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Gotta have that sugar cane fix . . .Oct 21, 2008
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Danny was always on the lookout for some ripe and ready sugar...
A mini grove of sugar cane . . . . . Is...
Danny could always find the local stash . .. .
| Half the time the group never knew where Danny was. He's an explorer - a very observant explorer. One who would just 'wander off' on a quest for things - things like sugar cane, special bananas, ripe guavas, etc. etc. We never really knew where he was - and then he'd just show up out of nowhere - with something for us to sample. But that's how we all got to taste the sugar cane. Well, it was a new taste experience for some of us, for sure. Not for the guys from the Philippines, but certainly for the rest of us. Our equivalent is having eaten rhubarb stalks dipped in white sugar, perhaps as kids. But the sugar cane was AMAZING and delicious. It was fun to have a platter of cane pieces to chew on in the evenings. It certainly is good stuff. Chewing on sugar cane was right up there with our other taste experiences - like the close encounters with coconuts in various stages of ripeness or dryness. Coconut milk. I don't even know what the coconut is called, really - in the early stage [soft and squishy], in the later stage [dry and chewy]. I just know about 'desiccated' coconut. We also ate different kinds of bananas - the wee flavor-packed ones and the uber long ones that were steamed or fried. We had fresh guavas, and guava jam on our toast. I think we had mangoes. We saw the biggest avocados I've ever seen. We waited till one had ripened and shared it with the group. We had fresh, fresh pineapple. We had some yummy, virgin pina coladas made with the juiciest pineapples and coconut cream - made on the spot with blended ice cubes. Hmmmmm, why is it that everything tastes so different here? Since everything exotic in the fruit department is flown in or trucked in to Edmonton, no wonder our taste buds are rejoicing here!! They've never had it sooooo good! Of course, we've got Danny as the hunter and gatherer obtaining samples and then we've got Meeckus, the master chef to whip up the tasty delights. Oh, yes . .. We sure learned a lot about the Philippines too, in our days together. There are so many similarities in climate and vegetation, and consequently in the main staples of food, between the Philippines and Jamaica. Day by day, Marlon, Midel and Danny shared lots of info with the team about their lives growing up in the Philippines. It was so wonderful to have this cultural exchange going on as well. Talk from Deacon Hendriks? |
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