minutes after current went, the fire went out and the oven cooled rapidly. So two pizzas baked.

We covered the unbaked pizzas with plastic wrap and put them in the back fridge. Even if there was no electricity, it would still be chilled. Chennette took a couple slices from the beef pizza, gave me a couple slices and we packed up the rest of the freshly baked pizzas for my brother to travel tomorrow. Now, Chennette was going to Grenada to spend a whole week and wanted some pizza. So in addition to the fresh pizza, she took some of last night’s pizzas. And I separated the rest of the old pizza into two, one container to leave home and one container to take to the airport.

Well, as I said current came back after midnight. Almost as soon as we got up for Suhur, before anybody else was up, I put on the preheat and took out the pizzas. We baked those millstones and by the time we were done cleaning up for suhur so were the pizzas and we sliced them up, packed them away and went upstairs. I decided not to sleep as we were leaving on the second airport trip at 1 pm.

Instead I read flood reports in the express (Four families lose four roofs and Killer Rain).

Ramadan 6, suhur 6:

Well, we had the disaster pizza from the night before. As Chennette said, we were so tired and it was so easy and satisfying to chomp chomp on something already there.

Ramadan 7, iftar 6:

Halwa (for dad and sis), dates (dad and sis), Assorted pizza (all of us), leftover chicken and linguini from two nights ago (Chennette and dad), water and juice. We had rituals (two house brew coffees and one hot chocolate – me; forgot to tell Chennette no whipped cream). And I bought Chennete an apple walnut muffin, us two dark kit kat and me a twix and a sugar cake (which the parents split).

Dad and I reached the airport with Chennette at about 6 pm. Dad went to park the car, I left Chennette in line with dates and I went to secure a table. I even took pictures. They’re on my camera. I’m trying not to stress myself out. Eventually dad met me after passing by Chennette and it was time. Guy who works there asked us if we broke fast and we were like not yet! So we did.

And then decided what to do. I had a water bag, a food bag and Chennette’s carry-on. So dad took a bottle of water for her and went upstairs to the prayer room. Soon after Chennette joined me and tried to eat my beef pizza for which I chastized her as she put it there for me and she had in her container and if dad wanted that slice then he could have it.

Eventually dad came. He caught someone else praying. So, I went upstairs, took pictures of the Republic/Welcome home Silver boys display and came down to find one slice of pizza left, it wasn’t beef and dad eating the remaining chicken and paste. And there was my hot chocolate. After buying some snacks we left and I slept on the car drive home and we returned to a dark house and an aching, limping mommy. Sister-in-law was by her parents and brother at the masjid, prepared to lead the last Tarawih even though he didn’t want to (packing, tired, beat).

Ramadan 7, suhur 7:

Mom and Dad: Toasted dhalpuri and avocado
Brother: BBQ lamb and fries
Me: Sahina and some BBQ lamb and fries and banana.

Well, all the pizza was done as mom, sister-in-law and niece at some point in time had it. Brother brought his family back at about quarter to midnight to no current. My sister-in-law covered me up (and I offered to take niece of her hands. Hmm. Was I lucid? I remember this. But what was I going to do with her when she wanted to go on the floor and play…and discovers all my electronics, hmm???). Half hour or so later current came. Sister-in-law came out…did you move the fan from your room on to you? Me: Yes. Her: Okay. I don’t remember much after that.

I put up the pizza to bake but I wasn’t feeling hungry. I was feeling kinda sick and stuffed. This isn’t a good sign. I didn’t know what to eat. So, I took out the sahina. And my brother was having lamb so I had some of that. Sigh.

Miscellany:

Before 10 am, mom was feeling queasy, upset and wanted to throw up so she broke her fast.

Before 12 noon, so was I. But, I guess I’m stubborn. You see, a few years ago, I got sick. Not hospitalized or anything but it was horrible. And it was a month or two before the start of Ramadan. I fasted one day in 2004, five in 2005, fifteen in 2006 and 2007. Each of those years we paid fidiya for me and this one too. I do intend to make them up but I am unsure when. I hoped this would be the year I fast them all (you know what I mean). So for many reasons I was reluctant to break the fast.

