Bourdain’s Field Notes
You don’t go to Trinidad for the beaches. It ain’t no tropical paradise. That would be its sister island, Tobago.
You go to Trinidad to do business. Or to “lime,” which means hang out, drink, and eat (well). Or to “wine,” which means grind or be ground upon in a dance situation by someone who certainly appears to want to have sex with you but probably doesn’t. I’m good at the former. The latter—not so much.
Trinidad prides itself on its multicultural, multiethnic makeup: its mix of African, Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, and European blood. If one judges solely by the food, it is a glorious stew indeed. Trinidad has arguably the best food in the Caribbean—a direct reflection of that mix of influences. But is it the harmonious wonderland I was repeatedly told it was?
I don’t know.