Sandals Barbados Not Doing Enough to Help Food Production
Father and son Butch and Adam Stewart
First let me declare my absolute and total support for those advocating the use and consumption of more locally produced items especially by our tourism industry. When the head of the Barbados Agricultural Society recently boasted that Sandals Barbados promised to purchase 1,000 pounds of local produce each week, no-one thought to question him as to what this actually means. In all fairness to James Paul, he stated that they were trying to increase this amount, but let’s look at the current figures.
If the hotel is full that is a capacity of 580 guests each night who have every meal and snack included in the cost. This equates to a volume of just 4 ounces per person per day. And that is before any allowance is made for the quoted 600 staff and management taking meals on the property.
The United States is currently the largest market for Sandals and the average American, according to internet informed information, is 36.6 years of age, is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds if male, or 5 feet 4 inches and 164 pounds if female. Again based on averages each American consumes nearly 5.5 pounds of food per day or a short ton per annum.
Over a year this includes 29 pounds of French Fries, 23 pounds of pizza, 24 pounds of ice cream, 53 gallons of soda, 24 pounds of artificial sweetener and a staggering 2,736 pounds of sodium, which is 47 per cent above the recommended medical limit. All of which add up to 2,700 calories daily.
The question should also be asked, is the average Sandals guest likely to consume more or less than they do at home than on a fully all-inclusive vacation?
In reality then the 4 ounces of ‘local produce’ represents less than 4 per cent of consumables used daily, therefore a proverbial drop in the ocean. In publicly justifying the low level of spending locally, their procurement manager, Jordan Samuda, stated ‘We know it’s not going to be easy because there is not a relationship that is there already and we do not have any existing hotels in Barbados that are likely to buy on the scale that Sandals is proposing to’.
This surprised me, while not all-inclusive, The Hilton clearly has more rooms and also directly benefits from outside meetings and events which involve catering. Elegant Hotels has more all-inclusive rooms across its five hotels than Sandals Casuarina, so what credibility does this statement have?
What must be clear to Government, is that after granting the unprecedented unilateral concessions to Sandals, which almost two years later not a single other hotel on Barbados has been able to obtain there must be more than lip service given to supporting our agricultural sector.
Sandals have every opportunity given their massive financial strength and unique advantages to play a far greater role in helping to increase our capacity to feed both the local and visitor population. Let us see them lead by example including at least partially funding farming groups and perhaps help in providing otherwise waste land to stimulate and encourage co-operative growing entities.
Barbados Underground 
Sounds more like they will need open Heart,
1000 pounds of? what is the price difference between US Price and Bajan price?, Locals can not afford Bajan prices,
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I have a greater concern than the food production. Since receiving permission to open a Sandals Franchise in Barbados; I am still waiting to see ads from the Sandals Group for Barbados. I am see ads on the Canadian market for the other Sandals, but not Sandals Barbados. Considering it is a new location, I would expect to see a larger promotion on Barbados than Jamaican; which is a seasoned location. It is unfortunate that an economic downturn is forcing Barbados to get into bed with franchises and individuals that they were keeping at bay. On the whole, the businesses in Barbados, including hotels are not doing enough to support this current government in stabilising the Barbados economy. Every is worried about the IMF’s rating of Barbados, and countries like us. They fail to realised that the IMF has been designed to keep what is called development countries at the bottom of the totem pole. The IMF stopped supporting Barbados over the past 25 years, why they still have their voice in Barbados business is beyond me. Barbadians of African Descent need to use their education, creativity and start micro businesses; and other Barbadians of African Descent need to support them. It is time for them to create honest franchises and work for themselves. All the data has shown that entrepreneurship increases in an economic downturn; but all that has increased in the Bajan economic downturn is criticism of the government, and everyone with their hands outstretched expecting from the government. But no legal micro businesses being established. Even the large banks, such as CIBC has moved some of its production to Barbados. If one believed in the conspiracy theory; it almost seems that the powers are at work to de-stabilise Barbados. And the Bajans are helping. I agree that Sandals should be purchasing the local foods, but where are the ads in the North American market? Especially, the Canadian market.
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@Bajcan
There will be no rise of the micro class given the existing framework to access financing. Then there is the mindset of Barbadians which throws scorn at this sector.
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Steupsss
….yuh mean wunna still operating from the perspective that Sandals is here to help Barbados???
Boss…
Steward pissed all over Paradise beach for years to show how much he cared…and then Bizzy encouraged him to come back and take advantage of the idiots we have elected in Parliament – to shit on Almond and the rest of the place..
