I took a little break from posts because I was compiling data and also enjoying time with my fiancé back home. Although short, I enjoyed the break and it have me a glimpse into what vegan life on this particular island would be like. My initial thought is that it will be more expansive than where I’m living now for several reasons:
1) I’d be cooking for two persons.
2) The cost of living in the Caribbean islands is higher due to heavy importing of foods.
3) My fiancé never has food in the house so I have to buy more basics that I would typically have on hand like seasonings, sauces, rice…
At the start of this trip there were a series of unfortunate events so I wasn’t too heavily concerned with food and sticking to the restrictions. With bare cupboards my first dish was what I thought to be the lesser of two evils: peas soup and dough. I figured, with just one faulty ingredient (meat) it’d be better than 4 or 5 in a fish dinner of peas n rice, fried fish and potato salad.
Once we were able to get to the food store, I was happy enough and just bought a few items for a few days since I was originally only to be there for 7 days instead of 9.
So if you see, the prices aren’t super bad but when you’ve gotten accustomed to paying 99¢ for a jar of spaghetti sauce, it hurts my hungry little heart to pay that much for it. I’ll probably make it from scratch from now on down there.
But anyway…
The variety of produce they have at the main food store in Exuma is fairly decent however as an island girl, being on an island with little to no native fruit growing wild is strange and absurd. In season now are hairy mangoes, sapodilla (aka dilly), and plums while sea grapes and avocados are gearing up to show their greatness. Meanwhile in Exuma, they have mangrove bushes and coco plums. Coco plums are alright but it’s like the only thing that grows! **Insert deep sighs and agonizing groans.**
These are two variety of coco plums.
All things considered, I was still able to make a few neat items and bake several dozens of bread. I’ll share those items in a separate post. The important thing to note is that being vegan on “the island” can be done.
I will be spending about a month home this summer so menu planning will be crucial to success and will include bringing a few items back with me in my luggage!
If you’ve traveled to a Caribbean island before, how was the dining experience for you as a vegan? Let me know if tips about successful vegan dining in the islands would be helpful!
Vegan 365 