Five Things I Ate in Eleuthera 🏝️
Maybe the meaning of life is to meet a sea turtle.
Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we share a bit of sunshine with you. Read past posts here, and please follow my Instagram, @fivethingsiate.
Braised lamb shank at 1648
Queens Hwy, Governor's Harbour, Bahamas
Getting to Eleuthera is not a straightforward journey. From New York, you’ll have to fly first to Nassau, then do a little puddle jumping on two dinky planes on the local airline. But anything worth doing is worth doing with a little Dramamine on hand. I can think of no other place on Earth where you can stand on a bridge and watch the aquamarine calm Caribbean touch the dark blue stormy Atlantic. The fact that there’s only one long highway that runs from tip to tail of the island, and almost every restaurant closes by 8pm, only adds to its charm. There’s so little light pollution, not even lights for the highway, that you can see so many stars (I never slept so well in my life). By the time we got to our hotel, the only thing open was the hotel restaurant. (The restaurant turned out to be so excellent we ate there three more times.) I ordered the lamb shank. I really could not imagine a more perfect meal to end a long day of traveling: The lamb was fall-off-the-bone tender, perfectly spiced with curry, served with fluffy white rice, coleslaw and plantains – pretty much my three most favorite sides. It satisfied all cravings: meaty, creamy, crunchy and sweet.
Guava duff muffin at 1648
Queens Hwy, Governor's Harbour, Bahamas
What is a guava duff muffin, you ask? I had the same curiosity, so of course I had to get one for breakfast. I love me a little Russian Roulette menu ordering. To my surprise, this muffin did not seem to contain any guava inside, but instead was covered in what seemed like a sticky guava explosion on top. It took me a little Googling to figure out what the duff part meant, and apparently it’s a steamed Bahamian cake. The duff muffin was in the shape of a muffin, and had the texture of a stodgy banana bread, except very lightly flavored with cinnamon. The explosion was what seemed like a guava cream cheese glaze. Overall, it made for a sweet and sticky breakfast treat, but not one that would go into my Top 5.
Coconut bread at Governor’s Harbor Bakery
5QV5+327, Governor's Harbour, Bahamas
This place doesn’t look like much, but if you come early, you will be rewarded with the freshest, softest, sweetest bread of your life. I am not a morning person, so we did not come early, but we lucked out by waiting 10 minutes for a new batch of coconut bread straight from the oven. The bread was shaped perfectly like an emoji bread loaf, and the lady working there handed it over piping hot, in a brown paper bag. It was so fresh, at first the loaf of bread burned my thighs while I sat on the stoop and waited for it to cool. The taste reminded me of childhood, when my mom had that bread machine phase; that might have been the last time I had bread so freshly baked. The scent of coconut was very faint and there was a slight cinnamon swirl. Everything at this bakery just tastes so homey and fresh, the twist donuts were amazing, some of the best donuts I’ve had, and the guava rolls were also great. No other bakery on our trip compared.
Friday night dinner at Fish Fry
5QV3+274, Bay St, Governor's Harbour, Bahamas
We were told Fish Fry was the thing to do on Friday nights on Eleuthera. It better be, because it’s only one day a week, after 6pm. By the time we got there near 9pm, there was only one piece of barbecue chicken left and only mac and cheese and rice and peas as sides. Honestly, the food was mediocre (I got the fried fish, which came two to a serving, and had lots of bones – the fish at Nassau Fish Fry was better) but it became clear as soon as we drove up to it that this place was primarily a party. There was a DJ blasting party hits and multiple drunk white girls dancing in the street, plus some locals hanging out on the sidelines. Still, sometimes you just want some cookout food and a beer after a long day, and it definitely satisfied a certain kind of itch for me.
Hot dog at Sonia's Hot Dog Stand
G7W9+G83 Gene's Bay Dock, The Bluff Settlement, Bahamas
I’m currently back in Hell New York now, but I try every now and then when I’m dealing with B.S. to close my eyes and envision myself sitting on the dock of Gene’s Bay, eating a hot dog (with mayo ketchup and relish) while sipping a crispy Diet Coke and waiting to meet a sea turtle. Ever since I was a little girl and we took a family trip to Hawaii, I’ve wanted to swim with a sea turtle and never did. I really think that is the meaning of life, tbh. After all these years first starting off being raised by Soviets in the gymnastics camp then going to and dramatically exiting MIT and then working in journalism for a decade through multiple layoffs covering Important Stuff (or so I’m told) I’ve come to conclude that I was really just put on Earth to occasionally meet a sea turtle (and dance). Also, eating the last beef hot dog from the hot dog lady so my husband had to eat the chicken one. (Sorry.)
See ya next week,
Soph
P.S. If you love this newsletter, please share it with a friend and tell them to sign up <3