Wuh…Is the ‘Sandals deal’ not eerily similar to the ‘Desal plant deal’; the ‘SBRC’ deal; and the disrupted ‘3S deal’…..?
This shiite is NOTHING to do with advancing tourism, business or agriculture in Barbados. It is about greedy white men taking advantage of JAs who could not even pass 11 plus…
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bush sh.ite let,s say for argument sake all of the above which u stated is true,,uh mean if not only for the love of country and principle… my question to u why haven’t u in all your long years advanced these criticisms and played a pivotal role in the politics of barbados pushing and advocating correcting methods that have afflicted ,infected, and stagnated the economic growth and political well being of barados, criticism is good but it serves no purpose when those who have the answers and solutions for corrections sits on there hands and hollers and bellows and does nothing,,fuh god sake man light a candle to curse the darkness, all your hollering and hollering on bu is useless noise
BTW you can invite Pdyr to join you
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the article is a menu loaded with saturated speculation and Ecoli perceptions, placed on on a plate with unfounded facts and half truths, to turn and upset the mind of the gullible
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Barbados is a capitalist country. Sandals is in Barbados to make profits for the Owners.
If Sandals can buy from Barbados farmers at the “right price” they will.
It is up to the farmers in Barbados to produce good quality fruit and vegetables at a price that is better that the imported products.
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@Bajcan
I have a greater concern than the food production. Since receiving permission to open a Sandals Franchise in Barbados; I am still waiting to see ads from the Sandals Group for Barbados.
++++++++++++
What city in Canada do you live in? Sandals has heavily promoted their Barbados location in single and group ads in Toronto which is still the largest source of visitors to Barbados from Canada. That little correction is not to deny Loveridge the opportunity of attacking one of his favourite whipping boys on these blogs.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
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You should all listen to Bushie on this one. That Sandals deal had nothing to do with helping Barbados. I believe that Sandals was chosen because it is corrupt and likely to pay bribes. Check out the link below:
http://www.fcpablog.com/blog/2013/1/30/sandals-resort-pays-12-million-to-settle-bribery-probe.html
Doyle from the Crane was trying to take over Almond using mostly his own resources and he was rejected in preference for a known corrupt entity. Doyle was not asking for these unprecedented concessions so there would not have been much to kickback.
Government knew or ought to have known that Sandals has a history of bribing politicians and I believe that was the main motive for bringing that organization to our shores.
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@ AC
Your people have been so feckless that we were thinking that the women of Barbados should go on a pokey strike, against this DLP guvment.
The only thing, is that people like you would hide and geh these idiots some. No?
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It is all well and good to say that Sandals and other hotels should support local produce thus support local farmers. However local producers must know what they are producing and when to harvest.
Take for example melons, honeydew, rock melons and cantaloupes. Many of these are harvested young and are inedible BUT farmers still continue to harvest them. If they are not knowledgeable about what they are growing then they should seek that knowledge or stop growing them. Melons must be harvested when ripe, they must ripen on the vines but still they are picked green. It is so bad that people selling them tell customers that these melons are not supposed to be sweet. Hotels are buying them and then have to throw them away because the guests know how they are supposed to taste like. If buyers refuse to buy from these farmers who are harvesting fruit that is not ready can you blame them. We need to raise our standards!
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in a recent article penned Loveridge he questioned if it was possible for Barbados farmers to produce quality and quantity to the hotel industry ‘ he made observations that might apply with reasonableness to suspect that the demand for quantity as well as quality from the hotel industry was one of the many hurdles that had stymied the flow of faster and quicker purchases.
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This is an excerpt taking from one of Loveridge articles ased on Local food production
Next is the problem of supply and demand. After decades of having tourism as our biggest single industry, we still appear to be struggling to get this scenario right, even when again it’s down to basic everyday consumer items like eggs, chicken and turkey breasts and others. Let alone the variety of vegetables that visitors from our markets take for granted, but when on-island find it difficult to comprehend that with our fertile land, sun and rain cannot obtain everyday produce on a consistent basis.
It will also be interesting to see exactly what is sourced and purchased locally when Sandals re-open after being granted unparalleled concessions, which the entire rest of the sector is still fighting for and yet to receive 15 months later. Feeding what has been described as a full hotel with up to 560 guests eating at least three meals a day present massive logistical challenges, so I hope that our agricultural sector can rise to the task. Otherwise the regular tirades condemning the remaining hospitality partners may appear to just have been window dressing aimed at the general populous, who may not fully understand the workings and difficulties presenting tourism here.
