Tag Archives: Eating

New England Lobster Rolls, Caribbean Style

July 19, 2016CookingCaribbean, cooking, countries, cultural, culture, Eating, food, foodie tuesdays, lobster, lobster rolls, maine, new england, ocean, recipe, seafoodbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Did you know it’s easy to make lobster rolls? If you have ever been to Maine, it’s 99% certain that you’ve tasted a lobster roll and loved it. I was in Maine several years ago, and I haven’t forgotten how delicious they are. So yesterday, when I accidentally thawed lobster instead of fish for dinner, I knew that I had to try my hand at making my own.

Ingredients:

Two lobster tails. We catch our lobster fresh at the beach near our home.
Six oblong bread rolls. You can use hotdog buns in a pinch.
1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise. If you’re really hardcore, make your own using this recipe.
2 Tablespoons of ketchup
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
Half an onion, minced
Black pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish

What you do:

Prepare the lobster. Boil the lobster tails. This takes about ten minutes. The meat should be white and opaque when it is done. Let it cool for a bit, then dig out all the meat and tear into small chunks.
Make the sauce. I like to call the sauce that goes in this “Bear Flag Sauce.” It’s my attempt at creating the famous dipping sauce from Bear Flag Fish Co in California, and it’s a tangy twist on traditional lobster roll sauce. Mix the mayo, the ketchup, and the lemon juice together. You can add a hint of mustard, if you like.
Mix it up. Combine the lobster, sauce, onion, and pepper in a bowl.
Put it together. Make a large slit in the top of the rolls, longways. Spoon a generous amount of the mixture into the rolls. Garnish with more pepper and parsley.

Yummy! This is a great meal for summer evenings.

It’s been a while since I posted a Foodie Tuesday, but I’m planning to be back at my weekly recipe posts for good, so stick around and head back next week! Subscribe or like my page to find out each time I post a new recipe.

Dear America, Love an Expat

July 4, 2016American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States4th of July, America, American University of the Caribbean, celebration, cultural, culture, Eating, Expat, moving, overseas, travel, US, USAbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Dear United States of America,

Happy birthday! You’re looking good for 240. Sorry I had to miss celebrating this one with you, but I hope to be there for the big quarter-century next decade.

You know, I think I like you better now that we’ve been apart for a year. I guess I sort of took you for granted when I couldn’t get away from you. Now that I’m gone, I appreciate you a lot more.

You’ve done some strange things lately, and there’s a lot we should talk about, but today’s not the day for that. Today’s a day for me to tell you how much I love you.

I do love you, I’ve found. I never really loved you until I left you. I guess I didn’t have anything to compare you to. But let me tell you, I know now how lucky I am to be a part of you.

America, you are beautiful. You have virtually every kind of biome within your borders. You cover the plains, the hills, the mountains, the deserts, the tundra, the beaches, and the tropical forests. Even better, you have every kind of people within your borders. You are beautiful.

America, you’re great to live in. International comparisons say your food kind of stinks, but you do well in quality of life, equality, innovation, education, and freedom. And you’re always pushing to do better.

America, you stand out globally. Of all the nations in the world that receive immigrants and refugees, you’re among the best at integrating people and upholding their well-being and their rights. It’s expected of you, and you do your best to deliver. I didn’t recognize that until I left. I didn’t see how unusual it is, because to me, it just makes sense to operate that way.

America, you’re a good place to be able to go home to. It’s nice to know that I could always go home without any trouble. It’s good to have a passport from you that opens so many doors. It’s good to be confident of the freedom to move from place to place, to speak without fear, and assemble with others as I please.

America, I miss you some days. Some days I don’t. But I’m always glad to know I belong to you. I keep the Stars and Stripes on my wall, right next to the flag of my new home. I used to see the flag every day, and I never thought twice about it. Now, I am glad whenever I see it. It’s strange; I usually see it everywhere on your birthday, but today I only saw it on a Digical ad and on a French man’s t-shirt! I miss seeing it fly high and proud on a pole on every corner.

Happy birthday, America. I hope you make good choices this year. It’s sad to think that this could be one of your worst years, but I’m praying that it will be one of your best. Happy birthday. I’ll see you soon!

Love, an expat.

Why I’m Fasting for Ramadan, and I’m a Christian

June 8, 2016BibleBible, celebration, christianity, cultural, Eating, fast, fasting, Islam, ramadan, Religionbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

I am a Christian, and I am fasting for Ramadan. Why? Read on.

Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of prayer and fasting. During the month, Muslims do not eat during the daylight hours. This Ramadan, I and many members of our church are observing a Ramadan fast for at least one day. I’m probably only doing one day, because I turn into a raving rabid bear if I don’t eat and my husband needs his normal(ish) wife this week.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do not believe in synchrotism, the merging of religions. I do not believe that all religions are the same or that the various religions are all ways of worshiping the same God. I hold to orthodox Christian teachings and believe that the Bible is perfectly inerrant. I am not fasting to observe Ramadan per se.

