If you’re  a regular reader of this blog (or if you’ve been browsing the Ramadan posts from over the years) you will realise that there’s a particular kind of joy attached to this month. Yes, it’s all about ibadah (worship) and the fasting and extra night prayers (Tarawih) can be a test, but there’s a sense of community that abounds during this month. It’s partly the feeling you get when you perform the Hajj (pilgrimage), that you’re part of something bigger that millions and millions of people are sharing in at the same time. There’s also a more simplistic reason – people tend to break fast in the mosque together, sharing the Iftar (you get blessings for feeding a fasting person so people like to sponsor these dinners!) and the Tarawih prayers are an extra nightly reason to go to the masjid for salaah in jamaat (congregational prayers). All that extra togetherness adds to the special feelings associated with this month – specialness which is almost always accompanied by great food!

Muslims also tend to spend some time planning meals during this month – for communal cooking for the Iftar, favourite delicacies to entice reluctant eaters during Suhr (the meal before the fast begins at dawn) or to stimulate the shrinking appetite later in the month. And of course, there’s the planning for Eid! What you’re going to wear of course, but more importantly, what are you going to cook and serve up to all and sundry! While the search stats for this blog reveal that people are looking for the usual suspects in the Ramadan/Eid lineup – kurma, barfi, sawine, maleeda, and ras gullah for example – that doesn’t mean that other sweet treats aren’t on the agenda.

Like this chocolate cake. Moist, chocolatey and with a lovely butter frosting using melted chocolate. So. very. good. And not too large (although I’d double the recipe the next time to get a nice high cake).

It’s from a book called “Chocolate: Easy and delicious step-by-step recipes”. It’s a British book…I need to check the publisher details. It’s a great book as far as we can tell since the few things we’ve made from it have been excellent. The children definitely like the photos and have found lots of things Aunty Chennette needs to come make.

RECIPE (modifications in brown)

Cake

• 125 g (4.5 oz) soft margarine (or butter)
• 125 g (4.5 oz) caster sugar (we used very brown sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup (we actually had this! I’d usually substitute any kind of syrup or even some thinned molasses)
• 125 g (4.5 oz) self-raising flour, sifted (see note above!) Substitute 125 grams (4.5 oz) flour plus  1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted (we used 4)

Frosting/Filling

• 50 g (1.75 oz) icing sugar, sifted
• 25 g (1 oz) butter
• 100 g (3.5 oz) milk cooking chocolate
• a little extra cooking chocolate for the top (optional)

METHOD (my method)

Lightly grease 2 7-inch shallow cake tins (the layer pans – we used larger ones, all we had, so the cake was flatter)

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit)

Now, the recipe just said mix all ingredients to a smooth batter, but, I have my home ec training ingrained in me – this is a cake, to be made by the creamed-in method. This is how you get a light cake texture. I have tried recipes before that say mix everything together and the cake comes out rubbery. So your choice.

Cream margarine/butter and sugar together until the mixture is creamy and light.

Add eggs, beat well.

Add golden syrup, mix well.

Add flour and cocoa powder, fold in – mix gently to incorporate  into a smooth batter but do not over beat.

Divide mixture between both pans equally.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out cleanly (if you are using the larger pans, it will cook very quickly).

Let cake cool in pans for a few minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool while you make the frosting.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler or gently in a microwave (microwave on medium for 20 seconds at a time and stir in intervals)

Beat icing sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, mix well.

Spread 1/3 of the frosting on the top of one cake layer, place the other cake layer on top. (we threw in some butterscotch chips in the middle of the layers)

Use the remaining frosting to cover the cake. (I’ll admit that I made a bit more frosting than the recipe called for, maybe using 1/2 oz more butter and icing sugar accordingly). Drizzle melted chocolate over the top or top with nuts or other chips.

Enjoy!

