Day 32 at The Culinary: Jamaican

Today I FINALLY got Jamaican food.

Jamaican food is my absolute favorite type of cuisine. I find their blends of curry and spices to be out of this world.

Before my Jamaican dinner, there was lunch. I went to Banquet for lunch, and I picked such a good day to return to Banquet.

-- Lox Salad with Shaved Fennel, Arugula, Frisee and Herb Oil
-- Vegetarian: Basmati Rice and Red Bean Stuffed Cabbage with Asparagus, Roasted Pearl Onions, and Oyster Mushrooms in Yellow Pepper Coulis
-- Chocolate Pot au Créme
-- Blood Orange, Navel Orange and Sprite Cocktail
-- Lemon, Mango and Pomegranate Cocktail

Pot au Créme: French for "pot of cream", referring to a dish of creamy-rich custard

Coulis: A general term referring to a thick purée or sauce

The cocktails were some of the better ones I've had at Banquet. There's normally only one special drink at Banquet for any given meal, but this time they made two. They were both equally great. They tasted as good as they sound.

It was finally the return of the lox. Last time there was a big dispute about whether or not the lox was of "good quality." I was angry at those who said it was bad, because it was nothing short of average. I thought it was very good, in fact. This time, it tasted the same as the last, but I was at a table with completely different people. Since I was with different people, I didn't have to hear the same people complain about the lox again. I ate mine all up, and enjoyed the silence.

This was also a special occasion, because it was the first time I'd ordered the vegetarian item from any menu. Meat and fish always look more appetizing. I had the chicken roulade last time it was served, and I didn't really want it again. I like to vary my meals, so as to give my readers more interesting material. You are welcome. When I looked at the Banquet menu, and saw that they had a tasty-sounding vegetarian option, I thought I'd ask for it. When the server first appeared at our table, I asked him if I could have the vegetarian entree. He said that they have very few, and that it's supposed to be only for the true vegetarians, but he'd get me one if it was available. A little later on, he came to the table again and said that he was able to get me one. I was very happy, but also I felt pressured in a way to like it.

When the main dishes came, I got what looked like a plate of vegetables topped with a green alien slug. This is the sort of thing that would put off most people from trying the food. I, however, know that looks aren't everything. It didn't phase me, and I cut open the cabbage to reveal a generous amount of rice and red beans.

It was exceptionally good. I made a recipe of coconut rice with red kidney beans once, and it was one of my favorites. This tasted just like it, except it was made a little more professionally. The onions, asparagus, and everything else were very good, too.

It made me happy that the finishing touch on my delicious meal was going to be the pot au créme. This was not at all like a custard, as the definition above reads, but instead it was just like a rich, thick chocolate pudding. It was incredible, and I left satisfied.

When it was time for dinner, I went to the Americas kitchen. It was the Caribbean day; a day which I knew would be mouth-watering.

 

-- Crab and Coconut Callaloo
-- Mixed Greens Salad with Guava Curry Vinaigrette and Toasted Cashews
-- Braised Curried Goat with Lime Carrot Salsa, Roti Bread and Plantain Chips

Callaloo: A spicy Caribbean soup or stew based around either amaranth or taro, and including a variety of ingredients

Roti Bread: A traditional Indian flatbread

This was a dinner to remember. I definitely will be going to back to Americas next time that it's Caribbean day to get more goat. The soup was very good, and spicy. It was thin, and full of collard greens and crab meat. It had tons of coconut flavor, and it was just a great soup. I decided that the salad was the second best one I've had at the school so far, next to the almond and fig salad. The vinaigrette had a very unique flavor, as you could imagine, and the the cashews were incredible. Just like Spain's toasted almonds, these cashews were spiced and shattered in your mouth.

I went to a Jamaican restaurant, a real Jamaican restaurant, nearby my dad's house a few years ago. The place was very small, newly opened, and not in a busy area. The man who ran the place was Jamaican, had the accent, and you could tell that the place was authentic. Before then, I was never exposed to Jamaican cuisine. We got beef patties and individual containers of dishes. Just like if you were to go to one of those cheap Chinese restaurants, you pick a dish such as beef or chicken, and they put it in one half of a deep styrofoam container, filling the other half with a starch or vegetable. A Chinese place would fill one side with, let's say, general tsao's chicken, and the other side with steamed white rice. In this case, we got two or three different dishes. The one that stuck out indefinitely was the goat. It was filled on one side with fork-tender goat, still on the bones, and the other half with white rice, braised cabbage, and caramelized plantains. It was incredible.

That place had a huge influence on me. Sadly, my dad tended to get a little sick after eating that kind of food, so we never ended up going again. It was never like, "No. That place makes me sick. We're never going again!" It was more like, "Well, maybe we'll go some other time." Eventually, he explained that it made him a little sick, and around that same time, maybe before he explained or maybe after, we drove by the restaurant and I saw that it had closed. This was a shame, but I always had a feeling it would go out of business. If only they knew more about marketing, they would have advertised their place more, and maybe they would have gotten more of a following. It's unfortunate that it happened, but just that one meal had an impact on me. I hope that one day I can work somewhere that makes authentic Jamaican cuisine, so that I can learn to make that amazing goat whenever I please.

This goat wasn't as good as the restaurant's version, but maybe I had high expectations. It still made me very happy, and I ate every last piece in order to take advantage of finally having goat once more. The lime carrot salsa was good too, but strong. The plantain chips were great, and the roti bread was really interesting. It was large, rolled up, buttery soft, flaky, warm, and amazing.

After that great dinner, I went to Product Knowledge class. This class was the start of a few classes where tastings wouldn't be so fun for me. I'm allergic to a bunch of things.

- Peaches*
- Plums*
- Pears*
- Apples*
- Cherries*
- Kiwis*
- Pineapples
- Mangoes
- Blueberries*
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Snap Peas*
- Snow Peas*

A star denotes a more serious allergy.

I don't start to seize up and die. My throat just starts to get really itchy and annoying. It's really unpleasant. I can eat any of these things, by the way, if they're cooked. Apple cider, pineapple juice, raspberry coulis, plum tarts; they're all fine.

Here's what we tasted:


- Honey Crisp Apple
- Assorted Local Apples
- Jonah Gold Apple
- Quince

A Quince is a fruit related to apples and pears. All of the things we tasted were uncooked, so I didn't eat them.

Until the next time,
Eat well, then eat more