• I was fasting. Nobody who is ever fasting wants to break the fast. Which isn’t smart healthwise. Sometimes you have to.
• Two, I didn’t want to break my fast just because I was eating badly.
• Three, I was scared that if I were sick and broke the fast it would mean I wouldn’t be able to fast again. I was scared that I’d be forever scared of fasting. I never used to be but since 2004…it has been hard. But I always try. In 2004, I fasted the first day and then couldn’t make it. In 2005, I fasted maybe once or twice a week. In 2006, it must have been 2 fasts, 2 no fasts. In 2007, I thought I was doing better, I fasted 3-4 days but then woud have to take the same 2-4 days off and so ended up with the same number as in 2006.

So, after almost curling up in a ball in the shower and crying I broke my fast (with my niece sitting on my lap! oh lord I’m smart!) with some hot banana soft drink. And then was at a loss. What to eat.

And still I felt sicker and sicker and sicker. I left the breaking of my fast tooo long.

I was thankfully bathed and changed already to go to the airport to drop off brother, sister-in-law and niece but wasn’t sure how I would make it as I was in such pain. I didn’t even know how mom would make it. I didn’t want them worrying. Leaving me behind and worrying that I wasn’t okay. The torment my mom would go through (mentally) ie leaving sick daughter at home or not saying goodbye to baby boy. I mean I knew which she would pick (HA! I woulda picked it if I could).

So I lay down on the couch, resting and mom came and checked on me and…in response, I lifted my head up, bent over and…well…do I have to spell it out? There went suhur. And I still hurt.

*sigh*

I slept from 1:30 pm until 4:00 pm and felt *slightly* better but not really.

I just woke up from a sleep from 7 pm until 9 pm and feel almost infinitely better. I’m very positive. At 4 pm even the thought of cleaning out my room after the storm made me sick. Now, I can think about it rationally. It won’t be too hard.

Still, after throwing up, it’s kinda hard to figure out what to eat. Everything seems kinda…doubtful.

I have to take care of myself better.
Mom and I might have been eating okay foods for other people, maybe even okay foods for us The food might not have either been a problem. But our various sicknesses combined with the stress of my brother’s family packing and leaving can be an almost lethal combination. That plus all events detailed above. We have to know our own limits. Like, I have to stop waking myself up and deciding to bake EVERY SINGLE DAY. I almost went down for suhur this morning to make feathery banana pancakes. Well, most likely I’ll not be fasting tomorrow so maybe I’ll spend some time telling you how my ideal day of Ramadan should go.

Curry Salmon, originally uploaded by Lilandra.

Once upon a time I used to eat curry salmon and roti.
But just like tuna sandwiches, before we go on vacation I used to tell mom to ease up on it. Being muslim and eating halaal while on vacation in the USA meant that we were pseudo-ovo-lacto-pescatarian with occasional meat if a masjid had some kind of share programme.

Since I’m not a fish-lover (the smell of baking fish really made me sick and mom seemed to do a lot of it when I was young…now it’s mostly curry and fry), I didn’t want to eat a whole lot of it just before we went away when I would have no choice.

After I broiled a salmon steak in my apartment in Amherst unsuccessfully and lived with the smell in everything for weeks (so it seemed), I wasn’t really able to eat salmon any more (not that I loved it to begin with).

Mom curried salmon for dad yesterday which is what inspired this post.

In March 2001, I was in Amherst and was snowed in. Not only was this my first encounter with snow and a blizzard to boot, but also The Food Network. I happened to be watching an episode of Cooking Live with Sara Moulton which seemed really interesting (a live call-in show? whoa! pity it got cancelled). I don’t recall if it was pre-recorded (as in a rerun or not) but she had a Caribbean woman (or maybe just a Caribbean cook) on it making some Caribbean recipes¹.

Anyway, someone called in to ask about curry salmon (because I guess they were currying something¹). She said her Trinidadian stepfather used to cook curry salmon and wanted to know if they had a recipe for it. He had said it was an authentic trini dish.

This completely baffled the guest (and maybe Sara Moulton). The guest said that that’s strange, are you sure it’s salmon? Salmon isn’t native to T&T so how would it be a typical dish.

Silly people.
If it were live and if I had phone privileges in my room I should’ve called in and told them…easy! Curry salmon from a tin! Geez. We live on an island yes but we have no problem cooking (even fish) from a tin. And seriously, if you want a quick meal better to curry from a tin than say wait overnight for the dry channa² to soak!

Actually at that point I probably knew how to cook it and might have helped cook it on the sly before. Now I’ve forgotten.

And although I liked the show I was a bit disappointed. I wanted to know who the lady was and her qualifications or Caribbean experience because how could she not know of Curry Salmon and the widespread use of tinned foods in Trinidad and Tobago.