In our community, Christians and Muslims live in close proximity with close ties of friendship. I wish it were this way all over the world. Our next-door neighbor is Muslim, and he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. The day before Ramadan started, he asked us if we’d mind him using his blender to make breakfast before the sun rose. He didn’t want to disturb us while we were sleeping. We’ve had a lot of great conversations about life and about Jesus and Islam and religion and worship. He’s one of many good Muslim friends we love and respect.

In fact, those friends are the reason I am fasting for Ramadan. When Christians fast (and this may be true for other religions as well), we spend the time we would normally spend on food and dedicate it to prayer for something that weighs heavy on our hearts. The gnawing hunger throughout the day reminds us to stop and pray between mealtimes as well. What weighs heavily on my heart this Ramadan is my Muslim friends. During our day of fasting, my Christian friends and I will be praying that our Muslim friends will come to fully know Jesus and the saving power of His death and resurrection.

This is the part of my post where many people will become offended. Please do not be offended, and please keep reading. In our culture, it is somehow “wrong” to want someone to convert to your religion. As if it’s trying to steal someone from one club for another! Actually, it’s not like that. In fact, if I did not care what my friends believe, I wouldn’t be a very good friend. Here’s why:

Imagine I know that a hurricane is about to hit the island. And I know that there is only one airplane capable of flying out of the storm. Would it be loving for me to let my friends get on an airplane that I know will crash? Would it be loving for me to care more about offending them by telling them their airplane isn’t strong enough to outfly the storm? No! It would be loving to tell them about my airplane.

That’s how it is when Christian share about their faith with others and pray for them to know Jesus. We believe that the only way to Heaven is by trusting that Jesus has paid the penalty for our offenses. We believe that no amount of good works can cancel out the bad ones. We believe that a relationship with God and forgiveness of sins can only come from trusting in Jesus and his death and resurrection. And the part we hate talking about– that if you’re not headed to Heaven, you’re headed to a place that is far less pleasant.

If a Christian truly believes that, the most hateful thing we could do is not share about Jesus with others, and not want Jesus for our friends. The most loving thing we can do is tell them that Jesus has their back if they trust in him. Even if you disagree with my religious beliefs, we can at least agree on that.

Muslim friends, it is very hard for most Christians to get the nerve up to share about their faith with you. Religion is a highly volatile subject, and it is hard for many of us to bring it up. In fact, most of us will probably shy away from it and hope someone else talks to you. But we will almost always pray for you, and I hope that makes you glad. If your Christian friend talks about Jesus with you, please know that friend loves and cares about you very much.

And I love you, too. There is nothing I want more for you than to know Jesus the way I do. I long for you to know that he is God, and not just a prophet. I desire to spend eternity with you in Heaven. I hope that before we part ways, you’ll hear that from my mouth. If we never have that conversation, I believe I will have failed in our friendship in that way. Know that this Ramadan, I will be thinking of you and praying for you.

Grocery Shopping in French

March 1, 2016American University of the Caribbean, AUC, Caribbean, Cooking, Expats, Expats and TCKs, For the New Expat, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Spouses Organization, UncategorizedCaribbean, cooking, countries, culture, Eating, Expat, food, French, groceries, International, Island, language, learning, moving, Saint Martin, Shopping, Sint Maarten, storebreanamjohnson@gmail.com

“Ground beef. Like, beef– cow meat– but it’s all ground up in little bits.” I did my best unofficial international sign language to accompany my explanation.

“Ah! Bœuf haché?” The grocery store employee led me to the freezer and pointed at the package of meat, eyebrows raised. “This?” He asked. It didn’t look exactly like the ground beef at Walmart, but it appeared to be ground beef nonetheless. I smiled and thanked him, placing the package in my cart.

There are only a handful of affordable grocery stores on the island of Sint Maarten, and my options are to pay $170 a trip to shop in English or $102.75 to shop in French. I choose the language barrier and saving seventy bucks.

I spend a lot of time staring at labels, trying to make out what this can or that box holds. I’ve become pretty good at guessing, and I’ve even picked up some French in the process (although don’t ask me to try to pronounce it). Whenever I learn to speak French, I’ll have a head start. I will know the word for every single food item ever invented.

Some of the labels are easy. I babysat for a bilingual family, and their kids called milk lait at all times. The cow on the front also helps.

Others aren’t so easy. I always thought fromage was just the word for “cheese,” but apparently it’s the word for every single dairy product on the planet.

This is not cheese. It’s yogurt. When I bought it, I needed yogurt, but it looked like it could be cottage cheese or whipped cream. I decided that the risk was worth it. Ben hoped it would be whipped cream, so he was disappointed.

