Happy Thanksgiving!

No turkey and dressing for this Thanksgiving, just a nice day off of work to catch up on laundry and house cleaning. Today is Grenada's Thanksgiving, which celebrates the Revolution of 1983, in which American troops invaded/intervened Grenada and saved the people being held against their will and later led to a more healthy democratic government.

I decided to catch up on my tan as I was getting a bit to pale for a Caribbean girl. Below are some pictures from the relaxing weekend.

Hope you all are doing well and see you in 54 short days! WATCH OUT AMERICA, IM COMING HOME!!!!

Sunday Dinner

I thought it was time for a little cultural lesson on Grenada cuisine. Sunday meal is the largest meal of the week and many women spend all day preparing for the late afternoon grub time. I happen to have the best landlords in the world that call me every Sunday with "gurl, come up nuh", signaling time to stuff my face til I am so full I cant move.

The traditional Sunday meal varies depending on the family and their preference, but this is the pretty basic meal that is served frequently:

Pelau is a rice dish usually called "cook up" which involves slow cooking rice, meat and pigeon peas together until they are soft and moist. The dish has a dirty rice flavor and is very filling. I enjoy pelau, but could do without the bones that migrate their way out of the chicken into the rice. Its not uncommon to see people picking bones out of their mouth after a bite of pelau.

Callaloo is a leaf vegetable grown in the ditches of Grenada, next to dasheen (potato). Yes, I said that correct, callaloo is grown in the ditches close to rivers and streams. Its a close relative of spinach and looks very similar when cooked, but tastes different. When we first arrived here another volunteer attempted to make a dish with callaloo which resulted in allergic reaction. Callaloo has to be handled with caution and cooked to a certain temperature for a good amount of time for a number of reasons. The most important reasons being that if not cooked properly, or ate raw like other volunteers did, it turns into a poison that causes the throat to itch, burn and potentially swell. When cooked correctly, callaloo has the looks of cooked spinach but tastes sweeter. I hate cooked spinach, but callaloo is a good addition to Grenada's Sunday dinners.

Steamed pumpkin is by far my favorite part of Grenada cuisine. No, this isn't the big orange pumpkins Americans are carving in preparation for Halloween. These instead are a sister of the orange pumpkin and are DELICIOUS. Steamed with a bit of butter, onion and spices makes for a melt in your mouth vegetable that's good for you. I eat pumpkin anytime I can get my hands on it. Often time you will find vendors on the side of the road selling pumpkin, slicing off pieces of the masterpiece right in front of you.

Pears are the name for avocados in the Caribbean and are currently in season. This makes for just about any dish paired with the fruit you can think of. Thankfully I love avocado. They simply cut open the avocado and slice it right on to your plate. No fancy guacamole here folks, just good healthy avocado.

Assorted greens also accompany the plate of goodness, from salad to tomatoes and even okra and its complimented with a cake or bun and some fresh squeezed juice. It makes for a full plate and uncomfortably painful stomach filled with goodness. I can be found taking a long nap after Sunday meals with the Gabriels which makes for a perfect conclusion to any weekend.