Eat gibnut? What is the heck is gibnut anyway? Here is the explanation of my blog's name. More to come on Peru soon. It's our last night here, and we've been eating so much I've actually decided to skip dinner.
I knew an embarrassingly little amount about Belize when I first stepped foot there last December. I will be the first to admit I did minimal research. I just sort of showed up under my bosses wings’, and expected to have a good time… like attending a wedding of someone you don’t really know and taking full advantage of the open bar. I was unaware that Belize had one of the lowest populations densities in the world, or even that English was their primary language. The heavy Caribbean influence struck me immediately, with its brightly painted buildings, Creole English, and scorching sun that made carrying around a 25 lb baby a bit more of a workout.
After enjoying a short stay in Belize City last December, I joined the CAVU team of 8 as they all met in late February to begin producing CAVU’s www.cavuussite.org next film on Belize’s most priced possession: the second largest barrier reef in the world. Named a world heritage site in 1996, the reef is home to more than 500 species of fish and 70 species of coral. It is also the backbone of Belize’s economy, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year and driving the country’s fishing industry. Sadly, the reef is under immediate threat due to unsustainable and poorly planned development (which causes massive amounts of mangrove destruction) and a variety of environmental and economic factors. The goal of CAVU’s film is to highlight the reef’s importance and prompt the country to create a coastal management plan. Check out their website, it’s great stuff!
Taking caring of Miss Niva was my full time job, but I was also hired on as a caterer to cook some meals for the CAVU film crew to help defer some of the extensive costs of eating out. We spent our time just outside of the town of Placencia, a place that became so familiar to me that after 3 weeks I was up on the town’s gossip, chatted frequently with the owners of several restaurants, and knew exactly which Chinese groceries to avoid. A small fruit and vegetable stand, David Perez, became a regular stop, the owner always reassuring me that my desired ingredient was “coming in tomorrow”. The diversity of produce (and freshness) was incredible: beets, lettuces, fresh tamarind, papaya, plantains, 4 different colors of peppers, herbs, etc. I grew so fond of the place I even tried hugging the young woman who ran the stand, only prompting one of the most awkward embraces I’ve ever experienced. (who IS this crazy American, she was thinking to herself) Then there was the gelateria “Tuitti Fruiti” ran by a darling Italian couple who also served the best espressos for miles. The fisherman’s co-op, steps from the bay, was an eye (and nose) opening experience. Fresh dorado, snapper and conch came in daily, and I learned quickly that whole fish on the grill again supports my theory of simple is best. Keep the scales on, give it a nice bath, and fill with fresh herbs, garlic, salt and pepper, coat with oil, and you are ready to go. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. Local foods were the usual rice and black bean staples, with roadside vendors selling chicken tacos and coconut water. I had the pleasure of cooking a vegetable risotto, 13 pizzas from scratch, grilled fish tacos with red cabbage slaw, and a variety of other snacks and dinners. I even met someone worthy enough of helping in my kitchen during mid-meal madness. For me, this is a miracle in itself!
After the shoot was over, film editor Tony Hale and I took a 5 day adventure into the western part of the country. Below are some clips of some of the culinary adventures we found along the way.
The first video was shot at a rural restaurant called “Sheena’s Bistro”. We had the pleasure of meeting Sheena herself and enjoying gibnut.
After arriving in San Ignacio, I decided to try a local restaurant's special of “boil-up”. Turns out that boil up is a pig’s tail, boiled up with a bunch of other junk. Not the most gourmet meal I've enjoyed, but worth a taste for sure.
Mmmmm rodent! from Lizz R on Vimeo.