NORTH COAST, PRESENTE!
/>No Cruises or cuisine today – but it’s definitely all things Caribbean. Of course, I have to talk about what everyone is talking about - World Cup, 2010 and the big game tomorrow: Honduras v. Chile.
In the last World Cup qualifying match, Honduras squeezed itself into the World Cup needing a win against El Salvador and for Costa Rica not to win against the USA –even though Costa Rica was up 2 goals at the half Honduras may be the only Caribbean nation at the World Cup. In fact, Honduras is generally thought of as a Latin American country more so than a Caribbean country. However, like all but one Central American nation (El Salvador) and all of northern South American, Honduras has a Caribbean coast and culture on its northern shore. Honduras faces the clockwork defense of Switzerland, the sizzling talent of Spain, and a rising Chile. Predictions are close to nonsense, but Spain is likely to pass. This leaves the true drama for the second second-round slot. It is not impossible to imagine some last minute cunning putting Honduras through. If so, Honduras will be, at that moment, the most glorious parcel of planet earth.
Tomorrow, June 16, Honduras plays Chile at 7:30 AM EST. The winner of this match is likely to take second place behind Spain and advance to the second round. I’ll be watching – will you?
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Filed under: Caribbean Cafe, Islands
by Cassandra
Fifa, Honduras, World Cup
5 comments so far
FISHER ISLAND
I cruised by Fisher Island the other day and thought, “I wonder what it would be like to live there.” Imagine… an entire Island all to yourself. Well – there are 200 or so other families. But it’s so exclusive, so private, so quiet you would feel as if it’s all yours.
Fisher Island is a part of Miami Beach. But don’t think for a second Fisher Island is anything like Miami Beach. South Beach is a hot spot for Miami Visitors. But if you happen to be in the Fisher Island vicinity, don’t even think of just dropping by. Only confirmed guests are allowed to stop on the Island. Furthermore, the only way in or out of the Island is by ferry or boat. There is even a ferry for cars.
Or you can just do what I did – cruise by on a boat and hope to get a glimpse of Julia Roberts or Oprah Winfrey – just a few of the celebrities that own a home on Fisher Island.
Of course you can experience private Island living – in the Caribbean. Check out one or even all of the Top Caribbean Islands for 2010.
Meanwhile, summer is right around the corner so that means great weather for cruising. Cruising + good food = Cruisine…Our favorite past time.
I’ve been going through some of my favorite cookbooks to decide what recipes to prepare. If you have any favorite Caribbean dishes, please pass them along. Caribbean food is so much better when shared among friends.
Filed under: Caribbean Cafe, Cruises, Islands, Wherever You Are
by Cassandra
4 comments so far
THE FLORIDA KEYS COOKBOOK
I love this book. It’s big, colorful and a great coffee table accessory. An extensive cookbook saturated with love for the Keys, this book also shows an eye for informative, low-key illustration using historical photos in ingredients sections like “The Dooryard Garden,” which notes that home gardens were, for much of Keys history, the main source of fresh produce because of local soil conditions and infrastructural isolation from the mainland.
Faithful to Key West perspective on food, the drink section comes first. First in that section is Calomondin Brandy (Vodka with Calomondin oranges). If you feel weary to lookup what the heck a Calomondin is, fear not. Each recipe has a sidebar section explaining ingredients, history, or offering charming trivia relevant to the dish. A common them in these informative snippets are the challenges Keys residents traditionally faced in obtaining ingredients plentiful on the mainland and ethnic origins of dishes and ingredients imported from nearby islands or faraway realms.
This book, in short, will make you an expert in “Conchfusion” cuisine, without ever visiting.
The Florida Keys Cookbook:
Recipes and Foodways of Paradise, Author: Victoria Shearer
Filed under: Caribbean Cafe, Cuisine, Islands
by Cassandra
2 comments so far
HELP HAITI
It is difficult to fathom 100,000 dead, but it is not difficult to help. Please make an effort to do what you can. The Yele Haiti Foundation, begun by Haiti native Wyclef Jean, is collecting donations to help those affected by the Haiti earthquake. Just text 501501 on your phone and it will automatically charge $5 to your phone bill which will be donated to the Foundation for relief for Haiti. You can also donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting 90999.
If you would like to donate online:
The American Red Cross
The Yele Haiti Foundation
The SOS Children’s Villages
Filed under: Caribbean Cafe, Islands
by cruisine team
Haiti
1 comment so far
Welcome to Caribbean Cruisine
IN northern climates, Autumn descends. The window into a tropical climate closes with spectacular resignations. Leaves reveal layers of color hidden when the race for sun is climatic. Temperatures move closer to the ideal low 70+ degrees Fahrenheit. In our own lives, the regular business of investing in our future resumes.
Although these days, we don’t have much left over for investing, much less vacation. But there is one way to the Caribbean – and it doesn’t cost a thing. All that’s needed is A desire (and a grill won’t hurt).
Travel to the Caribbean through Caribbean Cruisine: Online magazine and TV show.
The cruisine team is putting the final touches of the first season of the syndicated television show. But check back in the TV section for snippets from the show and other surprise vignettes. You can join on our Caribbean travels through Twitter, Facebook & Myspace.
This month’s Caribbean edition features two of my favorite people and they just happen to be good friends:
Award winning Director, Actor Dean Irby and Kim Borio – Makeup artist to the stars.
Hope you come back again and again and experience the Caribbean… wherever you are.
Caribbean Love
Cassandra
Filed under: Caribbean Cafe, Islands
by Cassandra
5 comments so far
ISLAND SPOTLIGHT – BOCAS DEL TORO
BOCAS DEL TORO
In the north-western top the” S” fallen the left that compose the contours of the southern conclusion to the Central American isthmus lies paradise. A flight to Panama City and then another to Bocas Del Toro gets you there quick. But, please, take your time. Panama City’s Casco Viejo is worth at least a night. One of the first cities of the new world, it is a World Heritage Site. In other words, a good glass of wine is not a challenge.
If time only allows for Casco Viejo or the Panama Canal, chose Casco Viejo. If the Panama Canal fascinates you, we recommend Getting to Know the General, one of the greatest drinking buddy essays of all time. If you have ambition, try David McCullough’s The Path Between the Seas. Unless you are the type who brings zeal to zen, you may find your appetite for 1,000 pages of imperialism, malaria, slavish labor, and muddy triumph has withered as you hover in a hut above clear shallow water, the breeze dismissing your anxieties.
Bocas has surfing, SCUBA, beer, food, white sand, blue water, blah, blah, blah. Mostly, like so much of the Caribbean, it makes a living of hello and good bye without ever feeling contrived or clichéd. That is why you will not remember what you did or when you got there or when you left. You will just remember how it felt, like a beautiful stone to rub when the world is not a beach.
Filed under: Caribbean Cafe, Islands
by Cassandra
Bocas Del Toro, Caribbean Island, Island Spotlight
2 comments so far