From my brief visit in October, my mind is still filled with images of broken-down buildings on many streets in Port au Prince – and that was before the earthquake. But there was much positive images from that trip as well – the hospitality of the people, the views from the Hotel Montana (which was hit hard by the quake), the lovely Caribbean food, the art and music that people surround themselves with. As a lawyer, it was also most telling that we were there the day they voted out the Prime Minister, yet life (outside Government offices) went on as normal, without the violence and chaos that in previous times might have met any of the frequent hiccoughs in the stability of the administration.

Hard enough for Haiti to be hit like this…worse that it hit the capital so hard. There is much being said, and much more will continue to be said about the adequacy of the immediate international response to actually get aid on the ground. The fact that even now, ten days later essential aid is not getting to people, rescue efforts amid the rubble seem to never have started in some areas, and still people are dying. I am not an expert on disaster responses, but I do feel that alot of that has to be because the quake hit Port au Prince leaving the government, in terms of persons and manpower, physical buildings and mental state, in shambles. Even the UN mission office was devastated and key relief agency personnel were lost. Lessons to learn for those of us who live in even smaller islands where we centralise our entire official administration in one single crammed capital. Not to name names – I try not to do that in this blog, but seriously, who would take the reins if Port of Spain were to be hit? The Mayor of San Fernando???).

Most of our Caribbean governments have received the disfavour of regional commenters (and of course bloggers) for slow or insufficient responses, whether it be for holding to a wait-and-see attitude or pledging relatively small sums to the aid effort. Again, I am not an expert. But I do know that none of us is equipped to deal with the disaster of the kind Haiti is experiencing. Not individually. Another lesson to learn for our own benefit. The response had to be international to secure the best of the best for Haiti, ever the poor outside child. If the response failed, we, the whole world failed. Not just the Caribbean. That’s not to let our people off the hook though. We might be small and only a few of us have standing militaries and heavy rescue and transportation equipment, and even if we were not the best placed for the immediate rescue and relief efforts, that is just the first stage. Haiti is our Caribbean sister. The responsibility to be there for Haiti and Haitians will not end for us. It does not end when the city is cleaned up and the emergency volunteers have left. Not even when things appear to be functioning with normal administration systems. The level of destruction Haiti has experienced cannot be reversed overnight. Or even in a few years. They had little foundation to begin with.

So, Caribbean leaders, I am not going to calculate what you have pledged in this the first ten days since the earthquake. Your accounting should continue for years and years into the future. We cannot leave Haiti to be rebuilt by the superpowers. Our first independent sister should not be subjected to newer forms of colonialism, well-meaning as they may be, not if all of us who celebrate the history beginning with Toussaint L’Ouverture really believe what we’re talking about when we take the victory of the black people in Haiti as part of our Caribbean history.

Maybe this is why I took this long to post…too much to say that I usually try to stay away from on this blog. I cannot end without noting that there have been responses from the Caribbean. It may not be reported, it may not be considered great by the international news media, or sadly even by the regional media, but there is a system in the Caribbean to respond to disasters and it was triggered. If you visit the website of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) you will see updates on the actions taken. Operations started with the Jamaica Defence Force including relief supplies and medical personnel. CDEMA is also coordinating and reporting on its member countries’ relief efforts. The Caribbean Community is also compiling volunteer information via a questionnaire on its website, so fill out the form if you have some special skill or time to give to relief efforts.

“Nationals of the Caribbean Community including French, French Creole Patois speakers, who are willing to make available their expertise and services to the Community’s response to this tragedy, are invited to submit contact details and other information using the questionnaire provided”

Although the focus right now is on financial contributions and medical assistance, it appears the information will be compiled for further relief efforts. I reiterate that I make no comment on the adequacy or efficiency of this action, but know that it is there.

And that’s just official responses, as in governments. The outpourings of private citizens and organisations, NGOs and commercial entities are encouraging. And I hope they persist. Check in with Global Voices Online special coverage on Haiti to get citizen-media updates, including from bloggers in Haiti right now.

As to where else you can make contributions, the listing on CNN is a good start as it gives you information on various organisations from which you can make your choice.

