Doing it for the Culture and the Calories…

Be honest: when you’re getting ready to go out, do you check the menu before you pick

the outfit? I do. Some of you scrolling for wardrobe inspo….me I am zooming in on food

pics, mentally pairing side dishes with outfits. Cute top? Check. Stretchy waist? Check.

Now, where de oxtail ?

If you’re a real foodie, you feel me already. And if you’re not? By the end of this post,

you will be. As your Caribbean culture cousin, it would be selfish of me not to tell you

that CARIFESTA XV is going to be a cultural buffet and I plan to eat my way from

Barbados to Belize, from Haiti to Havana, all the way to Ghana. Yes, my passport will be

in my mouth.

We’re not just talking about food. We’re talking:

• Street food

• Sunday food

• Roast food

• Food as medicine

• Fancy, fusion, five-star kind of food Basically, everything from the rooter to the tooter, and yes  peppersauce pun everytin’.

You’ll learn about ingredients you never heard of, taste flavour combos that will change

your life, and meet chefs who cook like your granny and plate it like Gordon Ramsay.

Right now, I have tabs open Googling dishes from St. Vincent, Anguilla, St. Lucia,

Dominica, and Trinidad. I plan to mek these people food snot.

No shame.

No mercy.

Just vibes and starch.

Here’s What to Expect (Without Spoiling All the Surprises):

Country booths in the Grand Market Village Every country repping at CARIFESTA will

have food and drink on sale. That means authentic eats, unique spices, wild new

textures and smells, and yes  new reasons to break your diet daily.

Seafood lovers, assemble

At the last CARIFESTA, I ate my body weight in roast, bbq and boil lobster tails and this

year? Same plan. No regrets.

Bougie foodies, don’t worry, we got you There’ll be traditional meets gourmet, cooking

demonstrations, and dishes that look like art but still taste like home.

And this one on Sunday August 24th is for the plate-lickers and rice-and-peas warriors.

Don’t eat  home, give yuh mother in law a rest invite her to the Grand Market and let

every country’s Sunday lunch be your gift to her.

Sustainable sistren and brethren, respect due. Bring your own spoon and straw. We

eco-conscious out here, and our vendors will be using biodegradable containers. It's

good food with good sense.

And lastly, delegates  we got something special for you too.  New digs in the Grand

Market and a professional kitchen setup so the real cookist (aka chefs)  can show off.

Shout out to the delegations already planning to throw down!

Big love to the CARIFESTA XV Grand Market crew and all the country teams,  I can’t

wait to taste the region, one plate at a time. So if you see me moving through the stalls

like I’m on a food pilgrimage… just know, I’m doing it for the culture.

And the calories?  Worth every one.

Written by Kim Butcher

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