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this was a survey done which reflect actual figures representing the hotel tourism industry and its spend to local agriculture in the carrribbean
Done by Global Tourism Inc. of Barbados on behalf of the Caribbean Hotel Association, the study found that while less than half of fresh produce used in the hotels were bought locally, vegetables, diary and meat enjoyed good markets accounting respectively for 74 per cent, 67 per cent and 63 per cent of those products consumed in the hotels.
Overall market penetration for local products was estimated at 42 per cent.
The hotels, on average, spent US$9.40 per day on fresh fish, and US$8.00 per day on other fresh meat.
The Sandals Resort International hotel chain, for example, purchases some $500 million of local produce annually, representing an estimated 80 per cent of their demand, making it the single largest purchaser of locally grown produce in the tourism sector.
At that level, Sandals represents 2.0 per cent of the total ‘agri-tourism’ market, and is about five-fold the amount it was spending locally several years ago.
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What is the status of the MOU between the BHTA and Sandals?
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So many times we expend energy by attacking individuals. The bottomline is that whether B or D Butch or whoever agriculture and food production has never shown any significant improvement. This is the fact of the matter.
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Not only are they producing and harvesting unripe crops they are also heavily laden with pesticides and herbicides. There is a call to stop burning but there is NO CALL to stop spraying harmful chemicals into the environment.
The yarn spinners keep saying that it is diet that is contributing to the increase of non communicable diseases BUT what about the heavy use of chemicals in our food production???
There are fewer bees and butterflies around because of this and YET NO ONE has addressed this catastrophic disaster. Our soil has become contaminated and soon we will be like the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe where areas on this island will be prohibited from planting. The increase in cancer cases in Barbados has fallen on the deaf and blind people who manage this country. They are more concerned about burning than spraying poison into the environment. SMH
Just recently there was a case where some Tourist are fighting for their lives because they had fallen ill in the Bahamas because of pesticide treatment for termites that was sprayed in their condo before arriving.
If what farmers are using on their crops kills pests what effect you all think it is having on us the bigger pests?
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One important factor which we seem to be overlooking in the food production industry of Barbados is the prevalent ,lucrative and relatively sweatless enigma of praedial larcency, which have driven many a farmer, large and small, out of business. And until we are able to come up with a workable solution to curb this act, we will see more of our arable land covered in naturally wild,Wild Tamarind, or Government planted and tended Wild Tamarind.
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But David
How can there to transformation in food production unless we first have a radical land reform?
Like in most things we again have the cart before the horse.
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David May 25, 2015 at 10:22 AM #
“So many times we expend energy by attacking individuals. The bottom line is that whether B or D Butch or whoever agriculture and food production has never shown any significant improvement. This is the fact of the matter.”
David, the survey those individuals alluded to was done in Jamaica in September 2006, ALMOST NINE (9) YEARS AGO.
“The figure quoted by Grant tracks the regional food market in the hospitality sector, according to the findings of a SURVEY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2006.”
If you are interested, you can read the entire article:
http://old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070504/business/business5.html
Those outdated percentages presented do not reflect today’s reality and relates specifically to Jamaica.
At the end of the day, rather than let rational and thoughtful “discussion prevail, it seems that some individuals prefer to turn every topic on BU into a DLP versus BLP issue.
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Yes so true those numbers do represent the year mentioned however the survey underscores a significant factor on how much money is spent in local agriculture by hoteliers also which brought into focus the money spent by the Sandals brand for local agriculture brought throughout the entire Caribbean.although the survey might be old an attempt to overlook its main point and the relevancy is ridiculous.furthermore loveridge articles is speculative without the relevant facts or numbers to ” backup” his pronounces
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Can it be that this AC, that is writing here , is the woman that try to win the seat for St . Andrew in the last 2 elections Irun Stand
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Watchman
You meaning the uhman who yuh does find at the hoe and sickle bar in belleplaine?
Wuh she is de biggest dunce in de senate.A low life scumbag dat mek a mess uh de QEH and out to sea in the touriss ministry.She and de lil idyut from sen peter dat say he went to harsun kolij and us-ed to work ar barclees bank,den became a beach bum.
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Have any of you been seriously involved in Agriculture in Barbados?