When mom cooked it yesterday I had to run out of the kitchen at some point because the smell was bothering me. And we had cooked white rice (parboiled and jasmine) in the fridge so he could either eat it with that or some roti.

Mom says whenever visitors stopped by her mom would curry a tin of salmon (and stretch it…potatoes!) so they’d have food to offer.

Dad says whenever visitors stopped by somebody would have to make a quick run to the parlour³ to get sweetdrink.

This is mom’s recipe for Curry Salmon. Even dad can make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 large tin of salmon
• 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• chives
• celery
• 2 small pimentos
• potato (optional)
• pinch of ground geera
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/8 cup water

Directions:

• Slice tomatoes, onion, garlic, celery, chives and pimento (and potato) thinly
• Heat oil in pot
• Mix curry and geera with water
• Add onions to hot oil and cook until translucent.
• Add curry powder mixture to pot and let it thicken or fry up.
• When curry is fried up, add rest of veggies and seasonings (garlic, chives, celery, tomatoes, pimentos, potato) and let them cook a bit. You may add more water if you like and let it fry up.
• Add salmon (with water from tin) and turn and mix and mash it up
• It’ll be done when the salmon water is all dried up.

Serve with rice or roti or however you wish.

Footnotes:

1. I found this Caribbean episode of Cooking Live. Not sure if this is it however. Hmm Tomato Choka, Dhaal and Curry Chicken – things we make at home.
2. channa – chick peas, garbanzo beans
3. parlour – a little shop, called a parlour because traditionally sold out of your parlour i think

Ooo…we got a silver medal (Richard Thompson).

Back to sleep…

But seriously, it’s been 18 years since the coup. That baby I know who was born that afternoon and will only know stories of it…is 18.

It’s very…strange to think that so much time has passed (and it is a little time because I consider us a young nation).

And.
I feel old.
*sigh*

This won’t be a full review. Somehow Taste T&T snuck up on us. Last couple years it was during the long holidays (July? August? maybe June?) and I didn’t realize it was in MAY! until Chennette mentioned it to me in the preceding week.

Of course, this is the week preceding the Main Event; not the Pot Spoon Throwdown (local food/cooks cook-off) which was about two weeks before the main event. So, although my parents say they saw ads (and suspiciously didn’t mention them to us…cost-fright?) I wonder how I missed them all this time. I’m just as in the know as I was last couple years (maybe more so…but still not much). Maybe their internet advertising campaign was lacking. Who knows. Maybe I was oblivious.

So we made it for the Main Event on Sunday.

Chennette and I decided that we would pay for parking like we did last year. We don’t mind paying money. The online pdfs we downloaded said there would be parking. Somehow we missed the memo every one else saw…no parking…so we just had to find a spot somewhere on the street (and if there was parking somewhere…they didn’t do a good job of making it noticeable once you reached). Last year they had parking. This year none. That was a serious negative step. I tried not to let it colour my perceptions. Everything sounded better than last year (except the parking) – the throwdown, the local booths selling food aside from the gourmet booths…last year other food seemed to be seriously lacking. And for a T&T Taste to not have Trini food…well that didn’t compute. We arrived about 7:15 pm knowing we would have to rush away looooong before 9 pm so…Chennette coined the phrase this year “Taste-on-the-run”.

Remembering last year (small portions at the Gourmet booths), Chennette and I bought two Gourmet tickets (price increase from TT$200 to TT$300) for Groups A and B (hmm…I don’t know any people who bought Group C) and thus were able to sample 8 chefs’ food. But…the portions were much bigger this year. We were full after four chefs (not each…four restaurants split between the two of us). This year, not only did the ticket include a free drink (which we didn’t use) but also dessert. Nice! I wonder if you could trade your drink for water?

Anywayz, we met up with TriniGourmet (and people I didn’t know) after many many phone calls. Thankfully she had a cell phone this year ;-) We really should work on meeting outside of Taste…you know, when you can actually have a conversation, hear yourself think and not be rushing back and forth, here and there etc etc.

Chennette and I started off the night by sampling from Marhaba – Chef Sharaz Mohammed (B4). Marhaba had Stir Fry Balti Shrimp served with Vegetable Biryani and Tamarind Chutney *plus* rice pudding with some flavouring or colouring (which Chennette spilled). The food tasted really good. The rice was very nice. And the piece of shrimp was also good. I would go to eat there. The dessert was liquidy but maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. But as you can see, it was the smallest portion! Chennette thinks they were going for style!

