Jamaica--No problem!

A woman selling fruit on Negril Beach

We got into Jamaica yesterday afternoon.  It took a while to get to our hotel in Negril.  We took a shuttle that drops people off at several different hotels, and ours was last.  Our bus driver, Bob, told us sometimes Americans find it scary riding on the left side of the road, and told us that if it we got scared, to just close our eyes and say, "No problem."

Well, that is the theme here.  We went to the beach today and sat down at a seaside bar.  Ben asked the bartender what mixed drink she would recommend, and she said she liked one called "No problem" that wasn't on the menu.  I ordered it--no problem.  It was a mix of rum cream, coconut rum, and pineapple juice.  Delicious!

Last night we had dinner at our hotel.  We both ordered the special, which was a stuffed chicken breast.  It was excellent!  The chicken was filled with vegetables, beans, and sausage, rolled up and grilled, and topped with a savory creole-style sauce.  The chef came out to see how our meals had been, and I asked him for the recipe.  He said he would get me a copy, so we'll see!  If he does I promise I'll share it with you.  We finished our dinner with a scoop of ice cream with Bailey's poured on top.

Stuffed Grilled Chicken

Today for lunch we went to a place called Cosmo's right on the beach that's famous for its seafood.  I got a perfectly spicy conch curry with festivals, which are slightly sweet, doughy fried dumplings.  Delicious again.  So far I have loved everything I've eaten (and drank) in this country.

Conch Curry with Festival

Tonight we decided to walk from our hotel to one of the nearby restaurants.  We walked a block down to the corner, and saw a tiny place called Erica's Cafe.  It was basically a one-room shack with an big front porch.  Out front a few guys were sitting around a Weber grill with a big soup pot sitting on top.  Making conch soup on the barbecue, turns out.  No problem!

We were won over by the super friendly owner and decided to stay for dinner.  The guys out front convinced us to start by trying the conch soup, which was a richly flavored deep orange brew served in Styrofoam coffee cups.  It had big pieces of conch, potato, yam, another vegetable like a potato but with a mouthier feel, carrots, and black beans.

The menu said "best lobster in town", so I decided to try it.  I got two meaty lobster tails in a buttery sauce with onions and garlic, a bunch of surprisingly delicious (mayonnaise-free!) cole slaw, and rice and peas (rice and peas is Jamaican for rice and beans).  Everything was fabulous and the flavors went together so well, especially washed down with a Red Stripe.  

The cole slaw was so fresh and yummy.  I usually hate cole slaw, because I hate mayonnaise.  This slaw looked almost naked, and had shreds of carrot and cucumber in addition to cabbage.  I asked the owner what they dressed it with, and he told me vinegar and lots of sugar!  Something else to try at home.  

The other guys who were at the restaurant had all these small, green, kiwi-sized fruits.  When I asked what they were, they said mangoes!  I didn't know mangoes could be so small.  We got to see the tree out back, and they gave us three mangoes to take with us.  The instructions were: wait until tomorrow, wash them, and eat the whole thing (skin and all!).  I'll let you know how it goes.  No problem!

Mini mangoes