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While Adrian is at it , he should also inform that in the United States, buffalo wings is a $15,000,000.00 industry- that’s 30 billion Barbados dollars per annum. Guess that Sandals responsible for that too. It is useless beating up on Sandals because they built a product we needed and one that we did not have the vision or business models to develop. Quoting loose figures about American eating habits is a fruitless exercise. For example, have the hoteliers ever did market research on if tourists prefer the fry fish in Baxters Road/Oistins or that served in the hotels. Have they every researched the eating habits of the tourists who come here and try to develop products from that research. Oh no ! They prefer to complain and research what the Americans/Tourists eating in their own countries and then draw essentially useless conclusions. Research something worthwhile to enhance your industry. I will bet a million dollars that no tourist comes here looking for American style buffalo wings ! What people eat at home they dont crave for on vacations. They try local cuisine and delicacies.
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Isn’t the jist of Adrian’s submission about holding Sandals accountable on the issue of increasing local agriculture production? BU would add how much out of every dollar stays in country. To Adrian’s credit he continues to do something Bajans do not do and it us to ask questions. BU will concede the sector needs to do a better job of research which is where the BTMI and BHTA can do a lot more.
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A lovely little experience recorded:
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William Skinner May 25, 2015 at 8:39 PM #
“I will bet a million dollars that no tourist comes here looking for American style buffalo wings ! What people eat at home they dont crave for on vacations. They try local cuisine and delicacies.”
Perhaps you’re the one who is drawing “essentially useless conclusions”, because your above comments are speculative and indicative that you are very unfamiliar with the tourist industry.
I asked a former executive chef at Colony Club Hotel why is it that many of the restaurant menus do not offer “local cuisine and delicacies.” According to him, local food was not a preference among the guests who stayed at that hotel. However, he said he reserved at least one night for the offering of local foods, but it was unpopular, and probably remains so to this day.
He also added that I had to look at the marketing strategy of the BTA and Tourism Ministry to see how they marketed what cuisine Barbados has to offer, and I would also discover why local dishes are not popular.
Additionally, a majority of the hotels and restaurants in Barbados employ foreign executive chefs who, in many instances, are unfamiliar with the preparation of local foods. Hence, if you were to peruse many of the hotel restaurant menus, you will discover that this is a reality.
When I worked at the then Princess Royal Pavilion and Glitter Bay Hotels, they had executive chefs from England, USA and France.
For example, if you were to read Fairmont Royal Pavilion Hotel’s Taboras Restaurant’s menu, you will discover choices of dinners range from “Soft Shell Crab Tempura” to Grilled 10oz Striploin Hereford Steak, and desserts of Warm Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream.”
However, they have “West Indian Night”, where some of their offerings include “Flying Fish Goujons”, “Rice and peas with Bajan spiced free range fried chicken” and “Baby back pork ribs, spicy chipotle sauce.” Many of the other choices are Jamaican and Trinidadian.
You could also check The Cliff Restaurant’s menu to see that no local foods are offered as well. No “Flying fish and cou cou with okra slosh”, “Breadfruit cou cou and red herring”, “Bajan soup with dumplings and pig tail” or “Rice, pie and pork chop.”
Maybe this is reason why Oistins has become so popular with tourists.
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And is equally ridiculous, and more, for anyone to present statistics from 2006 to disprove comments made by an individual in 2015.
If rational comes to the fore, one will have to question what were the reasons for the survey at that time and within what context that issue is relevant to what Loveridge is basing his arguments.
Essentially, Loveridge’s argument is that Sandals is not doing enough to help food production. However, in your haste to discredit Loveridge, you have decided to focus on outdated stats and conveniently overlooked the context or the jist of the article you alluded to, which to your discredit, adequately reinforces his point. Anyone reading the following exerpts will better understand Loveridge’s concerns:
“Senator Norman Grant, president of the local farmers’ association, the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), said the trade between the tourism and agricultural sectors is now worth $20 billion to $25 billion annually as the island’s hotel sector sources more of its food supplies from domestic producers.”
“There is an exciting partnership between agriculture and tourism. The two sectors have certainly been working very closely and that has intensified especially over the last four years,” said Grant.”
“He said the local farming sector presently supplies up to 65 per cent of the demand for fresh produce and meats in the tourism sector, compared with “seven years ago when we were barely scraping to get anywhere between 20 and 25 per cent.”
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The same way the Jamaican farmers were able to, in 2006, broker a deal with Butch to buy more local produce and he did accordingly, Loveridge, in 2015, is asking Butch for a similar undertaking in Barbados.
Hence, James Paul, who is not a senator, but an elected member of parliament and president of the Barbados Agriculture Society (BAS), should have the ability to negotiate, (in a manner similar to that of Grant and the JAS) with Butch to make a “strategic decision” to partner with local farmers.
