Farsighted Fly Girl

"Ask Jimmy what makes it so great. He sat right there at the bar and wrote the song," explains Ma Ruby, when asked about her world famous cheeseburger. Jimmy would be the "Gulf and Western" singer Jimmy Buffet   of Margaritaville and Parrot Head fame. "Cheeseburger in Paradise" is his much -quoted song about finding nirvana between two slices of bread with a sea breeze wafting in the background. A couple of  other island  restaurants claim that they originated the dish but according to the Parrot Head Handbook and Ma Ruby herself,  her little eatery in Tingam Village Hotel on Harbour Island is the place that stirred Jimmy's appreciation. The legendary burger is a huge slab of meatloaf-like beef between two thick slices of  toasted Bahamian bread and cheese. Since I don't eat burgers, I can't tell you about the greatness of her cheeseburger but I can tell you about the greatness of Ma Ruby. Her restaurant is filled with signed hats, photos an...

It's January and extra dreary in Chicago. What do I do to escape the cold, the snow, the bad winter fashion? Of course, I take a short trip, this time to Paris.  Down the stairs of Cyrano's Bistro, the elegance and joie de vivre of Cafe Simone Cabaret awaits. That's right, cabaret.  French food can't really elevate my spirits alone (too many sauces) I need, glamour, bawdy innuenedos and music. That's exactly what was served up at Cafe Simone Cabaret, when nine chanteuses and one rollicking piano player melted the frigid air on a blustery January night. They gave us Cole Porter and Peggy Lee, French tunes and Eartha Kitt. We enjoyed it all  in a dimly lit little room with wine, French flavors and insouciance to feed us. Naturally, the wine was exclusively French, mostly from the Bergerac Southwest region of France that the chef, Didier Durand, (can a name be any more Frenchified?) hails from. My best friend Sheila made the mistake of ordering Pinot Grigio...

When I think of Haiti's beauty, I think of Emeline Michel.  As La Reine de la Chanson Creole, she embodies Haiti's history and spirit with a voice that swoops over your soul and touches it.  For twenty years, she has ruled as the queen of Haitian music, singing only in French and Kreyol and penning tunes that delve into the island's cultural traditions, while melding Haitian rhythms like compas   and twobadou with modern forms of jazz, slalsa and samba.  To hear Emeline sing is to hear the heart of Haiti.  Her rich, supple vocals  pour over her lyrics, which celebrate the joy, hope and struggle of her country.  Emeline's  award-winning, self-produced, 1999 CD  Cordes et Ame, (Strings and Soul) changed the face of Haitian music with a velvety blend of Haitian roots with Latin undertones. A hypnotic love letter to her island, it urges Haitians to remember their impressive history as the Western Hemisphere's ...

When I was touring resorts in Harbour Island, I was struck by a dazzling collection of Haitian art covering the walls of  a gorgeous, ocean front cottage.  The fact that my focus was drawn to a few wall hangings in the midst of a sprawling, sun -kissed, property speaks to the power of Haitian art. I immediately recognized them as Haitian drapo vodou or ceremonial vodou flags, by the distinctive beading and sequin work. As I follow the tragedy of the Haitian earthquake, I often think of the resilence of Haitian culture. The art, music and spirit of Haiti continues to survive in the face of centuries of hardship and opression. Despite the stereotypes and misinformation, Vodou  remains a syncretic relligion that combines ancient African spiritual beliefs with Catholicism, in much the same way as Cuban Santeria, Brazilian Candomble and Jamaican Obeah and it does not involve devil worship.  Instead, V odou acknowledges one God, as well as...

Yesterday, a 7.0- magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, on the Caribbean island of Hispanola.  It was the worst earthquake to hit the country in 200 years, with the equivalent power of serveral nuclear bombs. When I heard the news last night, I couldn't believe it. Haiti is a country full of proud people, a vibrant culture and significant history but it suffers with violence, cruel politics and brutal poverty.  A disaster like this, piled upon  the other miseries just seems  unbearable.  When I was in the Dominican Republic, which shares Hispanola with Haiti, evidence of the agony and injustice that Haitians have to endure was unmistakable. Haitians were not allowed to cross the Dominican border, were widely discriminated against and agencies have documented Haitians being enslaved by Dominican plantation owners. I'll never forget the stoic faces of the Haitians that I spoke to. And now this.  Haiti's capitol, Port- au-Prince, has been devastated, wi...

You may have heard of this movie, Avatar.  As one of the most expensive movies ever made, this sci -fi epic has captured a global audience, broken box office records and is climbing towards the the title of highest grossing movie of all time. Frankly, I wasn't impressed. In fact, I was insulted by the tired and one-dimensional, "noble savages get saved by white man gone native" storyline.  It's been much noted in many reviews that Avatar is basically "Dances With Wolves" on another planet and I agree. So I won't go into the many racial and cultural issues that the movie has stirred up except to observe that African culture is on major display in Avatar. The Na'vi, 10 feet tall,  blue people of Pandora, exhbit African  traditions and cultural adornments on many levels. Neytiri, the warrior princess played by Zoe Saldana, rocks braids adorned with beads in the same fashion that African women have worn for centuries. Moat, the Na'vi spiri...

On the northern tip of Eleuthera, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other, the Glass Window Bridge dramatically rises from a natural rock formation. Covered in craggy cliffs and ridges, while periodically splashed by aggressive waves, the area exudes an eerie vibe.  At Glass Window Bridge, Eleuthera narrows to an isthmus only as wide as the bridge itself, which is why it's called the narrowest place on earth. It's also the only place on the island that I fellt uneasy.  Only later did I learn that rogue waves, sometimes as high as 100 feet, sometimes wash people and vehicles into the ocean.

Governor's Harbor is a settlement that covers the center of Eleuthera.  The area boasts the distinction of  being the first permanent European settlement in the New World as well as exhibiting  the true essence of Eleuthera.  For the most part, the island is quiet and sparsely populated  but Governor's Harbour offers glimpses of candy-colored houses, a legendary Friday night fish fry and Saturday morning sailboat racing. Preparation for the races start at 10 AM, when children and adults launch and rigg their boats on the beach. The first race sails at 11:00 with a course clearly viewed from the harbour. I was charmed to see children sailing and swimming on a Saturday morning instead of holed up in front of a computer somewhere. It felt like a peek into another era when nature and simplicity were still revered. By about 2PM, the races were over and the boats dotted the beach like oversized flippers. Some of the kids scurried across the street to...