Monday, February 14, 2011

(Exciting Update to:) Sailing Away for a Caribbean Interlude with “An Embarrassment of Mangoes”


“The market ladies sell spice necklaces–garlands of cloves, cinnamon bark, bay leaves, cocoa beans, mace, and nutmeg–that are irresistible. I now have them hanging all over the boat, making it smell spicy and delicious. Mangoes are in season, and literally falling off the trees–an embarrassment of mangoes, to someone from the north. We feel duty bound to try as many varieties as we can.”
–Journal Entry, July 1998, “An Embarrassment of Mangoes

Winter weather got you down? It’s time to crank up the steel drum music, pour a tall rum cocktail, put up your feet and escape on an island adventure with “An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude” by Ann Vanderhoof. This foodie travel book follows Vanderhoof, a former book editor and her husband as they give up their regular lives and set sail on their 42-foot sail boat from Toronto to tour the crystal blue waters and sun-drenched islands.  A lively adventure and a glimpse of the colorful food, people, history and culture of  the Caribbean. If you ever have dreamed of packing it all up for your own island adventure, or you just want to live vicariously through Vanderhoof’s descriptive verse, this book is sure to warm you up.
Once you’re done reading, cook up an island-inspired dish or meal that represents the book for you and post it by Friday, March 25th. Link back to this page and leave a comment here and/or email me at debinhawaii@gmail.com so I can be sure to add you to the round up. New to Cook the Books? We would love to have you join us–you can find all the details here.
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Exciting Update!
In my haste to get a post up about our current selection, I didn’t quite have all my ducks, (or maybe it’s mangoes?) ;-) in a row yet, so I wanted to add some late-breaking exciting news. Although she and her husband are back living, traveling, and cooking on the Receta and  are currently anchored off the island of Carriacou in the Eastern Caribbean, author Ann Vanderhoof has graciously agreed to be our judge for this round of CTB and is very much looking forward to seeing your posts at the end of March.
It seems you all are enjoying the book and I also wanted to mention that in other Ann Vanderhoof news, her second book “The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating and Island Life” is out in paperback this month and in case you want to see some great travel photos, see life on the boat and explore more delicious recipes, you can visit Ann’s website and blog here.
Happy reading & cooking!

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