You should be MORE CONCERNED WITH THE FACT that after all the shiite talk, James Paul and the BAS has been UNABLE TO DO WHAT GRANT AND THE JAS WERE ABLE TO DO.
So, quoting produce and fish at US prices for Jamaica in 2006, when all and sundry knows that those prices may be cheaper in other territories, because of the weakness of the Jamaican dollar, is pure shiite, Irene.
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@Artax
The link you posted confirms that to increase food production has nothing to do with serving local dishes. Let the hotels serve their European and Mediterranean dishes if this is how the local product is marketed. Local herbs and vegetables, eggs and poultry can be produced in greater supply.A good article the jist of which has not been grasped by William.
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FYOI the article does not highlight concerns about the agricultural industry or James Paul . Loveridge has penned an article which directly and specifically attacks the Sandals Brand as being takers and not givers when it comes to supporting local agriculture,
Again i reiterate that the 2006 says different and ac calls on Loveridge to bring facts and documentation to support his negative perceptions/speculation of the Sandals Brands.
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None of the figures I have quoted are mine. Perhaps you should question James Paul (who uttered the amount of 1,000 lbs) and a whole series of internet research and publishing.
The FACTS remain, even excluding the quoted 600 staff and management who may enjoy meals, even with a FULL hotel thats less than 4 ounces of ‘local produce’ per guest per day or about 4 per cent of the overall daily consumption. Is that what is reasonable to expect from a company who has received 25 years of tax exemption and another 15 years at a rate of 50 per cent or half what the rest of of us are forced to pay?
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@Artaxerxes
“I asked a former executive chef at Colony Club Hotel why is it that many of the restaurant menus do not offer “local cuisine and delicacies.” According to him, local food was not a preference among the guests who stayed at that hotel. However, he said he reserved at least one night for the offering of local foods, but it was unpopular, and probably remains so to this day.
He also added that I had to look at the marketing strategy of the BTA and Tourism Ministry to see how they marketed what cuisine Barbados has to offer, and I would also discover why local dishes are not popular.”
“Additionally, a majority of the hotels and restaurants in Barbados employ foreign executive chefs who, in many instances, are unfamiliar with the preparation of local foods. Hence, if you were to peruse many of the hotel restaurant menus, you will discover that this is a reality.”
“You could also check The Cliff Restaurant’s menu to see that no local foods are offered as well. No “Flying fish and cou cou with okra slosh”, “Breadfruit cou cou and red herring”, “Bajan soup with dumplings and pig tail” or “Rice, pie and pork chop.”
“Maybe this is reason why Oistins has become so popular with tourists.”
All of the above are your statements, not mine. Thanks for making my point.
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Perhaps you lot can enlighten us as to what Sandals has given Barbados.
So far, you have been unable to present any facts to substantiate these benefits you keep alluding to. You, however, have been quite successful in “skirting” around this issue by making uninformed generalized statements.
Rather than criticize the opinions of those who may have concerns with Sandals, it would be in the best interest of your creditability for you to present tangible evidence to substantiate the benefits to be derived from the Sandals brand, especially after they have been handsomely rewarded with tax concessions before delivering.
Many of us may be able to read, but understanding or comprehending often present difficulties for some. Firstly, those statistical figures were specific to Jamaica at that time, and not Barbados or the entire Caribbean. So, to make a comparative analysis as it relates to Barbados is ludicrous.
Those of us with a modicum of common sense will understand that the article ALSO highlights the efforts of Norman Grant and the Jamaica Agricultural Society, on the behalf of Jamaican farmers, in brokering a deal with the Jamaican owner of Sandals, Butch Stewart, for his hotels to buy more local food products.
However, to bring some balance, we must ascertain if any past or present Jamaican administrations have given Butch the “glorious concessions” he was able to achieve from Barbados.
Yes, “the article does not highlight concerns about the agricultural industry or James Paul.” However, similarly to how you want to make a comparison using those 2006 figures, I too have a right to make, in this instance, an educated comparison of Norman Grant and the JAS’ efforts and successes as it relates to Sandals, with any achievements his Barbadian counterparts, James Paul and the BAS, have made in this regard.
Under these circumstances, it is fair to ask James Paul, as president of the Barbados Agricultural Society, whose organization represents Barbadian farmers, what has he been able to achieve on their behalf, from Sandals or any other hotel in Barbados that he could also say, similar to Grant in 2006:
“the local farming sector presently supplies up to 65 per cent of the demand for fresh produce and meats in the tourism sector, compared with “seven years ago when we were barely scraping to get anywhere between 20 and 25 per cent.”
