from March 2005
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features_insidersjamaica.html
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Insider's Jamaica
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11. Savor decadent delights
Chef Colin Hilton's treats, for sale at the Guilt Trip Restaurant and Pastries (20 Barbican Rd., Kingston; +1 876 977 5130 or -5131) are more than worth the carbs and calories. "His pastries are fabulous," says Jamaica restaurateur Norma Shirley, "and very creative. Colin uses local mango, June plum, guava, passionfruit, and naseberry (a tropical fruit with a sweet brownish pulp) to create his desserts. "I love the gizzadas—little pastries filled with grated coconut," says Shirley.
12. Eat some snapper or grouper
"Jamaicans love fish—and often have it for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner," says local fish aficionado Glendon Nam. "Where they go is Miss May's, a shack on Hellshire Beach, just outside Kingston, where the catch that's served is fresh off the boat. Miss May makes an escoveitch sauce for the fish from onion, spices, vinegar, and peppers. You've never tasted fish like this: crispy on the outside, tender and succulent on the inside."
13. Take a serious golf challengePlay 18 holes at the White Witch Golf Course (Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, east of Montego Bay; +1 876 953 2800 or -2259). "Tyrall is considered the most challenging course in Jamaica," says Ocho Rios art impresario Peter Proudlock. "But a lot of people—including myself—consider White Witch to be just as difficult. It's a great course, beautifully maintained with spectacular views of the sea and the mountains."
14. Have a look at colonial architecture
"Jamaicans worship concrete now," says artist Judy Ann MacMillan, "but in days gone by we built nearly everything out of wood. Kingston has a lot of wonderful old civic buildings, but one of the best examples is Mico Teacher's College [1a Marescaux Rd., Crossroads, Kingston; +1 876 754 7180]. Established in 1834 as a school for freed slaves, it was clearly built for its tropical location. It is raised off the ground with a steep roof and long verandas. The breeze comes right through the big sash windows making the interiors cool and pleasant."
15. Take in a game of cricket
"The 'in' thing is going to the Red Stripe Mound at Sabina Park [in Kingston]," says author, editor, and cricket fan Tony Gambrill. "That's where all the major international matches are played, and it's also a great party scene. Good regional matches are played at Kaiser's ground in Discovery Bay and Alcan's ground near Mandeville."
16. Chow down on a helping of authentic jerk chicken
"You can smell it cooking as you're waiting," says Montego Bay hotel executive Verona Carter, who is partial to the jerk served up at Scotchies (Montego Bay-Falmouth Rd., Coral Gardens; +1 876 953 3301 or -8041), right on the edge of the Caribbean Sea. "The smoke streaming out of the kitchen, the meat cooking over pimento wood—you know your taste buds will definitely come alive. The folks who season the chicken at Scotchies understand the concept because it was brought by Scotchies original chef to Montego Bay from Boston Bay [in eastern Jamaica], where jerk got its start. The atmosphere is laid back—very Jamaican. You're bound to see local people playing dominos, drinking beer, and, of course, eating jerk." This spot has become a favorite with island visitors craving a last taste of Jamaica—it's right on the way to the airport.
17. Get into the holiday spirit
Attend a December performance of Christmas pantomime—a happy hodgepodge of Jamaican music, dance, comedy, and drama—performed by the Little Theatre Company of Kingston (4 Tom Redcam Ave., Kingston; +1 876 926 6129 or +1 876 906 4959). "Christmas pantomime is an old English tradition that was started here in 1941," says actor Charles Hyatt. "Children were taken to performances by their nannies, and it became so popular—with the nannies—that it slowly developed into adult fare. Eventually, it transformed into something truly Jamaican—the telling of Jamaican stories rather than English stories, mostly things based on the Annancy stories, which are African folktales."
18. Smell the flowers
Amble through Hope Botanic Gardens (Old Hope Rd., Kingston). "When I was a kid, I used to go there all the time," says novelist Colin Channer. "Then it got run down. When I moved overseas, I completely forgot about it. But I recently returned to Jamaica and rediscovered the place. It's been fixed up, with an orchid house, cactus garden, and more, yet it's still underused, which is hard to understand. When you're walking around here, you don't get a sense that you're in Jamaica—you could be somewhere in England."
19. Submit to a sweet scoop—or two—of homemade ice cream"It's made the old-fashioned way," says Kingston yoga expert Sharon McConnell, referring to the frozen delights prepared and served at Devon House (26 Hope Rd., Kingston; +1 876 929 7028), built in 1881 by a Jamaican of black-Jewish heritage who made his fortune in the Venezuela goldfields. It is open for tours. But back to the ice cream: "You can choose from authentic, delicious Caribbean flavors. I love the guava, the coconut, and the mango. And I like to eat my ice cream outside, in the garden."
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