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Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Jamaican Cola, at the Jerk Center in Tarpon Springs

On the Move: Paradise Island, Bahamas

Breathtaking.

One down, three to go…

On the Move: Paradise Island, Bahamas

I spent a good chunk every summer of my childhood (and adolescence, and adulthood) on the beaches and in the mud-green waters of the Atlantic, near Maryland and Delaware. Honestly, I’ve always felt lucky to be 3 hours away from a beach, regardless of the quality of food and entertainment (*cough* Ocean City, Maryland, is awful *cough*). And while I’ve spent some time on the West Coast on some fantastic beaches by L.A. (Hermosa and Laguna, to name two,) it wasn’t until this summer that I went to a place where the sands and waters are of the color and clarity we dream about when we hear the word “beach.”

The Riu Palace on Paradise Island is an all-inclusive resort, which basically boils down to all you can eat and all you can drink. At first, this might seem like a disaster of an idea. After all, how many solid buffets seem to exist outside of Vegas? (Answer: probably a bunch of them, I just haven’t been there.) Most of the time a buffet is a heap of mediocrity, brimming with macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and soggy fries.

I am happy to report that the quality of food offered by the Riu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is fantastic. Breakfast and dinner are hosted in the roomy, high-ceilinged Atlantic room, while lunch is hosted in the more casual Bahamas room. The spread put out by the kitchen is somewhat of a spectacle, offering dish after dish of beautifully arranged, freshly prepared foods. If you aren’t happy with the scrambled, sunny-side up, over-easy, poached, or hard-boiled eggs that are constantly being cooked up every morning, you can always head on over to the omelet station to having something more to your liking. Your breakfast staples are all there, along with a few Bahamian offerings in the mix (mostly involving cassava, which is delicious). Dinner offerings rotated on a nightly basis and featured some outstanding themes. At 6:30 every night, the staff throws open the doors with their own cheering and applause, soon to be joined by the guests who are about to savor the work that has been put in all afternoon. Make sure you don’t miss Greek night, which has endless dishes of gyro meat, kofta, chicken kebabs, hummus, tzatziki, and moussaka. This, of course, doesn’t include the platters of marinated olives, the towering dish of Greek salad, the grilled fish selections, the carving station’s offering, the nightly trio of Bahamian dishes, hearts of palm salad—hell, I could list a hundred more dishes, so I’ll stop because I think you get the picture. Bonus points are awarded for the fact that NOT ONCE did they offer macaroni and cheese.

If the buffet isn’t to your liking, you can always opt to make a reservation at one of the four themed restaurants in the resort, instead. There’s a steakhouse (easily the best of the bunch), an attempt at old school gourmet (offering dishes like duck a l’orange), a Japanese spot (passable, but offering portions that sent me wandering over to the buffet immediately afterwards), and a fusion restaurant (I didn’t eat there, due to my reservation coinciding with Greek night).

So, I think 400 words about food is enough. Let’s hit the beach.

The sand is a blinding white, the water is a glassy emerald green, and schools of angel fish will dart past your feet without a hint of fear. In short, it’s amazing. The heat is a little intense at times. To borrow the recent words of a good friend, there are times when you want to reach up and swat at the sun because it feels too close. The plus side is that the ocean is the right amount of cool where it’s easy to walk right in and feel instantly refreshed. You won’t find big waves on Paradise Island. What you get is a laid-back, bobbing flow—the kind that lends itself to floating on your back for pretty much as long as you want. It’s hard to deal with the fact that in a few weeks I’ll be back in the cold, nasty Delaware surf.

The only downside to the beach at the Riu is the swarm of jet-ski hawkers that line the coast. If going out on a jet ski, banana boat, or parasail is your thing, you’ll have easy access. If it’s not your thing, you’ll still be propositioned a few times each hour. It’s annoying, so if you’re looking to get away, you can always hit the pool.

After a little research, I found that pretty much every Riu outside of Paradise Island has a pool that might have been designed by a team of artists. The one at my place wasn’t anything to write home about, but that was okay by me. I’ve never understood people who go to an island and want to stay in a pool instead of the ocean, which is why I never spent more than five minutes in the Riu’s pool (and that was to swim up to the bar and order a ho-hum Kalik beer for the sole reason of saying I ordered something from the pool bar.)

One of the Riu’s advantages is that it’s right next door to the Atlantis resort that dominates Paradise Island. Think of Atlantis as a lost Disney park and you’ll have a grasp on what it’s like. It’s part casino, part aquarium, part water park, part high-end shopping, and part private beach. I spent a day there and made my through pretty much every corner of their property. Their beaches and inlets are spectacular and completely free of anyone trying to sell you a jet-ski ride. I also firmly stand by the statement that the day I can’t have fun in a water park is the day that I’m not fit to be a teacher anymore and I’m happy to report that my brother and I hit the body slides and flume rides and acted like we were 10 again.

You can also try your luck in the Atlantis casino playing games like “Oops, there goes my money” and “Hey, why am I broke?” Sure, other people call them “blackjack” or “roulette” but they all pretty much work the same way. Another great game to play is “watch people burn through twenty thousand dollars in thirty minutes because they have more money than you and, really, that’s just pocket change compared to what they really have in their bank accounts.” Fun times.

