Grenada

I traveled to Grenada while staying at home with Morgan Freeman, cooking my way north to south down the archipelago through seventeen other island nations or territories until reaching this Caribbean “Island of Spice.” They say you smell the spice in the air when walking around the island, and I can certainly smell it right now!

Morgan Freeman & Friends: Caribbean Cooking for a Cause is one of the few cookbooks I have read cover to cover and made such a large percentage of the recipes. A Grenadian recipe, baked banana pudding, was a hit at our family Thanksgiving in 2019, so I’ll summarize it here and recommend that you pick up the cookbook. They have it at the San Bernardino County Library.

· Mash 2 ripe bananas with 2 tablespoons lime juice.

· Cream 1/3 cup butter with 1 cup brown sugar until fluffy, add 4 eggs, one at a time, then 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

· Mix ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/3 cup flour. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the bananas to the butter and sugar mixture.

· Mix 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk with 1 tablespoon coconut rum, then stir into the banana mixture.

· Pour into buttered 13x9 baking pan and bake at 350 degrees until set, about 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with heavy cream and toasted nuts.

Baked banana pudding would be good with nutmeg ice cream! https://www.food.com/recipe/nutmeg-ice-cream-grenada-195861

For more Grenadian cooking, A Taste of History, season 6, episode 7 on Amazon Prime explains Grenadian spices and how to make a series of additional recipes including Oil Down.

If we took a family trip to Grenada, Kristen and Allan would be diving in this self-proclaimed “wreck-diving capital of the Caribbean.” Dream Wrecks on Amazon Prime has an episode called “Grenada Storms” showing just a few of the shipwrecks that people dive. Scuba Diver magazine gives an overview of ten of them here: https://www.scubadivermag.com/top-10-grenada-wrecks/

While Kristen and Allan dive, Kaitlin and I would enjoy the dancing and music, and maybe join in on some of the games of dominos. Here are just two of the many unique dances of Grenada followed by a lot of great music:

· Dancing of the cake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux6vTcFZFCA

· The Belair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txxPML0ln9w

· Calypso: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaFZ37MrtVY

· More calypso (The Mighty Sparrow): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLfJbeo2suk&list=RDEMth0RgnWYzXXSa1H1T1nDVw&start_radio=1

· A string band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSqZe4VKKXA

· Parang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctDbdS0rsj0

· Jab Jab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnGnmAHmEEM

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the impact of the United States invasion of Grenada. No, not the “Clint Eastwood takes Grenada” version in Heartbreak Ridge (although that was entertaining). No, not the Tip and the Gipper explanation of political motivations (although that was helpful). Not even the Navy Seals: The Untold Stories, Episode 1: Grenada (although that was eye-opening). I’m trying to figure out what Grenadians thought then and think now. To get that perspective, I read Angel, a book by Merle Collins that is set in the time period. What did I learn? The closer you get to any situation, the more complex it is. In other words, the more you know, the more you know that you don’t know.

That’s why it is so wonderful to actually go to a place, feel the energy, and get to know the people in person. It’s not about knowing, it’s about experiencing and creating a relationship. If I went, I would see these places https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-things-grenada/#more-16582, but I would also laugh with someone and make a human connection. It is that connection that helps us survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Grenada and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: David Kirsch https://www.flickr.com/photos/k1rsch/13699193495/