Monthly Archives: April 2022

The tamal has many different faces across Colombia, with distinct parts of the country incorporating particular starches, proteins, vegetables, and seasonings into their renditions of the leaf-wrapped dish. Chef Alejandra Cubillos Gonzlez, who was born and raised in Bogot, grew up eating tamal santafereo, a variety typical of the capital region that usually includes pork, chicken, peas, carrots, and cornmeal, all bound up tightly in wrapped banana leaves. Every year at Christmas and the New Year, her grandmother, who ran a restaurant and cooked all her life, would prepare the dish for the whole family, with relatives helping assemble and wrap each tamal.

After Gonzlez became a chef herself and began developing recipes for the menu at Baha Restaurant in Isla Bar, a former peninsula accessible from the port city of Cartagena, she wanted to represent her native countrys knack for cooking foods wrapped in natural fibers. She also wanted to highlight the local cuisine, which was so different from that of the capital, thanks to the coastal climate and Caribbean influencesnamely, the bounty of fresh fish.

It was in Cartagena that Gonzlez first began to cook fish regularly, especially locally abundant varieties such as horse mackerel and various snappers she had rarely encountered before. Being close to the sea, I can be more connected with local fishermen, learn from them, and discover other types of food, she says. They advised me in the best method of cooking for each varietyfried, roasted, or with some sauce.

To encapsulate some of her new home citys quintessential foodways in a single dish, Gonzlez decided that a tamal-inspired parcel might be a great vehicle for allowing a delicate cut of local corvina to shine. Further drawing on the coastal regions specialties, she dreamed up a tomato-and-coconut-milk-based saucesomewhat reminiscent of cazuela de mariscos, or seafood stew, one of Cartagenas representative dishesto pour over the fish. A common ingredient in Colombias coastal regions because of how plentiful it is, coconut gives us flavor, moisture, and natural fat that lends texture and aroma, Gonzlez explains, while also balancing out the acidity of the tomatoes.

She wraps the fish and sauce in plantain leaves to protect the ingredients we have chosen, noting that the natural fibers concentrate the flavors within and preserve the integrity of the fillings as the dish steams. The leaves also impart their own subtly herbaceous and mildly bitter fragrance into the fixings. Gonzlez further ups the aroma by heating the leaves over hot coals prior to wrapping, which infuses them with smoky flavor and also improves their pliability.

Wrapping dishes in banana leaves was a tradition of our ancestors, she explains. (The whole reason for wrapping food, of course, originates in the need to transport it, according to Mariana Velasquez, author of the cookbook Colombiana: A Rediscovery of Recipes and Rituals from the Soul of Colombia. In these little packets, you have a full meal.) Traditional tamal recipes generally include starches like rice, and meats like chicken or pork, but Gonzlez believed in the versatility of the cooking method. To bring it into the present, we decided to apply this wrapping technique to the fish.

In the kitchen at Baha Restaurant, Gonzlez opens up the leaves slightly before serving, so that the fillings peek out and aromatic steam billows from the unwrapped foliage; diners can dig in right awayno unpacking required. Cartagenas penchant for coconut appears again in a bowl of fragrant coconut rice, served alongside the leaf-cradled tamal. And leaves arent the only part of the banana on the tableeveryone also gets a helping of plantain chips to nibble on as they look out over Bars white-sand shoreline. In many ways, this coastal-inspired meal captures the surroundings perfectly.

Though Gonzlezs tamal may differ from traditional recipes, she considers her interpretation both a celebration of Colombias tradition of expertly wrapping foods, and also a representation of Cartagenas culinary specialties. Through this dish, we pay homage to our traditions and to our ingredients, she says. The person who tastes this fish can take a trip through their palate.

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One Chefs Spin on the Colombian TamalInspired by the Caribbean Coast - Saveur

Talk therapy has its place.

There is no question that therapy in its many forms - from virtual online sessions to text-based therapy via online messaging to traditional sessions of seeing a professional in-person or through group support - plays an important role in healing.

Talk therapy has saved more lives than we can capture through statistics.For, it provides a space for us to process difficult emotions, navigate life transitions, heal deep-rooted emotional wounds and develop coping strategies.

But as effective as it is, talk therapy or psychotherapy is not the only cure-all for persons who are struggling with their mental health.

Healing Alternatives

Tracey Wattley, owner of Island Therapy on the island of St Kitts has realised that there is not any one treatment that fits all and individuals can use a combination of treatments to get the help that is needed.

