Seen...

...at Sanagan's Meat Locker, Kensington Market, this afternoon
Dressing Quails

Happy Earth Day to our sticky- toed friends in Vieques

These little fellers are constantly around you. They become like your family pets

You always run into the same one in the same place

Ahhh, the famous Puerto Rican Coqui. Looks cute, right?
Wait till you hear this little sucker singing in your bathroom in the middle of the night!

positively prehistoric!

coqui by the soap dish

...and this one, curiously, spoke with an English accent!

On this Earth Day we wish all of our sticky- toed friends good fortune.
Hopefully we won't screw things up for you too much.

Vieques: Super Descuento Morales- The Cold Room

Nothing warms the cockles of a cold Canadian heart like arriving in the Caribbean & discovering McCain's potatoes! This, plus an often anemic array of produce, awaits in the Morales Cold Room.To be fair, Vieques being a somewhat isolated island, fresh fruits & vegetables are only brought in once a week. One quickly learns to buy it when one sees it because tomorrow it will be gone, and what's left will already be starting to wilt! Thank heavens there are now a couple of decent alternatives, such as the Tuesday & Wednesday street market, for stocking up on produce.

Like many inhabitants of the Caribbean, Puerto Ricans love their Bacalao. It's stocked just below the "gourmet" sofritos. By gourmet, we mean it's not by Goya!
We once tried to cook bacalao here on Vieques using a Puerto Rican cookbook we brought down. It called for the salt cod to be soaked in water for 4 hours. We thought this to be an extremely short soaking, but what did we know from the local products?
The salt almost seared our tongues off when we tasted our results!
We can only assume that some diligent editor thought they were correcting an obvious mistake ("Who soaks fish for 4 days, that's crazy!"), when in fact they were committing a bigger error themselves. If you want to try to make bacalao, buy the fish on day 1, put it in some water, & prepare the meal just before you head home!

Like other places in the store, the cold room has some awesome juxtapositions. We love the giant livers & humongous pigs' shoulders right across from the Champers.

And best of all, why not pop the chicken "wingettes" in the deep fryer then wash them down with a nice shot of Courvoisier?!


This installment concludes our serialized tour through the aisles of Morales.
We hope you'll agree that if you're willing to look for it, the charming is often to be found hiding amongst the mundane.

Travel: "but why do you keep going back?...."

We are often asked this question. Usually it's asked because most have gotten to know us as travelers who enjoy pushing the envelope whenever we can ...especially when it comes to our fall getaways.

Case in point as some of you who have been following this blog know we have a deep appreciation for South America.

Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro will forever continue to be major highlights. So why keep going back to Puerto Rico, year after year, this last being our 16th visit??

Many reasons.

By the time March, April comes around we are both beaten down with the cold and grey and all we wish to do is be outside relishing in the warmth of the Caribbean sunshine.

All we want to do is read, sleep, eat and enjoy the beach. Not all necessarily in that order.
Where we stay offers that and so much more.

In the fall we are more adventurous and willing to throw ourselves into new cultures, new
languages, different money, the whole nine yards, and what better way to "Get away" than that.

Going back, after so many years... we have to say, really, it's all about the people we meet there year after year.We have met wonderful people over the years.

Stylists, fashion models, architects, bloggers, as well textile designers, who have all shared with us their views and ideas, as well as their reasons to be on Vieques.How can we possibly NOT go back year after year.

Spring Walk

Reveling in the beautiful spring weather, we took an ambitious 5 mile stroll this past Sunday. The afternoon's highlight was the show put on in Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Old witchy winter has retreated once again, although she's left a few remnants, like this beautifully gnarled & naked tree, to remind us that we're not completely in the clear yet.

The willows were draped in their spring finery, looking like they'd been specially groomed for the occasion!

The cherry blossoms were the stand-out show-stoppers. There were more photographers buzzing around beneath them than bees in a clover patch!

The sky is so blue at only this time of year, the perfect backdrop for the delicate pink flowers.

Pink is not the only colour on offer.

This stunner of a magnolia was a sight to behold!

A corner to quietly contemplate the rhythm of the seasons.

Vieques: Super Descuento Morales- Aisle 7

Another aisle we rarely spend time in, being that it hosts the pet foods, insecticides, & sanitary products (!), is Aisle 7. Thankfully, we haven't ever had to purchase any of these items for ourselves while in Vieques!

At the top end, though, one finds Fort Beer (or is that Fuerte de Las Cervezas?). We have been known to remove a brick or two from the big green Dutch wall.

As usual, common sense prevails within the merchandising department at Team Morales. Supplies are located immediately across from each other to assist you in servicing your pooch from top to bottom!

Super Descuento Morales- Aisle 6

Like many other of the aisles, we have a specific purpose in frequenting Aisle 6-- well, two purposes, actually.

One: Many years ago, while traveling with good friends in France, we discovered the charms of "foreign" cleaning products. We think it was the laundry detergent named "Nu-clear" that clinched it. And come to think of it, we were staying near a town that had an atomic research institute, and our whites became EXTREMELY white after using it!

Ever since, as a lark, we have brought home a cleaning product for our friend, and she has become surprisingly addicted to Fabuloso.

Two: the real charm of Aisle 6 lies in its serious selection of spiritual candles. On numerous occasions we have had to try to seek out the least ornate from their ranks- no easy task- so we could have candlelight for dinner.

We had a good chuckle at the freedom from Political Correctness displayed by the Congo products. And we appreciated knowing that at certain times in their lives nervous litigants have felt comfort in lighting the candle designed to ease them through their court case. (above, top shelf, second from right)

After contemplating the image on this candle we were certainly curious about the intent of Rompe Brujo. Would this instantly clear a teen's room of suspicious odours when mom came knocking? Or does it contain some illicit compounds guaranteed to make you giggle & crave brownies?

A quick check with our trusty Spanish dictionary led us to conclude that, in fact, this candle was probably designed to release you from the voodoo spell. (Rompe= "it breaks"/ Brujo= "sorcerer" or "enchanting") Perhaps we should carry one home just in case...

Based on how few of these we've spotted on the streets of Vieques, Panama hats are not Morales' biggest seller!

Super Descuento Morales Aisle 5

Aisle 5 is another that we visit with a specific purpose in mind.

No, we're not soda cracker freaks, but there was something graphically appealing to us about the shrink-wrapped pallet of metallic blue tins. Also, it gave us pause to wonder how they could possibly stay crisp in the Caribbean humidity.

Aisle 5 typically merits a visit from us to pick up some coffee as a souvenir for the folks back home. The Yaucono brand, which is also the "house blend" at Hix Island House, comes from the Puerto Rican main island & is a pleasant medium roast with nice body.

And isn't it comforting to know that it's all kept safely under a watchful eye?

My Hero

Scott Schuman.....what can I say.
The dude SO rocks it,time after time.For a little inspiration check it out @
The Sartorialist

Super Descuento Morales- Aisle 4

We tend not to spend an excessive amount of time in Aisle 4, home to many of the
basic canned staples.

The highlight for us, really, is the array of tropical fruit juices.

And of course, who wouldn't be impressed by the Great Wall of Goya?!

In Puerto Rico, where one finds beans, there must follow rice. There is nothing fancy about the local brand. It is fortified with essential vitamins & minerals & its 'country of origin' list reads like a spin of the globe. But married with any form of smoked pork, chicken stock, a medley of sautéed onions & celery, a generous dollop of sofrito and, of course Goya beans, the result is a creamy Caribbean Risotto that will charm the most jaded palette.