While Chennette went to collect at Marhaba, I went to Benihana, for which I have been craving ;-) Benihana Restaurant’s Chef Joseph Hau (A2) provided us with Trincity Roll (Crab and Salmon Tempura served with a Wasabi and Lemon-Mayo sauce), Pierre’s Balls (Crab & Salmon Sashimi and Cream Cheese Tempura served with Mango-Passion Fruit sauce), California Roll (Crab and Cucumber roll), Vegetable Roll (Cucumber, Tomato, Purple Cabbage and Carrot) and Edamame and Wakame salad. There was two of each roll (but only one of the Sashimi). It split very nicely. Actually it was really good. We love cream cheese and crab and…well…we loved it all. I don’t have a very discriminating palate (you’ll see; thinks will taste very good or bad…binary)! I loved this. It was awesome. Down to the salad.

After that, I collected at Mélange and Chennette from Boomerang.

Chef Moses Ruben of Mélange (B1) provided us with Chicken Bhagi Roulade complemented with a Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato, Curried Crab Bouchées Smoked Tomato and Bell Pepper Bouchées, Eggplant and Tomato Quesadillas and Garlic-scented Vegetable Kebab. I remember the kebabs. They were good. We got two…easy to split. The eggplant and tomato quesadilla wasn’t a quesadilla (I don’t think) but this round pastry thing with eggplant stuffed in it and such. That actually tasted very good. Even the squirmy looking eggplant was good. I’m not sure what the Bouchees were but no biggie. The chicken now…it looked really nice. It was too dry however. I was very sad.

On leaving Mélange we bounced up TriniFood who thought I didn’t recognize her. But that’s okay.

Boomerang‘s Chefs Jimmy and Mona Hadeed (B2) provided us with arab food. They had Fillet of Fish with Tahini Sauce, Arabic style Chicken Breast, Channa and Rice (Vegetarian and a meat option) and Fried Kibbe (Beef and Vegetarian). As a plus they had this exceptionally moist and delicious piece of baklava. Mmmm. There was a lot of rice. The kibbe was good (my mom’s is still the best but she doesn’t make fried kibbe). And the chicken…was moist and not dry and good and tender and juicy. The stark difference between the dry Mélange chicken and the moist Boomerang chicken was completely obvious because we had these at the same time.

Then we looked at the time. It was late oh yes indeedy because we had to leave home at about 5am the next morning to COME BACK TO TOWN ALL BECAUSE OF CHENNETTE! GRRR. And we realized we were running late and we wouldn’t even get to see a booth. So we hoped that TriniGourmet would at least tell us about it. And then we started the mad dash to pick up all the food we were not going to eat.

So, we ran. I collected Chaconia’s Chef Christian Grini’s (B3) Chicken Breast filled with Spinach in a Coconut Cream Curry Reduction. It was on mashed potatoes? Coconut cream? We took it home. It was good. Good. Good. If only it had a touch of colour from something else for the picture ;-)

Then I held plates while Chennette collected Chef Bernard Long’s A Triwee Barbeque (A1) (A combination of Shrimp, Chicken and Tenderloin of Beef served with Grilled Corn, Garlic Bread and a Fresh Caribbean Garden Salad). We skipped the beef. I can’t remember how the chicken tasted. The shrimp was good. I don’t know who had the corn. Chennette swiped the bread at the taste.

Now off to Chilli Pepper and Chef Mario Hernandez (A3) and Mexican Blackened Breast of Chicken served with a Yellow Rice Pilaf scented with Cumin Black Beans and a Fire-roasted Chunky Tomato Relish. The rice was really good. The beans were really good. I love beans. The relish was really good. It was HOT! We told dad none for him. I loved this!

We moved on to Aloha Caterers and Chef Johnny Chow (A4) to collect Polynesian Fried Rice, Grilled Tuna Fillet with a Pineapple and Guava Glaze and Coconut Infused Vegetables, Unfortunately when we reached there there was no more whole fillets. The chef was grilling them. So we got lots of pieces. It was good regardless. It just looked kinda bloody floating in the glaze. And the glaze tasted like a super sweet and sour sauce and we think we got a bit too much of it on everything. Everything tasted of the glaze…the tuna tasted great with glaze but everything else? Not everything needs to be soaked in sauce you know.

All the while we were trying to call the parents and of course not getting through.