Many persons who participate in therapy receive strength and recovery through individual or group services. However, psychotherapy is just one technique in treating mental health. There are other things like medication, case management, hospitalisation, support groups, self-help plan, peer support, that can complement the work of psychotherapy and are effective, Tracey Wattley, Psychotherapist, Island Therapy.

Community Healing

We cannot ignore the role of community in our healing experience.

On the practical level though in the Caribbean, we have always been a close-knitted society, and to some extent, our lives are enmeshed on a community level so being our brothers keeper goes a long way in looking out for each other. Learning how to hold space for each other by being observant of whats happening and practising effective listening is powerful, Tracey Wattley.

Our community might be our religious church group, or it may be our chosen friend circle or people in a community group who are passionate about the things that we care deeply about. Or, our community might look like reasoning with the elders around us from time to time.

Whatever form your community might take lean into that.

For, it is in a community that we are given a space to get together, voice our concerns and develop personally or spiritually and become psychologically strong.

On an individual level practising mindfulness works. Mindfulness is tapping into our human ability to be fully present and aware of where we are and what we are doing daily. Knowing whats affecting us, accessing our state of mind by acknowledging our thoughts and emotions and in general of well-being is a skill that can help us remain mental well.

Outdoor Therapy

Traceys private practice, Island Therapy, utilises the persons-centered approach and she addresses, challenges like substance use, anxiety and depression, relationship difficulties, stress and anger management, gender identity/sexual orientation, grief, and complex trauma. What is unique about her practice is that it is not confined to a room, but her sessions involve being outdoors too.

Nature gives us a full mind-body recharge and reset. And, most times it is free.

Regardless of what island you find yourself on, going to the beach or spending time in nature is a sure way to boost your mood.

Whether it is the crisp breeze, the sound of the roaring ocean or the sand under our feet, or it is soaking in the sun or hearing the cocks crow and birds chirp, we dont need a science-backed list of why nature generates a feel-good emotional response in us. We know this from experience. By simply stepping outside.

Our Culture is Our Medicine

Healing can also include cultural traditions, practices, and preferences that we hold close to our hearts.

Music, painting, and fetes make up the fabric of who we are and offer us a mental rest that can help us disconnect, and release stress and anxiety.

How? They produce those feel-good hormones oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine that rush through our bodies. Feeling low mood? Consider stepping outside and focusing on the sounds and visuals in nature. Or take deep, belly full breaths for three minutes to calm the mind. Or turn on aDJ Puffymix to wake your happy hormones.

Yoga and Breathwork

Dale Amory the owner of Imagine Yoga on St Kitts has witnessed firsthand the healing power of yoga and movement. She has seen how practices in yoga and breathwork have helped people to release trauma that may have taken root in their minds and body.

"'Yoga - living within is the only way out. All life happens within you and once you understand that, you become the captain of your healing journey, Dale Amory, Owner, Imagine Yoga.

Dale was instrumental in bringing one of the first yoga retreats to St Kitts and has hosted numerous weekend retreats. If you visit one of her sessions, it is clear that her passion is teaching, but her impact is healing.

On the connection of yoga and mental health, Dale shares that Yoga has many tools to help us remain in the present moment, and it helps us to become calm and relaxed in all situations. Our breath being our most valuable tool.

In October 2018, Dale became a certified Hatha Yoga teacher. She has completed a Gong Mastery course at Hawkwood College and recently completed a second course in Sound Therapy for Groups with the Sound Healing Academy.

All of her experience and training is centered on healing from the inside out and it is an experience that many locals participate in as an alternative to talk therapy.

Yoga is a way of life. It goes way beyond what happens on the mat. It Is the union of our entire being; our body, mind, energies, and emotions. Our goal is to teach everyone how to use our most powerful tool, our breath, which is always a part of us, at any time to help calm their body, mind, energies, and emotions. It is so important to understand that what happens in one aspect of our life, affects all aspects, Dale Amory, Owner, Imagine Yoga.

The Mind-Gut Connection

As we contemplate healing, holistically, we have to pay attention to the direct link between what we eat and what we feel.

Whether it is a fresh bowl of greens with plantains, bush tea, or sweet drinks and burger and fries, what we eat may trigger emotional shifts in us a dynamic that doctors call the mind-gut connection, and the reason scientists call the gut, our second brain.

