My Favorite Food Quotation for Today

Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage. - Woody Allen Read more!

TAN TAN MINI (When you don't have enough of one thing, but everything you have can make something)


Tan Tan Mini - perfect for one of those days when you are too lazy to go to the supermarket or just plain broke.

So you have a little bit of everything, nothing by itself can make a meal - Voila! combine them in one pot and you have Tan Tan Mini. Now I did not coin the word but I was just told that that is what it is called. So please don't email me to ask me where it originated (thank you). What is your favorite Tan Tan Mini recipe? Here is a picture of mine - it consists of calalloo, okra, ackee, salt mackerel, dumpling, breadfruit, onion, garlic and tomato all cooked down in coconut milk. Yum!!! If you are going to try this cook the coconut milk first.
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Bad Service...BEWARE!!!

Jamaica is really behind when it comes to providing world class customer service! Last weekend, I went to Treasure Hunt Gaming in New Kingston with a few friends and we were actually asked by the waitress if we wanted to order or 'rest'! And if that wasn't bad enough, when i asked for a menu, i was presented with a collection of index cards!!!

Of course, that didn't happen before we were told by a waiter at The Hilton that he couldn't 'waste time' at our poolside table since we weren't the only table he was serving! We then went on to a popular Hope Road restaurant (after that disastrous experience at Treasure Hunt, where we were bid farewell by 'a di secon' time mi get a table an di people dem leave afta mi give dem di menu!') where we were pleased we got a table at the bar as soon as we stepped in. Our hopes were to be dashed, however, since the hostess told us we had to vacate the table since it was reserved. Not to be daunted, we agreed to sit at another table but were ignored for about 5 minutes before we decided to move on to a (hopefully) better spot.

Luck was on our side, thank goodness! We moved on to Acropolis/Ambrosia where the customer service was excellent. I really don't know what we would have done if we hadn't gotten that reprieve!

BEWARE of those restaurants/nightspots out there pretending to offer good service! Most of them really don't!
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True Chocolate Decadence at Susie's


Without a doubt I am a chocolate lover in the extreme. So it behooves me to advise other chocolate lovers when something new and exciting is on the market. During Restaurant Week (Nov 10 -17) Susie of Susie's Bakery will introduce the absolutely heavenly Chocolate Praline Ganache. Until now I thought it was impossible to condense such decadence in a slice of cake but indeed I have been proven wrong.

Well as much as I tried to prise the recipes from her (in the name of friendship) she gave the look that says "You will have to prise it from my cold dead hands", she did allow me to order one for a birthday recently. Have you ever seen a cake disappear in under 10 minutes? That was what I witnessed.

This cake is so heavenly you don't get a chance to chew a forkful as it just simply melts in your mouth. It is what you would call perfectly sweet. Just sweet enough to titillate and excite and not so sweet that the ears itch and the blood corpuscles cringe. It is what Jamaicans would call "myse and miley" (moist and ....well I never figured out what "miley" meant but it is usually something good). Anyway, I am going to stop because I am getting hungry for this cake which she assures me I will not be getting any of until November.

Unfortunately no picture is available as the darn thing disappears too fast for me to take a picture. (My companions would eat my slice as soon as I pay attention to my camera :))

Epilogue: As you can see I have since gotten a picture. The cake was very delicious.
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Healthy Indian Cuisine

Just recently I was by the Jewel of India restaurant located at the marketplace courtyard. Interesting enough I learnt a few things just by reading their menu. Below are some of the health benefits printed in their menu, all quoted from Dr. Earl Mindel, R.PH, PhD.

"Several studies have shown that curry has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. For centuries, curry has been used by Indian healers to aid digestion."

"Many curry spices-tumeric (which gives it it’s yellow colour) garlic and cumin, to name a few may have anti oxidant properties, which means that they prevent the oxidation of normal cells by free radicals. This helps prevent cancer & heart disease"

"Yoghurt helps bolster the immune system. The calcium in yoghurt helps maintain bone strenght and prevents osteoporosis and can lower serum cholesterol"

"Condiments such as yoghurt based mint dips and chutney are low in fat"

So next time you think about eating healthy add indian cuisine to your options.
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