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William Skinner May 26, 2015 at 7:26 AM #
“All of the above are your statements, not mine. Thanks for making my point..”
No sir, I have not made your point, I have proven your contribution to be erroneous and nonsense.
Firstly, you mentioned “I will bet a million dollars that no tourist comes here looking for American style buffalo wings ! What people eat at home they dont crave for on vacations. They try local cuisine and delicacies.”
Tourists frequent Oistins mainly on Friday and Saturday nights, where they buy grilled fish. And I also mentioned that some restaurants offer a local food night, which is comparative to the Oistins scenario.
Therefore, you are implying that they eat grilled fish every day?
Secondly, if your point was true, then there would be a “mass closure” of all the restaurants on the west and south coasts, and Oistins would be the preferred venue, crowded with tourists every day. If you actually ever visited Oistins, you would know the area is “dead” from Sundays to Thursdays.
Thirdly, if “! What people eat at home they dont crave for on vacations”, why would the restaurants offer “what they eat at home” if they did not have a craving for it or if the food was not being bought?
So, Mr. Skinner, as usual, you have written shiite.
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I belive the “bone of contention” as suggested in Loveridge article is that of Sandals not purchasing local agriculture. So far some have used a very short measuring stick to gauge an unfounded conclusion simply based on political rhetoric and highly suspect of tit for tact theory
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Ignorance knows no bounds!!!!
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Does anyone have proof that Sandals is refusing to buy from local farmers?
Are local farmers trying to sell there produce to Sandals or are they waiting for Sandals buyers to approach them ?
Do any of you think that Sandals is in Barbados to “help” the Barbados economy?
Do you think any of the Banks or commercial entities in Barbados are there other than to make “profits”.
Barbados is a capitalist country.
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artax
YOU ARE CORRECT SIR
What people eat at home they dont crave for on vacations”, why would there be SO MANY SUBWAYS TGIF KFC ETC ETC ALL OVER THE WORLD?
MANY FOLK PLAY IT SAFE WHEN TRAVELLING
NOTE I SAID “MANY” not ALL
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@ Georgie Porgie, “MANY FOLK PLAY IT SAFE WHEN TRAVELLING.”
ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN WITH THEM.
A TOURIST DESTINATION SHOULD HAVE VARIETY.
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Georgie Porgie May 26, 2015 at 10:51 AM #
“What people eat at home they dont crave for on vacations”, why would there be SO MANY SUBWAYS TGIF KFC ETC ETC ALL OVER THE WORLD? MANY FOLK PLAY IT SAFE WHEN TRAVELLING…..NOTE I SAID “MANY” not ALL….”
Georgie, my profession causes me to travel the Caribbean region on a regular basis. Hence, theoretically, I can be identified as a tourist. The local foods of some islands are not appetizing to me (and many others) as they offer certain meats that care I not to partake thereof.
For example, I was in Antigua last month and ate at KFC, Burger King. Fortunately for me, I have a friend there who is familiar with the Bajan style of cooking, so she prepared meals for me on a few occasions.
What is important for us to understand is that our style of cooking is quite different. We use many different herbs and spices in our food, meats and stews, while people from international and some regional territories, season their foods with pepper and salt. As such, our foods may not be as palatable to them as it would be to us.
I remember watching an episode of “Chopped” on the Food Network Channel, where a Barbadian chef was one of the four competitors. He was chopped in the first round because his food was too spicy. Ironically, judge Aaron Sanchez, who is a lover of spicy foods, was one of the Bajan chef’s main critics.
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Loveridge it is indisputable that Sandals being the largest and one if the most favoured hotels in the Carribbean that the local products would benefit greatly from its presence..however Loveridge since you seem to want to have an available proof. why don,t you personally get in contact with the management.Recently i recalled a person of estemeed influence in Barbados presented a similia argument and Sandals did reply.
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Artax, aren’t the two aspects re travelers and their food intake with respect to “style of cooking” and “they offer certain meats that care I not to partake thereof” very different; diametrically so really.
Por ejemplo. when or if your travels take you to Central America surely you notice that our bajan ubiquitous rice and peas dish becomes their ubiquitous rice with beans dish. A different but very similar meal. When its on my plate as per my bajan eating habits it still becomes a mixed rice and beans …as if its a real rice and peas mix.
In T&T the same. They love their white rice sans mix…all peas or beans or whatever on the side.