But we dont have to run off to try the latest diets pushed by wellness influencers, we can start cultivating a healthy gut by eatingcruciferous vegetablesand coloured vegetables that are plentiful in our markets and backyards.

Start Healing with What Resonates with You

Accessing help practically means taking a look at different factors like what type of help is available and also considering if one can afford the help financially, the level of help that is required among other factors, Tracey Wattley, Psychotherapist, Island Therapy.

We couldnt agree more.

There are different ways to heal with professionals. Figuring out what to try starts with doing what you are drawn to and honouring your cultural roots. All the while being open to exploring other ways of healing.

Continue reading here:

Healing beyond the couch: There's no one way to heal | Loop Caribbean News - Loop News Caribbean

A lot has been happening in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), involving Caricom countries, which, except for a few articles, have mostly gone under the radar in the Region.

Dubai 2020 Expo

Dubai has been hosting a world exposition from October 1, 2021, which ended last Thursday. World expositions are large scale universal fairs covering a variety of themes. These fairs are sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). It was agreed from 2013 that Dubai would host this exposition in 2020. Due to the Covid-19 virus, however, this first world exposition to be held in the Middle East, was postponed to 2021.

These world fairs are seen as opportunities to showcase the participating countries in individual pavilions. They are also opportunities to make contacts, forge partnerships, deepen relations, explore investment opportunities, cooperate on various projects, and exchange information and experiences. The Caricom Member States have participated in several of these expositions over the years either collectively or as individual countries.

This 2020 Dubai exposition was held under the theme Connecting Minds, Creating the Future with sub-themes, opportunity, mobility and sustainability. Topics highlighted during the expo included climate and biodiversity, urban and rural development, travel and connectivity and food, agriculture and livelihoods.

One hundred and ninety-two countries have been participating, including from Caricom, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Kitts/Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and T&T.

The Expo has provided an opportunity to host various trade and economic events in Dubai. Thus, Caricom government officials have visited their pavilions on their national days and participated in the various spin-off events. Jamaicas Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, visited in February, along with Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, for Jamaicas National Day on February 18.

Up to the end of February, it was reported that over 14 million people had visited this expo.

Caribbean Investment Forum

The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), in association with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) hosted the Caribbean Export Forum in Dubai on March 22. This high level event aimed to present a variety of investment opportunities in the Caribbean in agricultural technology, hotel and resort development, logistics and transportation, and financial technology.

The Forum had sessions on doing business in the Caribbean and investment opportunities, as well as providing time for networking. The Forum was showcasing the Caribbean in the UAE and to others in that region. It was attended by over 250 participants. With business meetings taking place over three days. The keynote address was delivered by Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Ali, pointed to the Caribbean as a region built on resilience and diversity which will allow investment to thrive even though its population is small. He said: Once you have the capital, the foresight, access to technology, then the Caribbean Region is a destination you should be looking at. It is a destination that offers you an opportunity to build a complex, multifaceted investment platform. And its a region that is looking at being self-sufficient in many areas.

Ali highlighted the regions economic potential and spoke extensively about opportunities also in environmental services, the blue economy, agriculture, infrastructure, logistics, tourism and other areas of potential and predicted growth.

He pointed to the Regions location with its direct access to South, Central and North America and its investment and trade arrangements. Countries in the region, he said, are aiming to transform their infrastructure, and are looking at building infrastructure that will support regional development.

The president also spoke of Guyanas great potential as an investment destination given its natural resources. The region is seeking investments from the Middle East where capital is available.

Caricom countries have made other efforts to court investments in the Middle East. I hope that participation in the Dubai 2020 Expo, which closes this week, will be successful in generating new investment flows into the region to aid the effort to build back better post-Covid.

*Elizabeth Morgan, who writes for CMC, is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics.

Read more:

Dubai Expo and the Caribbean Investment Forum - Trinidad & Tobago Express Newspapers

You're spoilt for choice when looking for new cuisine to try on Clare Road in Grangetown. Stores and restaurants all along the road, which cuts through the centre of the Cardiff suburb, celebrate the diversity and multiculturalism of the area with all corners of the world represented.

Last month, the hugely popular Cardiff pop-up and ramen kit producer Matsudai Ramen announced it was taking over the former site of Natwest Bank on the road, its first permanent restaurant after being founded a little over two years ago. It takes its place alongside restaurants plating up dishes from all over the world, including Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East. You can read our review of the restaurant serving the best Yemeni food in Cardiff here.

