$2 Blissful Bahama Bite

My meat patty before it was devoured.

I was hungry, though, honestly, when am I not?  Seriously, it was a while since I’d eaten.  But I’m cheap.  I was buying a “top off” for my Bahamas phone card at the Shell gas station, and I noticed something smelled good.  A glass-fronted hot case displayed a $2 sign; inside were several turnovers, with “beef” and “chicken” cardboard placards on each side.  Cheap, fast, how could I go wrong?  They weren’t as pretty as the “Mr. Pastry” street food turnovers we ate direct from the source in Nevis last year (click here to meet “Dr. Pastry.”)

“What’s your favorite?” I asked the gal behind the glass cashier partition.  “Chicken,” she said, without even a moment’s hesitation.  I hesitated even less time, paid, and left munching happily.

“Eat, me, eat me!  I’m hot and ready!”  these savory turnovers

practically scream.  

Mmmmmm.  Definitely a curry-roti type filling; like a spice flower blossoming inside my mouth. Perfect savory comfort food.  With Wayne’s wheat allergy, as a supportive and weight-conscious partner, anything bread-y is a rarity, all the more a treat.

It was so good, 5 minutes down the road, popping into a small grocery store and seeing one lone beef meat patty, also priced for a mere $2, I couldn’t help myself.  I indulged.  It was not as good as the chicken, but it was still worth every bite.

Still trying to get a fix on what exactly Bahamian food is, I asked “Are these Jamaican?“ “They come from Nassau [Bahamas],” she replied.

My hunch is meat patties are a West Indies ethnic culinary invader gone mainstream Bahamas, like salsa in the U.S.  True local fare or not, I’ve since indulged and will again, given proximity and $2.  Even wheat-free Wayne taking a nibble and enjoyed it.

While my tastes are often not mainstream U.S.A., I’m betting these savory toasty turnovers would be a major hit Stateside.  Buy ‘em and try ‘em if you get the chance.

Hmmm; maybe I need to find a way to make ‘em gluten free.

Location Location

Pre-posted March 14, 2014 from Georgetown, Exumas, Bahamas, Stocking Island roughly N23.31.877 W75.46.377 just off Chat and Chill / VolleyBall Beach.  However, by the time you read this, we're not sure if we'll working our way up the Exumas chain with Wayne's folks (who arrived eve March 11th) until we bid Wayne's folks a fond adieu March 19th in Georgetown.