If you want to offer something more tangible than money, Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi have provided some information on the ShelterBox, a system designed to shelter 10 people, something really needed in Haiti right now.

So, go help. But remember the help shouldn’t disappear when the global attention moves on to something else.

Courtesy this job, I have been to Grenada quite a few times in the last few years. It’s generally just to Grand Anse, and usually not enough to time to do more than the hotel (cue sigh about the supposed glamour of a job-with-travel). Due to the number of visits, however, I do have a few ideas. Grenada is probably my next favourite island after T&T. Or it alternates with Dominica (who would not love a country that is tiny yet still 2/3 uninhabitable because of gorgeous rain forested mountain?). And occasionally sentimentality about the 2.5 years (over a 12 year period) lived in Barbados.

But no. Back to the point. I decided the last time that Grenada was my favourite other Caribbean island. Decisions are helpful to know how you feel. Try it. It’s life-changing.

Grenada is a small island with rainforest and natural features like waterfalls and volcanic crater lakes, the expected gorgeous Caribbean beach and coastal views, narrow winding and steep little roads right in town and through the rainforest, and gorgeous colour everywhere. It is the Spice Isle, being the source of great things like the nutmeg pictured above, which I picked up from nder a tree just growing on the side of a road…incredible. Because of this, it is also the source of the incredibly delicious treat called nutmeg ice cream. Which, when done well, is like the richest, creamiest eggnog-y ice cream. Oh so good. On my first trip to Grenada, my aunt packed me up with 2 large  containers of this island specialty to take to Trinidad (just before the days of liquid restrictions on hand luggage), which I dutifully dropped off with her sister (my mother) and continued my travels. Upon my return a mere week later, there was NONE left. Nary a drop. It was that good.

While Grenada may seem like a typical Caribbean island there are a few features that are worth noting. One of the iconic views of Grenada is of the Carenage. The Carenage is the inner harbour in downtown St. George’s surrounded by hills and colourful houses and buildings picturesquely crammed onto those hills. It reminds me somewhat of the harbour towns in the Highlands and the Hebridean Islands. Obviously much warmer The Carenage is a bustling transportation and shopping hub, with markets and duty free shopping, and is always busy. And yes, the blues are that blue. I did no colour-tweaking at all on the most recent photos (new Sigma 50mm f2.8 lens has been great!).

Then there’s Grand Anse – there on the right. Home of many hotels and shopping around this gorgeous bay, it’s where I usually stay. Convenient because of the malls, supermarket and restaurants (and dentists, which I needed the last time) with easy access to that lovely beach. The view on the right is from the Flamboyant Hotel, which is up the hill the bay, giving you spectacular views.

There is more than just the beach to Grenada, however. In the Grand Etang Rainforest Reserve you’ll see lush rainforest (naturally), waterfalls, crater lakes and more. Annandale Falls is a pretty waterfall in the midst of tropical foliage. There’s a little area you can swim in, and people do jump although that may not be advisable… The Falls are in the Grand Etang Rainforest but very accessible from the road – a short walk past vendors and over a sulphur-laden stream. There is another waterfall people visit, but I have not yet been.

Of course, you don’t have to leave your hotel to experience wildlife. In Grand Anse in particular, they come to you…crabs. Big and small. Red crabs dot the roadways, coming out of every little hole in the dirt by the drains and ditches. Better yet, big ones suddenly appear in the night in the hotel as you walk to your room!

If you’re not partial to crabs in their live form, then head up to the Gouyave Fish Friday Festival (pronounced Gwah-v). Every Friday, the people in this little coastal town come out in the narrow streets and set up tents, stoves, grills etc and serve up seafood and local delicacies every where you look. It’s a bit of a drive from Grand Anse (taxi can cost about EC$200-220 round-trip) but it’s worth it if you go hungry and ready to try out everything. You can have all kinds of seafood obviously – fried, steamed or grilled fish, served with breadfruit, or fried bakes or chips. Crab backs. Coconut fried shrimp. Fish cakes. Nutmeg Ice Cream. Fresh Juices. Lots of different vendors to try different hands. The photo on the right is snapper wrapped in foil with onions and peppers and seasoning and cooked on a grill. Served with fried bakes. You may not always find a place to sit, but stick around people will have to get up and move eventually.

