Bahamas – Food & Culture
Native Food dishes in the Bahamas
The food from Jamaica is full of fire, taking advantage of pungent spices and peppers. Bahamas native food dishes include ‘rice and peas', a tasty dish with no peas at all but with kidney beans, white rice, coconut milk, scallions (spring onions) and coconut oil. If you like the sound of this, then you should look into this his great cook book which is full of popular caribbean recipes.
Another popular food eaten in Jamaica is salt fish (dried cod) and ackee (the cooked fruit of the ackee tree), curried goat and rice (spicy and strong), Jamaican pepperpot soup (salt pork, salt beef, okra and Indian kale known as callaloo), chicken fricassé Jamaican-style (a rich chicken stew with carrots, scallions, yams, onions, tomatoes and peppers prepared in unrefined coconut oil) and roast suckling pig (a three month old piglet which is boned and stuffed with rice, peppers, diced yam and thyme mixed with shredded coconut and corn meal). If these traditional foods in the Bahamas didn't get your curiosity, than the Patties will definitely do it. This Bahamas food is the staple snack of Jamaica (pastries filled with ground beef and bread crumbs) and can be found everywhere, but vary in price and filling. Waiter service is usually available in catering establishments.
Bahamas, People, Religion and Culture
When studying people of The Bahamas, it's impossible not to see the way they've built their ancient culture and national symbols. For example, the three Jamaica flag colors have special meaning to natives: the green represents the land and stands for hope and agriculture, the black for strength and creativity, and the gold for natural resources and the beauty of sunlight. In the same way, every color in Bahamas flag has certain explanation: the black color represents the strength and will power of the people, yellow the sandy beaches, and the aquamarine blue symbolizes the Caribbean Sea. (Both flags are pictured below).
Bahamas Flag
Jamaica Flag
When talking about Jamaica, we couldn't pass the nighttime entertainment on the island that is the home of reggae music. Characteristic to Jamaica culture is that every town or village has some sort of nightlife, and there are regular street dances. Jamaica people give often-folkloric shows at larger resort hotels, where other steel bands play too. At least once a week there is a torchlit, steel-band show with limbo dancing and fire-eating demonstrations. Nightclubs feature jazz, soca, reggae and other music. For details of events, visitors should consult local newspapers. The Jamaica Tourist Board arranges ‘Meet the People' evenings in various scenic locations through the island. Contact the Tourist Board in Kingston, Montego Bay, Port Antonio or Ocho Rios.
Special purchases are locally made items and duty-free bargains. Crafts include hand-loomed fabrics, embroidery, silk screening, woodcarvings, oil paintings, woven straw items and sandalmaking. Custom-made rugs and reproductions of pewter and china from the 17th-century ruins of the ancient submerged city of Port Royal can be bought in the In-Craft workshop. At Highgate Village in the mountains, Quakers run a workshop specializing in wicker and wood furniture, floor mats and other tropical furnishings. Jamaican rum, the Rumona liqueur (the world's only rum-based liqueur, hard to find outside the island) and Ian Sangsters Rum Cream are unique purchases. Other local specialties are Pepper Jellies, jams and spices. There are shops offering facilities for ‘in-bond' shopping which allows visitors to purchase a range of international goods free of tax or duty at very competitive prices. These goods are sealed (hence the ‘bond') and because goods are tax- or duty-free can only be opened once away from Jamaican waters or territory. All goods must be paid for in Jamaican currency. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700. Some shops close half day Wednesday in Kingston, and Thursday in the rest of the island.
As social convention, handshaking is the customary form of greeting. As tourism is a major industry in Jamaica, the visitor is well catered for, and hotel and restaurant staff are generally friendly and efficient. Outside Kingston the pace of life is relaxed and people are welcoming and hospitable. Normal codes of practice should be observed when visiting someone's home. It may be common to see signs on the island referring to ‘Jah lives', Jah being the name given to God by the Rastafarians. Casual wear is suitable during the day, but shorts and swimsuits must be confined to beaches and poolsides. Evening dress varies from very casual in Negril to quite formal during the season in other resorts, where some hotels and restaurants require men to wear jackets and ties at dinner.
Jamaican RumJamaican rum is world-famous, especially Gold Label and Appleton. Rumona is a delicious rum cordial. Red Stripe beer is excellent, as is Tia Maria (a Blue Mountain coffee and chocolate liqueur). Fresh fruit juice is also recommended, as is Blue Mountain coffee, an excellent variety. Bars have table and/or counter service. There are no licensing hours and alcohol can be bought all day.
Marijuana
Also good to know that possession of marijuana may lead to imprisonment and deportation. The law on crime and drugs in Jamaica is very strict even if today there is a lot of debate and more arguments for and against constitutional reform in Jamaica are openly discussed.
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