Grenada

I'm trying something new this week with my blogs. I just dropped Calib off for his Monday night Philosophy class at PHSC, and instead of going home (about a 25 minute drive- which I'll have to do in another couple of hours to come pick him up--- um, get your fricken license already, Calib), I decided to camp out at the Wiregrass Panera and get blog caught up. 

We've been plugging away with countries, even while Asa has been in the office. We've been sneaking in lunches, and we've cross referenced with the Food and Wine Festival, which we're hoping to go to soon- to check some other 'meals' off our list. (I know, the Food and Wine Festival isn't a whole meal, but you try doing this project... it's taxing!) 

So, anyway, we're back in the Caribbean for our next country, Grenada. It's south of  Saint Lucia, and north of Trinidad and Tobago. That area on our kitchen table is just a bunch of dots on top of each other, but we've tried to coordinate the color of the dot with the flags so it's easy to remember which is which. 

Grenada has only been it's own country since 1974, and the influences of their past ties to French and English can still be seen. They speak English (thought Grenadian Creole is also used), and 82% of the citizens of Grenada are descendants of the African slaves brought there by the French and English. 

Grenada is basically one big island, and a few small ones. The whole area of the country is 133 square miles. Oahu is the island the boys are most familiar with, so when we get to island country, they often ask me how big that is compared to Oahu. Oahu is just under 600 square miles. So, Grenada is somewhere around a fourth to a fifth the size. It's the 11th smallest country in the world, with a population just over 100,000. 

When you have a country of that size, sometimes finding a 'Landmark' can be a challenge. But this one was easy; enter the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park. It's an underwater sculpture museum! It opened in May of 2006 and is the very first of it's kind. It was designed by a British sculptor by the name of Jason deCaires Taylor. He took life casts from the people of Grenada and installed the concrete statues into the floor of the ocean. 

The sculptures sit 16 feet underwater and face into the current currents. The underwater sculpture park includes everything from life sized people to a bicycle to a statue of Jesus (88% of the population identifies as Christian). They reflect Grenada's culture and history, and have become artificial reefs full of diverse marine life, so divers get a two-for-one kind of experience. (Peyton was so on board with visiting!) 

Grenada is known as the Spice Isle. Truely experiencing Grenada means taking a drive through fields of the many spice plantations. Grenada is a major source of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cocoa, turmeric, and bay leaves. 

But if you are a fan of nutmeg, this is the place to be. Tiny little Grenada produces a third of the world's nutmeg (apparently though, that is second to Indonesia.) They're so proud of nutmeg in Grenada, they put it on their flag (it's the very poorly drawn yellow and red thing inside the green). 

Like most Caribbean countries, Grenada is also known for it's colorful towns, calypso music, and some of the prettiest blue water you've ever seen. 

But, just like we've seen recently with places like Barbuda, sitting out in the Caribbean isn't without it's risks. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan damaged 90% of homes on the island. The prime minister's home was destroyed, and the prison was so damaged, everyone escaped. The eye passed right over the island, and 39 people died as a result. It plunged the island into debt, and they've never fully recovered on the economic front. Tourism has returned to the island in the years since, though, and is their major source of revenue. 

After the hurricane, many people started leaving the island, especially younger people looking for a brighter future (though I hear good things about the University in the capital city of Saint George's). Only about a third of the people born on the island remain there. 

The boys made their postcards. 

Calib's made note of the multiple islands and underwater statues. 

Peyton noted the Bianca C Shipwreck, an Italian cruise ship that caught fire at the port of Grenada. It was later sunk in the shallow waters off of Point Salines, where it still sits today (and is another great diving spot). 

Hayden included the scupltures, and a tsunami. In 1939 an underground volcano (called 'Kick Em Jenny') erupted, causing a 6 and a half foot tall tsunami. The volcano sits just over 300 feet below the surface and some day it'll rise out of the ocean. 

Grenada is one of those countries I had planned on having for dinner for awhile. I'd add it to my list, and then it kept getting pushed back. Originally we planned on having the national dish of 'Oil Down'. It's a sort of stew of spicy veggies and meat in coconut milk with dumplings. But, a lot of the veggies were not something I could find (breadfruit is not a thing I can find, dang it!) There were plenty of things I could substitute, but eventually I just wasn't feeling it. 

Instead we had Roast Pork Calypso Style with Black Bean, Heart of Palm and Corn Salad, pineapple, and some Hawaiian rolls (because I happened to have them on hand). 

For dessert we had nutmeg ice cream! Ok, ok, I didn't actually MAKE it. Instead we added some nutmeg to some existing ice cream. The recipe just did not look like something I could do. Don't judge me. 

This dinner earned three spoons up. 

Asa, Calib and I were happy with it. The sauce on the pork really made it for me. Peyton hardly touched it because Calib noted the heart of palm, and once Peyton finds one little thing he doesn't like, he gets freaked out. (He did eat the pork though, and he was happy with that). Hayden ate it, but said he wouldn't ask for it again. 

The nutmeg ice cream was hit or miss too. Peyton and Asa were big fans though. 

I guess I missed the table picture on this one, opps. 

That's 126 down, 70 to go! 

Next Up: United Arab Emirates