More formal dining is available of course. You can visit my  Eating Out: Grenada set on Flickr for views of food at The Beach House, Coconut Beach, Flamboyant and Le Chatueau. I highly recommend the Beach House – it’s an open building right on the beach and their food is excellent.

One of the popular tourist sites in Grenada is the agro-tourism of the Belmont Estate, which is a 17th century plantation where you can see their cocoa processing, organic farm, lovely gardens and dine at their restaurant. I can’t speak to the restaurant, since when I visited it was Ramadan and while my colleagues enjoyed lunch, I sat in the gardens and tried out my new lens on the lovely flowers and greenery. But I did see the cocoa laid out to dry, and a fruit stand with the estate’s produce.

Leapers’ Hill or Le Morne De Sauteurs is located in the northern part of the island where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean, and was named so by the French settlers after the indigenous Carib Amerindians, were defeated by the French for possesion of the island. Rather than facing submission to the French, the last few remaining Caribs jumped off the high cliff that is now called Leapers’ Hill. There’s a monument on the hill on the cemetary, from where you can get some nice views of Kick-em Jenny (a still active volcano off the coast of Grenada). The Information Centre is closed on Sundays, so take note.

Lots of things are closed on Sundays actually… like the Grenada Chocolate Company. Home to that lovely Organic Dark Chocolate in the pretty packaging. Sigh. If you’re headed to Grenada, make sure to schedule a visit on one of the other 6 days of the week.

There are many more photos in my Grenada set on Flickr.

I hope you enjoyed this little visit to Grenada, one of T&T’s closest neighbours. I realise I have been failing on the travel elements of this blog, so why not catch up so that I start 2010 on a good note!

It’s that time of the Islamic calendar again – Eid ul Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice. It falls on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah, which is the month in which Hajj falls (hence name, if you recognise the root syllables).

So today (or yesterday, as we are behind over here) the Hujaaj or pilgrims would have spent the day in prayer on Mount Arafat (photo on the right). It’s one of the pillars of the Hajj where you spend the hours between the midday prayer and sunset making supplications, or personal prayers (du’a). It is the day when prayers will be answered and most Hujaaj have a list of prayers to make from friends and family for this day. If you are not performing Hajj this year, you fast and still make du’a.

You spend the day in tents, which are not permanent and as they are only for the day are not airconditioned, made from regular tent fabric. Still, rows and rows and rows! And of course people…you leave at sunset…if your bus is there…OR you get time to take photos of the empty tents…Arafat is also where I got that photo of the camel!

This is technically the Big Eid, the bigger of the 2 official Muslim festivals, but in T&T it tends to get overtaken by Eid ul Fitr which has a holiday and is preceded by a month of fasting. In Guyana and Suriname, Eid ul Adha is a holiday, so those Muslims will have the day off tomorrow. Those of us lucky enough to be caught in the CHOGM holiday bracket (schools and POS government offices) can also take the day to celebrate. As this Eid can be celebrated over 3 days, many persons are also taking the opportunity to have the sacrifice or Kurbani done tomorrow, Saturday.

I am in Trinidad until tomorrow night, so Lilandra and I are making baklava (done), apple crumble (done, and so good, nice balance of tart and sweet), pizza (getting there) and a flatbread with za’atar (one of those things I am to post soon). Today Mom also made fresh kachourie for iftar (breaking of the fast) and tomorrow we make mutton biriyani!

I am still on the road more or less until the week after, so more posts then!