But there is now another new restaurant to shout about. Having been based in a portacabin on Dumballs Road in Butetown for the past two years, The Caribbean Way has a new location on Clare Road, on the former site of Wild Thing cafe. Established in 2014, the Caribbean restaurant and takeaway has won a legion of fans, including rappers, footballers and reality stars, and their announcement last month that they were moving to Grangetown has got a lot of Cardiff foodies feeling excited.

Read more:Coffi Co reveal plans to open third dog-friendly coffee shop in Cardiff

After hearing only good things about both the food and customer service, I decided to go and try Grangetown's newest restaurant for myself. I went down to Clare Road on a Tuesday lunchtime armed with a healthy appetite and high expectations. To read more of the latest food and drink news and reviews sign up for our weekly Food & Drink newsletter here.

Sandwiched between Blend coffee shop and Al Miro's barbers, there was not too much space in the unit for the restaurant to work with. However, it feels snug rather than cramped thanks to a smart layout which includes a large service counter and food preparation area and a few tables along the wall and by the window. Another benefit is the smell of the rich jerk seasoning that wafts around the restaurant as the food is prepared.

I had a tough time choosing what I wanted due to the number of mouth-watering options on offer. While I was still in time for the breakfast menu - which runs until 1pm and includes a Jamaican special of ackee and saltfish with plantain and fried dumplings - I was drawn to their wide selection of jerk dishes. I admit I was also tempted by traditional Caribbean dishes of curry goat and oxtail, but in the end, I opted for a 1/4 jerk chicken with a side of seasoned fries and rice and peas, which came to 10. For my drink, I couldn't resist adding the bottle of luminous red fruit punch (3) from the top shelf of the fridge to my order.

I had arrived at the restaurant just after midday and was initially surprised to find that I was only one of two customers there. However, within around 15 minutes of my arrival, the lunchtime rush was in full swing, with co-workers and families all popping in for a sit-down meal or to pick up a takeaway.

After a very short wait, my food arrived, and I was taken aback by how colourful the plate was a hefty piece of sticky, jerk-drizzled chicken lay on a healthy bed of rice and was paired with creamy-looking coleslaw and a huge basket of fries. It looked incredibly tempting and comforting and I couldn't wait to tuck in.

It only took a couple of bites to realise this dish was not just full of colour, but full of flavour too. The jerk marinade that coated the chicken was big and punchy, fragrantly spiced and bringing a good amount of heat, while the meat itself was tender and juicy and took very little work to be taken off the bone. While I'd opted for chicken on this occasion, the big flavours of the marinade made me also want to try the whole range of jerk dishes, which include lamb chops, salmon and prawns.

The chicken was the undisputed star of the show, but the dish was really brought together by the accompanying sides. The rice and peas were light and soaked up the drizzle nicely, while also carrying a hint of coconut which helped to give it a bit of edge against the overwhelming jerk flavour. The coleslaw was sweet and citrusy, with this fruity freshness providing a nice contrast to the rest of the meal.

There was no danger of me going hungry thanks to the generous portion of fries I was served. These were well cooked and had a good crunch to them, although I was hoping for a stronger kick from the seasoning given the substantial dusting they had clearly been given. An incredibly minor grievance from me, however, as this meal was certainly not lacking in flavour.

The homemade fruit punch, labelled with the funky Caribbean Way logo, was also a nice surprise. It is hugely sweet and even flirts with sickliness, but never quite crosses that line. It gives you all of the immediate satisfaction that comes from eating a big bag of sweets, without the unfortunate comedown.

By the point I'd finished my meal, it was standing room only at the Clare Road restaurant, with staff impressively managing to remain attentive to those enjoying their food while dealing with a huge wave of new orders. Having only opened last week, it is clear that word has already spread around Grangetown, with this only set to increase over the coming months.

All in all, I couldn't really fault it. I had enjoyed a lunch full of vibrant, interesting flavours that had clearly been lovingly and expertly prepared, and had only cost me 13 in total. My only regret was not picking up a slice of the sprinkle sponge cake that was being batched up in my eye line during my meal. I guess I'll have to come back again for that!

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We tried the tiny new restaurant bringing a taste of the Caribbean to Grangetown - Wales Online

Ministers of worlds largest agrifood net exporting region meet in Ecuador for FAO Regional Conference focused on healthy diets, inclusive rural societies and sustainable agriculture

**Quito/Rome **Ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean met today to foster healthy diets, galvanize inclusive rural development and promote sustainable and resilient agriculture in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to discuss ways to mitigate the impact of rising food and fertilizer prices on the region, the worlds largest net food exporter.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 37th Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is hosted by the Government of Ecuador, continues through 1 April 2022.