That is a very different dynamic to eating some strange meat of fish like manicou or sea-egg, for example. Or even pickled pig-tails. Or worst for a bajan to ask for a fish dinner at a standard local Antigua eatery and get the fish wid head and in a style that is so different to what would be par for course wid a dolphin dish in Bdos.
In sum, Artax the local variation of the rice dish and related is really not that significant a palate change and any normally adventurous traveler would embrace that easily, but hardly so easily strange meats.
I agree that our style of cooking re seasoning is quite different but that is true across countries; and in terms of seasoning alone we share more in common with others than we don’t.
Generally, because of all the different allergic reactions, likes and dislikes and other concerns on that front its more acceptable at high end restaurants (READ International cuisine) to have the dish without much or any seasoning and leave the addition of such to the diner.
Local cuisines like jerk-food in Jamaica, ‘southern style’ chicken/pork or Thai cuisine or any other focuses on the marketing and branding of that style to drive the traveler to ask for that and hopefully engage him/her to a new food acceptance.
What merits are there to our breadfruit cou-cou or okra-slush with cou-cou or any of the other dishes you mentioned earlier.
Unless we can find a cute name/brand and also link some awesome attributes then bread-fruit is just another heavy starch like a potato with a so-so taste.
Okra is a lovely veg with good nutritional value and that pops up again in dishes in Central America and of course in T&T and the region.
Food is an awesome subject and as you allude to re the cooking shows there is no way we can excite international travelers to our ‘local cuisine’ unless we overcome major misconceptions of what is ‘acceptable tasting food’ (read bland) and then give the local dishes some branding with a wow factor.
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D Ingrunt Word May 26, 2015 at 1:07 PM #
Perhaps you should have read my contribution within the context of Georgie’s contribution.
Georgie mentioned “MANY FOLK PLAY IT SAFE WHEN TRAVELLING….”, hence my reference to certain meats
I prefer not to eat, as my way of identifying with those folks who “play it safe when travelling.”
For example, some of those meats I was referring to, are mountain chicken in Dominica and manicou, iguana and black fish in St. Vincent. Though some may argue Vincentians and Dominicans have been eating these delicacies for years and “dey ent ded yet”, I do not care to eat them, but prefer to “play it safe.” Obviously, some tourists will exhibit a similar attitude.
Antiguans, Kittitians and British Virgin Islanders prepare a dish called “okra funji”, which is similar, in some aspects, to our cou cou. I have also tried Tobago’s version of this corn meal dish, and it was quite appetizing. However, I prefer Bajan cou cou.
I agree with your comments relative to marketing local foods, and this where our chefs should display innovation in their preparation techniques and by utilizing more local products/produce.
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Artax, just like an accountant to be conservative and surely one doing forensic accounting is even more conservative….you gotta ‘eat’ some different meat when you travel, senor.
But wait, if you married then definitely don’t eat any of dem strange meat tings in de islands. True nobody “dey ent ded yet” but yah bajan palate may not be able to adapt and then you may want the wife to make these new dishes too. And that ain’t going work.
So I like I agree wid you that you should play it safe. LOL.
But yes that Antiguan funji is really to die for. Absolutely proper. At least by my Antiguan cook.
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Sandals has approached the BAS, but in my opinion Mr. Paul may be in over his head. As one of these local farmers that get bashed so often in the media I can say that the prices they proposed were insulting, to say the very least. I get it, in any business it’s the bottom line counts. But why is it that the food producers, the farmers must always finish dead last in this race?
You ask for us to produce more efficiently, large volumes of organic produce; use the latest technologies to do so. All this takes capital; vast amounts of it in some cases. But will a bank or other financial institution readily give a man who digs up in dirt (yes, this is how many people view farmers) a loan for a couple thousand dollars. Rarely if at all.
Farmers have to pay for everything up front?: equipment, repairs, seed and seedlings, netting, ground cover, greenhouse material, fertilizer and the list goes on. Not to mention the recurring weekly costs: labour, electricity, water etc. Then for someone to offer to pay 50cents per pound for a variety of vegetable is ridiculous. Farmers need to live too.
The issue really is that the BAS, although it tries its best to help does not have the funds, manpower and really knowledge to coordinate effectively a deal such as one between the farmers and Sandals. The coordination needs to be on point to pull of such a feat. The logistics, distribution, checking in with farmers to see what crops they have and their projected yields for the year etc. This does not happen on a consistent basis. Been a while since I received correspondence from the BAS. (Should I check the inbox? Maybe an email popped up in the last 10 minutes)
The truth is, farmers in Barbados are behind the times. Is it their fault? Yes, partly. But so too is it the fault of successive governments. Farmers farm, we produce the food. Many of us suck at marketing our stuff. Why? Lack of knowledge maybe but it usually comes down to time. There is so much to be done during the day that eventually you run out of steam. That’s a true fact. The BAS was created to help farmers with the marketing of their goods. I applaud their efforts so far. But, as I stated before, they don’t have the manpower to do the job required effectively. A handful of employees does not cut it.