Our (sister-the-elder and I) prep for Eid started earlier in the week with discussions on menu and making lists. I’m doing Eid with her family here in Guyana and not in Trinidad. So, we basically have to cater for the mosque crew tomorrow from lunch onwards (which will NOT be curry since that’s the primary food group they’ve been enjoying all month long at the masjid). And then another big do in the week for other friends, which will be curry (alhamdulillah, because it means less I have to actually cook!). And then, super ambitious this year – I am going to have a few people over next weekend for a small Eid dinner. Haven’t done that since my student days in Edinburgh. I usually just am part of a larger family thing either at home in Trinidad, or here in Guyana with my sister. So lots of menu planning and cooking.

All 3 events will need some sweets. And after our years of experience with Mom, we try to set aside some nights in the week before Eid to make large batches of sweets. This was somewhat hampered by lack of essential ingredients (NO Nestle’s cream? Can you imagine?? I can only surmise the distributor in Trinidad just kept all there!). But 2 nights ago we made gulab jamoon – 206 of them, fried in batches of 13 and then sugared in a quick icing sugar glaze. We had planned to make one of those large cartering size sheet pans of barfi…but no cream and no desire to be creative and experimental with such a core sweet. So tonight we made halwa – 1.5 lbs of semolina halwa! All this while fending off 2 little ones and with the varying helpfulness help of a pre-teen and teen.

We also did some prep for the more savoury courses – boiled 5 lbs potato for the potato salad, ground 3 lbs of channa and lentils for falafel, cooked the 4 lbs of minced beef for lasagna, someone cut up and season the 20 lbs of chicken and made sure we had more than enough green seasonings and other ingredients. We also made a macaroni pie with lots of cheese and mustard…and minced beef (which won’t pass Lilandra’s standards because of that one little addition). It made a good dinner for the night of Eid, followed by ice cream (and goodness, the places little ones can drip and drop ice cream is amazing…and they don’t go for the no-stain coconut…no, it has to be chocolate…)

So for those who are interested, our menu (a la Lilandra’s usual style)

Eid Day

• Falafel
• Tahini dip (darn got to remember to dig out the tahini from my fridge!)
• Lasagna
• Yellow Rice
• Stew Chicken
• Potato Salad
• Green Salad
• Halwa
• Gulab Jamoon
• Sawine

(It may not sound particularly exotic, but we’re looking forward to it, so it’s festive enough!)

Wednesday
Curry – which should be roti, rice, curried meats, punpkin, bhagi…you get the idea)
Plus the sweets

Saturday Night

• Falafel
• Bulgur Pilaf
• Trout Filets baked (perhaps stuffed) in a sour cream/lime sauce
• Chicken Biriyani OR
• Chicken Kebab inspired dish (with Middle Eastern seasonings – time to break out the sumac I brought from Hajj)
• Potato, Eggplant and Feta dish
• Usual sweets (whatever’s left)
• Baklava (if I can find filo pastry)

It’s already close to midnight and I still have to sort out my clothes, so I won’t even try to put more photos in this post. You can browse my Flickr stream for Eid photos and enjoy!

Yes, I know, this is primarily a food blog, and people might think I spend a lot of time cooking, or getting food supplies, but recently, not so much. And to actually get out there on a Saturday!! Saturdays I am not usually sure I am alive, much less active. So I hope and pray insha Allah (God willing) that the focus continues. I’ve found over the years, that focus during this month makes me more efficient at work too – getting things done more quickly and getting OUT the door and home. So we can all hope for some more food talk on this blog during this month too as it relates to Ramadan of course.

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Speaking of good happenings, several weeks ago the ever-so-kind people at Amazing Trinidad Vacations contacted me to interview Chennette for their site. I took a while, but they were patient thankfully, and the interview is now live on their blog. I am very flattered that they asked me – one of the previous interviewees was David Rudder!!  The site is intended to be a vacation guide to Trinidad and Tobago, starting with the personal experiences of the hosts (a family affair, Trinis and Trini by marriage) and providing information on the destination, culture, food etc – it’s a good online resource to refer people to as a starting point. Even for locals – especially those who missed out on the family’s Maracas trips

1. Because Mom said so.*

2. So that when you spill your pasta in the sink, while cooking with injuries all over both hands, you don’t feel guilty about scooping up the pasta and putting it back in the hot water to sterilise it.

