042: dying kings with plastic knives

When you're eating out in Cuba, forget restaurants. Most of them are dreadful with unmotivated staff and unacceptable fare. We'd heard this in advance and decided to look into the other major option: Paladars! On our first night in the city of Trinidad, our original dinner plans fell through, so we decided to ask some locals for a recommendation. That can be a dodgy thing to do, but they pointed us to a house and the woman who owned it seemed trustworthy. We got a full lobster dinner for 8 CUCs (about $10) and it was delicious.

The dining area was pretty kitschy and sweet. As an appetizer, we received the most bizarre salad: okra, beets and tomatoes plus a plate of sliced guavas and oranges.


Waiting for the meal, we wrote postcards and drank cerveza. Bucanero is ok for Cuban beer.


Isn't it marvelous? Grilled lobster, fried banana and the most perfect rice.


***

On another note, my friend Shavanti is from the Bahamas and always makes fun of my avocados, saying they look like prunes. Here is the owner of the casa where we stayed in Trinidad holding a "mid-sized" avocado. Thanks guys, I feel so ripped off now.

041: Hamncheese and Love Affair

Happy holidays, readers. I've been in the Republic of Cuba on vacation but have returned to thrill you with the fruits of their labor. I, for one, may be the only one who was struck by the prevalence of ham and cheese sandwiches in the country. A conclusion has still not been drawn as to whether this is all they can get or all they want. Perhaps both. Behold, a montage of jamón y queso:

for breakfast


for breakfast (with guava juice, an egg and way too much bread)

for breakfast


for lunch


in buffets


in stores


in stores


in the city centre


in spaghetti (hilarity)


and reassuringly titled on buffet counters everywhere...


How's that for living up to a name?

040: rhymes good as a tasty cake mix

First night of being home for the holidays, I went for a nice dinner with my parents at a really tight fish and chips spot in the Beaches: King's Table. I like the note on the menu about "King Louis", as well as the cranberry tea light.


This character and his lady were waiting for their take-away order. Doesn't he have the most distinctive silhouette? That's some Frank Miller shit.


I don't usually go for specials, who knows why.. but the board caught my eye. Also, my father was seriously dismayed by the fact that we weren't in time for Schnitzel Day.


If you couldn't be bothered to read the chalkboard, this is a fine blackened Atlantic salmon on a bed of soft eggplants. The rings are breaded calimari and underneath them are fat scallops.


The house salad was really nice too, with radish and a not overwhelming dressing. But seriously, I love salmon. Delicious and a huge amount of food.


After the meal, my dad hadn't had enough, so we stopped in at Dufflet's for some little cakes.


Feeding is back to where it should be.

039: invite each bite into our flight

What a week. Early on, I came over to Steph's to do another ebay photoshoot. This time, we set up some mildly intense lighting and put on the vintage hiphop cassettes. Beforehand, Steph cooked us up a spicy stirfry. It was super tasty and fresh, with great texture from the orzo-lentils&grains mix underneath. If one were to judge by only this blog, they'd think I can only cook shrimp and my friends can only stirfry vegetables. Maybe its true.



closer


Stirin' & Fryin'


And then in a bowl


And then in my stomach.


***

Rather than replace the needle on my record player, I picked up this sweet refurbished wood-paneled little guy. I pretty much just sit in my room alternating between Fleet Foxes, Unknown Pleasures, and Houses of the Holy.

Go winter!

038: want of the price of tea and a slice

I honestly love hanging out with kids. They've usually got better stories than adults but they are content being left to their own devices too. We can never get that same sense of curiosity back... isn't it sad?

My aunt and uncle made a special meal for the kids. My cousin's daughter Madeline apparently looooves spicy ribs, and as her birthday follows Thanksgiving, she could have any dish she wanted. Ribs! My aunt has a special rub she applies and then my uncle does the grilling. They're quite the team. I'm not the biggest fan of meat, but these were irresistible.

Adorable.


Sup ribs.


Pour the wine


and dig in!


Omg how did I forget to mention the amazing mac n chzzz + salad + sam adams = life is good.



Also, Grn Blgs now officially has 5 weeks off school. Expect some out-of-the-ordinary grub coming your way, because we're going on a vaca!

037.5: cookie heart

Reviving half-posts,
this is what happens to turkey the next day:


Turkey sandwiches with a healthy amount of cranberry relish. The day after, we had turkey wraps!


And a behind-the-scenes look at Green Blogs & Ham HQ.


Sponsored by American Girl Dolls.

037: it's duck seazon

On Thursday at around 4 pm, there was chaos in my aunt's house with everyone setting up for the big feast: Thanksgiving Dinner. The sun was setting and distant relatives were pouring in the front door.


Fixing drinks in the den.


Enjoying hors d'oeuvres (i pillaged the shrimp ring and brie wheel) in the living room with family.


Spreading chopped liver on crackers.


Biscuits still going into the oven.


Tables standing at the ready. Our family was split and ate in different rooms.


The 20 lb turkey joins us!


Preparing final things like salad.


Sweet potatoes, turkey and stuffing are all ready for your plate.


And my plate (which was at the other table) is packed.


More wine after dinner.


There was a break where everyone tried to regain consciousness, catch up on each others career standings and then indulge in desserts baked by my great aunt. I taught my little niece? Second-cousin? Whatever they call your cousin's daughter... how to take pictures of food. Adorable.


Is anything in life better than pumpkin pie?


Nope.