And we still had to collect dessert. They had three cheese cake options or ice cream. She said only one of the cheese cakes had alcohol (Black forest) but the ponche de creme and … … other one (can’t remember? pineapple?) didn’t so we took those. They tasted nice. The ponche a creme was like a nice eggy custard cheese cake.

Of course these four plates of food and two desserts were carted back home and mom and dad got to share in our bounty. We were hungry again by the time we reached home so we sat down with our plates and saucers and divvied it all up.

It was fun :-)

All in all, what we experienced was good. The parking situation sucked. The food and portions seemed better than last year. Chennette thinks there was a bigger crowd but I think the open area was bigger last year (it seemed like half the complex was closed off). Yet again we didn’t go to a demo kitchen. This time we didn’t even get to walk around and see all the booths or even buy some of the other food. It seemed like it would’ve been more fun.

Next time we think one gourmet ticket and either more time or two days. One day for gourmet and one day to walk around and sample other things so we can get the full TASTE. Oh…and maybe paying attention for the throwdown?

Regardless it was fun. I hope it’s better next year and I get to go.

See the rest of the set here.

didn’t spend long
had two gourmet tickets…ate half; collected half
didn’t get to see all the things we wanted to see
have somewhere to go tomorrow…very early

didn’t seem to have official parking like last time
at least nobody directing towards it and anybody we asked said people parking on the street
like one step forward (the event itself) and one step backward (no parking)
*sigh*

real sleepy
will talk later

didn’t see any coupons for discounts during restaurant week
hmph

Manicou Report already blogged about the return (questionable) of the Solo in the glass bottles.

Well it’s something we grew up with. Traditionally, it’s a doubles (or a roti) and a red solo.

But we both only got the banana solo :-(

Fortunately I love banana soft drink..or swee’drink.

Last weekend the Trinidad and Tobago Orchid Society had their annual show.

On Sunday evening mom, dad and I went. It was held at San Fernando Technical Institute (now a part of UTT). There were two sections, the display or the show and sellers. The show was in their air conditioned hall and the stalls were setup outside in the corridors.

There was quite a lot of space in the hall. But the stalls…were rather too crowded. And just think, we went on Sunday evening…the second day…last evening…it must have been even more crowded on the other day? And considering they were in the outside corridors, there was more room to expand. Why so cramped? *sigh*

Anywayz, about the show itself. You must know that I’m not a gardener. All I know about orchids and other flowers and plants is the occasional watering of my mom’s plants. And shooting them. Although this hasn’t helped me be a better photographer (yet?), it has made me better able to recognize some orchids and know some names.

So I saw things I’d never seen and things that made me ooh.

One of my favourites is actually not an orchid but the dwarf ornamental pineapple.

On the whole, it didn’t really wow my parents. Dad wondered if it was due to the fact that mom had so many orchids and he’d become accustomed. But they remember going once or twice before and it being huge. I liked it but I know it wasn’t great.

Also, around half-way through my picture taking, I realized I didn’t know the names of the flowers. I remembered that I should take pictures of the names so I could remember. But I didn’t see a lot of tags with names. Maybe I just didn’t know where to look.

I saw a Paphiopedilum (lady slipper) for the first time and that was cool.

Even the Bonsai Society was there.

You can see the whole photoset here.

I didn’t take shots of the stalls. It was so crowded that I didn’t bother.

We didn’t buy a lady slipper :-(
Mom wasn’t sure how to grow it and from the instructions from one of the attendants we were confused. What he said sounded like we could/should grow it inside but when he checked he said no. But later I found out we could. Ah well.

We bought four orchids. I saw a very tall bamboo orchid (Arundina graminifolia) and it was awesome! Hehehe. In another stall we bought two stalks and hope they’ll grow.

We also got a Brassia REX and a Dendrobium Uraiwan x Iasienthera. Mom bought one when I was staring at the bamboo orchid and I can’t remember the colour of the other one.

But we got a black orchid! :-)
Well, hopefully.
A Dendrobium Black Spider x Lisa Kanayama.

I hope they all grow nicely.

But strangely enough for an orchid show, what got me most excited was the purchase of two herbs, a rosemary plant and a lemon basil. Yes. They’re edible/seasoning plants. Wooohooo! They’ll go well with the new mint plant and the celery and bandania, yes? :-)

Well we were all happy to have gone and it was nice but…not the greatest you know.

I have a follow-up story to tell you…just wait…but I got more posts to get out of the way first…and my camera to unload.