Fastidious people should avoid my chicken cacciatore tonight. Although it is good. Very good. But after all that, the pasta is overcooked…

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* Quite fanatic about it too. Out of her four two elder children, one always had to be on sink-clearing duty while she cooked.

Ok, perhaps this might sound like another “paranoid’ warning about the nefarious alien bovine plots for the Earth. But people in Guyana must clearly be in the know more than I knew!

For here is a sign that has tickled my interest and raised goosebumps. “No Cattle Allowed” at the entrance to a residential area just outside Georgetown. Now, you can read this anyway you wish, but I choose to believe that these people know that cows can READ, hence the sign (because cows generally roam the area unfettered by human accompaniment, so who do they expect to read the prohibition?) AND they are afraid. Very afraid. They need to warn the cattle away!

Don’t believe me about the underlying menace behind this sign? Then what is the bird of prey doing lurking about? Sure, it’s just a chicken hawk, hardly the largest or freakiest looking bird in Guyana, but it’s the perfect setup for the horrors to come, to have a bird of prey looming overhead…

Be warned.

Even 3 year olds know this.

Niece #1: “Mummy, can I get some chocolate”

Sister-the-elder: “No, it’s too late. If you’re hungry you can have some bread or some food.”

Niece #1: “Mummy I will be happy if you give me chocolate, I am not happy now.”

Good thing she never watched The Incredible Hulk, or her next line would have been, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m not happy, Mummy.”

First View of the Kaabah

Originally uploaded by Chennette

The family returned from the Hajj on the 29th of December 2008. Last year That was on Monday and today is Friday. But we arrived with the usual Hajji cough, cold, flu, allergies, tiredness from 3 days of travel, good cheer from the completion of the Hajj and the communion with 4 million people from all over the world…everything but our luggage. Four of us, and the only luggage we got was our little 2-gallon container of Zam Zam water!

Alhamdulillah, we got our luggage yesterday. Of course, passage through and long stay in Caracas meant that 4 were opened and a couple things snagged from 2 of them, but nothing overly important or valuable (i.e. all my new hijabs are intact).

Lilandra walked with a copybook and had the great idea for us to journal (by HAND) so that we could at least have some notes for blogging later. We did pretty well on the trip TO Saudi Arabia, even having comments (in the margins) and guest commentary and musings from the parents. That never made it past the plane to Jeddah though. Once we got into Saudi we were in full Hajj mode and that just took up all our concentration and attention.

The experience of the Hajj is difficult to explain briefly. On one level, it is intensely personal, a completion of an individual religious obligation (if you can afford it) and an opportunity for forgiveness and personal prayer and supplication. During the Hajj, you try to do as much as you can to maximise the benefits of the experience. On the other hand, it’s a massive community exercise, with millions of Muslims from all over the world descending on the same location to do the same things for a few days. Oh, the languages, and the peoples, and the crowds. It’s all just amazing to be part of that, part of such a huge celebration and really feel like one of an Ummah (nation).

Lilandra and I will nonetheless try to chronicle our journey at our Hajj blog for posterity, and maybe for the benefit of any future hujaaj*. There are some really funny stories – especially the ones that were not so funny to us at the time. Wily old ladies and the unspoken battle for sleeping ground. The shock of the stooping toilets. Flat tyres and deserts. Saudi seasoning = salt, salt, and salt on the table.

I’ll link to them as we post, maybe cross-post a bit. But we’re back safely, and more or less healthy depending on when you ask us. As for photos, well, they technically don’t allow photographs in the Masjid-al-Haram (mosque around the Kaabah) and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, but I managed it in Makkah (hence the pictures of the Kaabah and more to follow). In Madinah they’re much much stricter, but I do have some courtyard photos to share

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Hujaaj is the plural term for a pligrim, singular is Hajji or Hajja