I can’t help myself, folks. I am a foodie. It’s a toss-up if I enjoy eating food, cooking food, or learning about different foods the most. If you read my Belizean Breezes – Impressions blog, you know I didn’t put any food photos there. Why?
I saved them all for this. If your tummy is rumbling by the time you’re done looking at these, sorry! (Not really!!!)
(Apologies for any shots that are blurry – I might have been swaying from hunger!)
Our breakfast on Ambergris Caye was usually light, a turnover or other pastry, plus the excellent Belizean coffee, rich and dark and savory. We brought some home, but it’s not the same as enjoying it overlooking the ocean from our second story lanai. One bakery is only open in the afternoons and evenings, allowing islanders to stock up for the next day.
I ate lobster any way I could get it – tacos, tails, stewed, and ceviche. Dear Hubby fell in love with stewed chicken and other poultry preps, but he gobbled those plates down so fast, I never got a shot of them! The Belizean version of rice and beans was also a favorite he seems to have mastered now that we’re home.
The local beer is called Belikin, a low alcohol option, and it’s the norm to have it with most meals. The water is safe to drink, but tends to taste brackish and sulfury. Even the locals drink bottled water. We asked multiple times why the bottles are always – and I mean always – served with that napkin wrapped around the neck. No one had an answer for us. The bottles are recycled, reminding us of the old soda bottles from our childhoods. Beverage delivery to restaurants happens on a big open trailer pulled by a tractor!
Seafood and shellfish varieties are plentiful. We were one week shy of conch season, but hey, we ate lobster instead! Fish would be prepared in every fashion imaginable, from fried to grilled to raw. Yes, I ate seafood every day, usually twice a day! It was all local, so fresh you would picture it swimming.
And of course, what day for a foodie is complete without dessert? We didn’t indulge often, but we made it count when we did!
We were at the Caye in off season, meaning many places were closed for vacation or renovation. How hard would it have been to make choices among the many pedal carts, street-side walk-ups, dock or pier shops and sit-down restaurants if everything was open? It boggles my mind!
We’ll just have to go back and try – and try again – to find our favorites. Tough duty, don’t you think?
Ask me any questions you like about the pictures – or travel recommendations for the Caye. What are some of your favorite vacation or travel foodie memories? Share in the comments, and have us all drooling along with you!