This does not say fromage, but it IS cheese. Thank goodness this bag is see-through, or I would have been even more confused than I already was.

The hardest products to find are the ones I don’t know the French word for, can’t see through the packaging, and don’t even recognize the packaging. It took me a few trips and some asking around to find baking soda. I was looking for the small orange box, but apparently Arm and Hammer doesn’t do French.

I suspect the packaging issue is why I still can’t find baking powder. My friend Aqiyla went shopping with me yesterday, and she couldn’t find it either, although she speaks French. You don’t realize how powerful branding is until you’re dropped in the middle of unrecognizable foreign brands.

One thing that is not hard for me to locate, however, is Nutella! I think I have a Nutella radar built into my brain. I’m OK with becoming more European, if it involves chocolate for breakfast. Yes, please!

I have encouraging moments, too. I’m getting to the point where I can read a lot of French words, even if I couldn’t use a single one in conversation. I can understand most French signage around town, and I can tell the difference between all-purpose flour and pastry flour. I can even scan package ingredients for allergens and be fairly confident that I won’t send anyone into anaphylactic shock.

I never thought I’d say this, but there are days that I really miss Walmart. But at the same time, I’m glad I have the chance to make shopping a bilingual adventure. After all, I never quite know what I’m going to come home with…

Goodies from Secnarf’s Place

February 16, 2016Caribbean, Cooking, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Uncategorizedbaking, Caribbean, Chicken pattie, cooking, countries, cultural, culture, Eating, food, International, Island, Jamaican, local, patties, pudding, recipe, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, st martin, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, sweet potato pudding, travelbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Today on Foodie Tuesdays, we are going to meet a local food wizard and learn to make sweet potato pudding.

Meet Frances! Born and raised on St. Kitts, Frances moved to Saint Martin 30 years ago with her husband, who relocated for work. She can work wonders in the kitchen. I met Francis at a local event, where she was selling delicious meat patties, pies, puddings, and cakes. She calls her business “Secnarf’s Place,” and you can find her at almost any public trade show or market event.

As you can see, Frances loves to cook. Before she retired, she worked in a store nearby. Now, she spends a lot of her time in the kitchen, baking for her family or preparing for an event. She told me that she stayed up all night to make fresh-baked goodies for her booth. She doesn’t mind the work, though, because she loves what she does. “I like to use my hands,” she says, “It’s like a work of art.”

Frances’ culinary skills aren’t limited to the oven. She also makes her own all-natural fruit and vegetable juices. All she adds is a little bit of sugar for flavor, if it’s not quite sweet enough. Passion fruit is her best seller. “It’s so much better than what you can buy in the stores,” she says. No preservatives, no shipping. Just natural goodness!

I asked Frances what her favorite food is. She thought for a moment before answering, “Sweet potato pudding.” The pudding is actually what sparked Frances’ interest in cooking. When she was a girl, her mother would make sweet potato pudding every year as a special Christmas dessert. As she got older, Frances would help. The rest is history.

Here is how you can make sweet potato pudding, as described on Jamaican Caribbean Favorites. You can visit their site to learn how to make many more awesome Caribbean dishes!

Sweet Potato Pudding:

Ingredients:

2 lbs sweet potato, grated
4 green bananas, grated
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup grated coconut trash
4 cups coconut milk
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp mixed spice
salt to taste
1 tsp baking powder
raisins
rum to taste
2 oz melted butter
Greased 9 inch pan

Directions:

Mix grated potato, banana, coconut trash, raisins, flour and baking powder.
Combine coconut milk, vanilla, sugar, butter, rum, salt, nutmeg and mixed spice.
Add milk mixture into potato mixture and batter until smooth.
Pour mixture into greased tin and let sit for 30 – 45 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Serve hot or cold.

Buccaneers!

January 27, 2016American University of the Caribbean, Caribbean, Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten, Spouses Organization, UncategorizedAmerican University of the Caribbean, beach, Caribbean, Eating, Expat, food, Island, ocean, overseas, ray, restaurant, Saint Martin, sea, Sint Maarten, St. Maarten, sting ray, sun, surf, travel, umbrella, waterbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

In Sint Maarten, there a lot of airy little restaurants on the water. Today’s destination for the American University of the Caribbean spouse’s crew was Buccaneer Beach Bar. Despite its name, this is actually a great place to take kids. It’s right on the beach, and the water is shallow. It’s also a calm area, even on days when other areas of the island have big waves.

They also have a delicious assortment of non-alcoholic drinks in addition to their bar menu, and classic beachy food.

If you make it to SXM, make sure you visit one of our on-the-beach restaurants! Who doesn’t want to lounge on a beach chair with a plate of fries and a glass of something cool and sweet?

Breana's Blog

A writer's adventures around the world