The conference is an opportunity for us to coordinate in a concerted fashion the protection of the resources of social capital and the economy that depend on agricultural production, said President Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador.

The food you produce and export will influence the nutrition of hundreds of millions of men, women and children within and beyond the shores of this prodigious land, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said in his opening remarks to an audience including President Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador and ministers from 33 countries in the region.

He praised the regions ministers, and all the public and private actors in its agrifood systems for their work to keep food production and trade flowing during the pandemic.

You must maintain this same effort across your agrifood systems, to the benefit of global food security, he added.

Regional Conferences are governing bodies of FAO that meet every two years. They offer a forum for Members to identify key priority areas of work with FAO and provide guidance on the effective implementation of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, in line with the regional specificities of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Director-General emphasized that the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31 offers a clear roadmap to move towards more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.

Pedro lava, Minister of Agriculture of Ecuador and Chairperson of the Regional Conference, outlined his countrys aim to prepare agriculture to face climate challenges, including by the use of genomic editing technologies to keep plant disease from destroying the countrys banana production.

The Four Betters in regional context

The priority themes for this Regional Conference are sustainable agrifood systems for healthy diets for all; prosperous and inclusive rural societies; and sustainable and resilient agriculture.

A new urgency debated by Members during the Regional Conference is the rise in food and fertilizer prices, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine; which Director-General Qu recognized as of critical importance to the region, as it poses risks to producers, consumers and economic recovery.

Peace is fundamental to protect people from hunger! he said. I call on you to identify the key multilateral actions that can be taken to reduce the impact of the crisis, he added: No single country is big enough, or powerful enough, to address this problem on its own. Qu noted that FAO has issued a call for all countries to keep global food and fertilizer trade open.

Accelerating innovations and policies in response to the rapid rise in the price of fertilizers and other inputs is part of what is meant by better production, which can help the region consolidate its role as the worlds foremost net exporter of food. Latin America and the Caribbean produces enough calories to feed 1.3 billion people, Qu noted, calling it an enormous achievement and yet it will not be sufficient to feed the almost 10 billion people expected to live on the planet in 2050.

Better nutrition is an important issue given the alarming rise in hunger as well as the rising tide of obesity in the region, the FAO Director-General added, calling for more robust school feeding and other social protection programmes while noting that 23 countries in the region have already promulgated laws and regulations to discourage the consumption of highly-processed foods.

Achieving a better environment will entail adapting and increasing the resilience of agrifood systems to the impacts of the climate crisis and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, which today account for 45 percent of the total anthropogenic emissions of the region.

The fourth better, a better life for all, requires protecting the many families impacted the most by the pandemic, and a concerted effort to reduce territorial, gender, ethnic and rural-urban inequalities, Qu said.

He added that digitalization is a powerful tool able to help progress towards all four betters, one that should be incorporated together with science and innovation at all levels of agrifood systems, and complemented by fair and rule-based international trade.

What FAO is doing

The Director-General emphasized that he has initiated institutional reforms to give FAOs regional and subregional offices more agility to help them deliver on flagship initiatives and support the translation of global strategic aims into impact on the ground.

As examples of this enhanced delivery, he cited that six countries in the region are already participating in the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which aims at increasing agricultural production in areas with the highest rates of poverty and hunger, and is underway in six countries of the region. He also pointed to 14 countries participating in the 1,000 Digital Villages Initiative, which seeks to reduce the digital gap faced by smallholders and rural dwellers, and the new One Country One Priority Product initiative, focuses on products with unique qualities. FAO has also established a new Technical Platform for Family Farming to promote innovations in their productive systems, as well as an innovative Territorial Digital Hub in Ecuador that will be extended to other countries soon

These initiatives all require greater investment, which is an area where FAO can help, Qu said, noting that in the past two years FAO supported 43 investment projects in 19 countries, totaling $3.8 billion.

Contact

FAO News and Media(+39) 06 570 53625 FAO-Newsroom@fao.org

Christopher EmsdenFAO News and Media (Rome) (+39) 06 570 53291 christopher.emsden@fao.org

Benjamn LabatutFAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (+39) 06 570 53625 benjamin.labatut@fao.org

See more here:

Latin America and the Caribbean map pathway to transform agrifood systems - World - ReliefWeb