We have been exploring more of Grenada!
Recently, we went to one of the restaurants/bars at the Spice Market at Grand Anse Beach called Beach Bum with Patrick and Rita (Bella), Kevin and Mary (Pisces), Stewart and Sandra (White Wings), Chris and Jan (Sapphire), David and Eilene (Raven), as well as Kent and Kathy (Wind Ensemble). The Spice Market didn’t really have anything because of the lack of tourists on Grenada. Everyone but me had the “Oil Down” which is the national dish of Grenada. I had french fries. The Oil Down has breadfruit, which is a species of flowering seeds that the British and French brought over during the Colonial Era. It is called a breadfruit because when you cook it it is like a simple fresh baked bread but has a potato-like taste. Oil Down also has a variety of meats, vegetables and spices. What is in the stew varies by area of Grenada and family recipe. The version we ate had saffron, salt fish, goat, pork, callaloo, coconut milk and breadfruit. It is called Oil Down because it has coconut oil in it. Most people liked it, but Dad not so much. He got a burger after trying it.
On Thursday we went to the West Indies Brewery. We went with a group of people from the marina. We went on a tour of the brewery and learned about the beer and cider making process. The cider making process is simple. They use apple juice concentrate and then put the yeast in to make it have alcohol since the apple juice concentrate already has sugar in it. The yeast eats the sugar and then once the process is done, they put it in the tank. They cheat with the other flavors by using special flavor packets like watermelon and pomegranate. The beer making process has five steps. The first step is they take malted barley and soak it in hot water to release the sugars. The second step is they boil the malt sugar with hops for seasoning. The third step is they cool the malt sugar and then add the yeast to begin fermentation. The fourth step is the yeast ferments the malt sugars and releases CO2 and Ethyl Alcohol. The fifth and final step is after the fermentation is complete, they bottle the beer with a little bit of added sugar to provide carbonation. Dad says the sixth step is to drink it.
I ran into my good friend Ben from Zenobia at the brewery. We hung out and played Harry Potter UNO, which is like UNO but with special rules. I also played Pool with Ben. He had to show me how to play because I haven’t played since I was at Grandad and Nana’s apartment in Charlotte two Christmas’ ago. I was a bit rusty at it. I did not try the beer or the cider, but I tried Ting and I really liked it.
4th of July! Yay!!
We celebrated the fourth of July by having a gathering at Grand Anse Beach with a group of people, some from the marina and some who were on anchor. Renee’ and Gene from Texas Crewed put together and brought their mini-cat which is basically a mini catamaran. Ben from Zenobia helped them put it together and sail it to the beach from the marina. Ben’s Dad Johannes came to the beach as well. I went on the mini-cat once with Ben, Dad and Patrick from Bella. I went again with Ben, Mom and Mary from Pisces. It was fun going on the mini-cat. I got to help with the lines. I helped roll up the jib. What was exciting about going on the mini-cat is that it went really fast. It reminded me of being on a speed boat at Watauga Lake which is a lake in North Carolina.
We ate lunch at a restaurant called Umbrellas which is a bar and restaurant on the beach. There were food trucks as well, but I wanted to go to a restaurant with french fries and shade.
Our dog Caper celebrated his 8th birthday today (July 4th).
Happy Birthday Caper!
