Crustacean celebration
After hearing years of hype, a Beaconite finally had the pleasure of attending the renowned Anegada Lobster Fest over the weekend. It was as delightful as promised. The samples she tried, like the freshly fried lobster bites in a tangy mango sauce, were some of the best dishes she’s eaten all year. She was lucky enough to run into some good friends with whom to spend the afternoon in between interviewing chefs about their culinary creations this year. She and another group member managed to make it to seven of the dozen spots featured at the festival. But even more enchanting than the food and vistas was the friendliness of the featured cooks. The Beaconite enjoyed talking about the meaningfulness of sharing the traditions around cooking through generations. Speaking of cooking, she was also busy this week preparing Thanksgiving dinner for cherished friends. Nothing quite fills her heart like getting to bring together various friend groups over a home-cooked meal, especially when they’re far away from immediate family. She started hosting her “friendsgiving” in her early days of college, back when the menu consisted of deli turkey sandwiches and various boxed or canned side dishes. The table spread has improved since then, but what hasn’t changed is the spirit of camaraderie. After busy back-to-back-to-back weeks, the reporter is definitely looking forward to catching up on a few projects and some direly needed sleep.
Coca-Cola
A Beaconite often has a can of Coca-Cola in his hand, especially on hot days. Something about the ice-cold glass of bubbles acts as a tincture, giving a muggy afternoon a feeling of luxuriousness. In Morocco, where he visited once, a local guide overheard him pining for cola and recalled his many experiences with American tourists suffering from low blood sugar. After walking around all day in the African sun, the guide said, it is not uncommon to see such visitors faint. In the throws of heat exhaustion, the fallen tourist often calls out into the rippling heat waves not for water, not for medicine, but for a Coke! For an American, the guide had concluded, Coke is medicinal: It should be the first method of treatment for anyone from the United States who hasn’t had their daily injection of high-fructose corn syrup. Here in the VI, like anywhere else in the world, it doesn’t matter where you are or who you’re with, the brown beverage is always on the menu. It was easily available in north Africa, as it is on Tortola, and the Beaconite is sure that one day, if he finds himself in Madagascar sweating it out, there will be the opportunity to indulge. It’s medicinal, he tells himself. Today perhaps, he’ll take it with a twist of lemon.