Veggie woes
A vegetarian Beaconite has struggled to make affordable and healthy(ish) food choices when faced with import taxes on a journalist’s salary. Thus, she often finds herself compulsively checking sales at the supermarket. Almost every day she goes in, grabs a basket and walks up and down every aisle scanning the discount stickers. And soon as a non-perishable staple goes on sale, she buys six. She then cobbles together meals with whatever vegetables are discounted that week. She has managed to curate a decently stocked kitchen this way. It also has encouraged her to try foods she wouldn’t otherwise try, like garlic-and-herb goat cheese and gluten-free chocolate Honey Bunches of Oats. While she resents having to pay $12 for her beloved peanut butter, she appreciates how sale shopping has encouraged her to be creative with her cooking. But seriously, what do people do with butternut squash?
Tsunami drill
This month, the Virgin Islands participated in the Caribe Wave 2019 tsunami drill. A press release issued by the Department of Disaster Management after the Beacon’s press time last week included some interesting numbers about the exercise. The DDM tested nine platforms and eight sirens on four islands, and also enlisted the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force to do community drive-throughs in heavily populated areas. Approximately 10 percent of the VI population participated in the exercise, and the DDM urges residents who did to provide feedback at bviddm.com.
Eco-travelers
A Beaconite always tells people that the best way to get around the Caribbean is by boat. Flights might save time, but between fares and high taxes levied in many countries, they are also expensive. Boats, on the other hand, are much more scenic and fun, and don’t take that much longer. Many countries are accessible in less than a day. Mel Gould and Steve Massey, travelers from the United Kingdom, have subscribed to that philosophy, arriving in the Virgin Islands by boat from Puerto Rico as part of their efforts to make it from the UK to the Caribbean and back without burning any fossil fuels. “As climate change is affecting Caribbean islands so much with increasing hurricane events, etcetera, we were even more determined to travel in a low carbon way and learn and contribute while we travel,” said Ms. Gould, who sailed from the UK to Puerto Rico — where her sister lives — on the tall ship Star Clipper. The pair have enlisted others in their quest as well: Friends of theirs traveled from the UK to Canada on a cargo vessel. “We have stayed on organic farms, learned and helped fix roofs and more,” said Ms. Gould. In the VI, they found lodgings at Good Moon Farm, where they helped out owner Aragorn Dick-Read with his mission to provide locally grown produce. By last Thursday, they had found a ride on another sailing vessel and were off to St. Maarten to continue their journey.