The Riu was a great place on a great island filled with great food and great people. You’ll walk away with a tan, some minor and/or major sunburn, and a huge appetite that takes days to get back to normal.

—Written by Grant Goodman

one love.

Gyptian - Acoustic Session

A strange connection to the World
Feeling and seeing as you may not.
Among the dreams of the fallen
Do we all fall in to utter death.
Forged my dreams by night and
Dreamed in day. I’ve run out of dreams
Searching any where for something to
Look at in my mind and now
My death is my dreams and
My innocence is taken; I’m scared.
Famine from Light, abundance of
Black and words a-fire molded
My sanity to fluctuate
Between colours of all shades.
Painted masks at arms reach;
A traveler of Souls.

My 1st time at Glorias… the shrimp was WOW

one love.

I'm turning 21 August 31 & I need your help...

one of my fav..

Seven things or people that broke your heart:

Sadly I can’t think of anyone who has truly broken my heart. Plenty of people have disappointed me though. But I can think of THINGS that break my heart.

1. The fact that two females and two males cannot legally get married in every single state. People need to stop living in the past and wake up. Honestly if you don’t support this I’m not sure you even know what love is. They should ban you from getting married.

2. The fact that my best friend in Jamaica struggles for money everyday at 19. It kills me to hear he hasn’t eaten in two days sometimes. Yet he is simply the happiest person I know. I WISH I could be more like him, I feel so selfish.

3. People I thought were my best friends that left me. The way they treated me breaks my heart. The fact that I would do anything for them and always put them first and got nothing but a handful of shit in return. Yeah that breaks my heart. But they left so I could make room for new people.

4. The fact that my mother thinks she has failed in her role at times. I just wish she knew she is literally the best mother anyone could ask for. People wish they had a mom like her. I’m way too hard on her at times. I worry about her too much and that breaks my heart.

5. The fact that my boyfriend and best friend lives 1,756 miles from me.

6. I have never met Adam Young. Selfish but absolutely breaks my heart. Just to make him smile once is all I want.

7. I wish I could provide more to my family and I can’t, which breaks my heart. Even though it’s not my job, I still wish I could. I also wish I could see my nephew more.

I need ideas on where to go in Kingston, Jamaica. I’m rounding up ma closest friends and going out after which every1 will come to my home for a sleepover but I want help on where I can go for fun and food in the evening and also some activities that we can do while we’re back at my place. PLEASE…tell me!!!! Keeping it low budget.

????

Slackness in schools

out of many, one people

mmm… #ackee!!! where’s the #SaltFish & #FriedDumpling?!?

Buju Banton ‘Destiny’

considering recent developments I thought this song was appropriate

brilliant.

Mavado's bail extended:

Dancehall act Mavado is scheduled to return to the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on November 21 on a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm stemming from a recent altercation at a popular nightclub in New Kingston where he reportedly assaulted an off-duty police officer.
A member of the entertainer’s entourage, Conroy Edwards, was shot in his abdomen during the June 13 incident, and succumbed to his injuries three days later in hospital.

Ninjaman benefit concert:

The entertainment fraternity is coming together to raise funds for embattled deejay Ninjaman who remains in lock-up on charges relating to a murder in 2009.

Slackness in schools

Radiation Levels Cannot Be Neglected Anymore

A French research agency on radioactivity - CRIIRAD, has clearly indicated the red light towards high radiation levels affecting our food. They have warned pregnant European mothers and children to avoid drinking milk or rainwater.

They tested three different milk samples from different parts of US and all the samples tested positive for radioactive Iodine that exceed the current maximum thresholds for safety.

According to the recent reports, the radiation risk from Fukushima can no longer be neglected. FDA began blocking imports of some Japanese milk and products two weeks ago.

Well, precaution is always better. Everybody should concentrate on keeping themselves and their families safe in the best possible manner. It is just a bad time.

Amazing Trees From All Around The World

It was Buddha who said:
“A tree is a wonderful living organism which gives shelter, food, warmth and protection to all living things. It even gives shade to those who wield an axe to cut it down.”

And Joyce Kilmer immortalised the grace and beauty of trees in poetry:
“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.”

Here we present some of the most amazing and unusual trees from around the world. They include the Basket Tree, Giant Sequoias of California, Circus Tree, Chapel-Oak. Tule Tree. Banyan Tree, and Baobab Trees – including one with a toilet built inside it.

Designer Cakes

I often see such badly made designer cakes on facebook, I think these are far better and cute. I don't know though how such cakes taste like. They are too fancy to actually eat. When I turned 8 and I was away from home on a trip. So, my relatives got a very special Cindrella cake for me...it looked wonderful but was the worst cake I ever ate.

Wedding Cakes

Yes, I sometimes do start thinking about food and desserts and I feel like sharing such stuff with the readers. I am getting to know about so many weddings and commitments these days...it's like everybody is getting married. Anyway, these are some of the wedding cakes and cup cakes I saw a while ago and are so pretty to look at.