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@bajanfarmgirl
Did the MOU between the BAS and Sandals not address margins in the procurement process?
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you can always count on Loveridge to take a big slice out of the menu and carved it up and slice it in many ittsy bitsy pieces and served it as caviar
Now here in one of his excerpts he pretends to e quoting James Paul about Sandals intentions of buying produce , However he deliberately dismisses the Fact where the produce is being delivered weekly at the proposed set agreement by Sandal uses his poison pen to quizz or to insinuate that the agreement
was not being met and should be questioned
Loveridge
First let me declare my absolute and total support for those advocating the use and consumption of more locally produced items especially by our tourism industry. When the head of the Barbados Agricultural Society recently boasted that Sandals Barbados promised to purchase 1,000 pounds of local produce each week, no-one thought to question him as to what this actually means. In all fairness to James Paul, he stated that they were trying to increase this amount, but let’s look at the current figures.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Here is the Answer and the Facts as specifically stated by James Paul in reference To Sandals agreement on buying local Produce.
James Paul
Furthermore, he said that at present local farmers help supply more than 10 000 pounds of produce weekly to Massy Supermarkets and over 1 000 pounds of produce weekly to the Sandals chain, a figure the BAS is working to raise.
Source the Barbados Advocate
4/8/2015
Loveridge has been and will be a master of deception , his intentions are very calculating and selfserving, AC,S would not be fooled by his art to Trick or manipulate,
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@ bajanfarmgirl,
I wish you success. Farming in Barbados is not easy.
You wrote “the prices they proposed were insulting, ”
That is probably because of the price they pay for imported fruit and vegetables.
Every food item Sandals needs is lest than 8 hours from Barbados and probably very cheap.
Sandals is probably like walmart when it comes to “sourcing” the most “cost effective” produce.
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@ AC
I agreed with you that you can’t be trick or manipulate any more, because your mind have already been sold to the Devil in the package deal that David Thompson made in 2007-8
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Our monetary system does not encourage local production. The continued strength of the US$ and thus the Barbados dollar, has made imports cheaper by as much as 40% from countries we buy from compared to 5 years ago. How can local producers compete against that.
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A useful link to report to fully digest the unprecedented concessions Sandals were handed.
https://barbadosunderground.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/governments-concessions-to-sandals-barbados/
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@bajanfarmgirl
Yours is an interesting contrubution. It is an insight. It prompts questions, questions that are posed with all respect and no antagonism. I am sincerely curious about this, and you seem to be a bright and articulate person who can address my curiosity.
Let’s say I live in Prague, or Hamburg, or Warsaw, and I have a business that makes hinges for refrigerator doors. For decades, all the main manufacturers of fridges have bought my hinges.
Then up pop hinge-makers in Belarussia or Slovenia who make much better hinges at half the price. Why shouldn’t I go out of business? Why should taxpayers in Prague or Hamburg or Warsaw subsidize me, through taxes and trade policy, to produce inferior hinges at twice the price of Slovenian hinges?
Why shouldn’t I just go out of business? I might have an endless romatic attachment to fridges and hinges, but that’s really not important.
If I am incapable of producing refigerator hinges without forcing fridge owners to pay more than they need to, why should taxpayers pay even more tax so that I stay in business?
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Hants May 25, 2015 at 6:12 PM #
Have any of you been seriously involved in Agriculture in Barbados?
………………………………………………………………………..
Serious ? Barbados? Agriculture? Man you know full well that we are a load of jokers.
The same jokers who have allowed most of the arable lands in Barbados to be taken over by Wild Tamarind. And to add insult to injury ,we have started cultivating acres upon acres of Wild Tamarind.
Talk about carrying coals to Newcastle, or If ya can’t beat them join them.
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@ Curious agronomist May 27, 2015 at 1:46 PM
“….Why should taxpayers in Prague or Hamburg or Warsaw subsidize me, through taxes and trade policy, to produce inferior hinges at twice the price of Slovenian hinges?”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Probably for the very same reason that your wife should continue to entertain you ..now that your doggie is limp and in no way comparable to Old Onions or Bushie’s ….. Why the hell should she put up with your inferior rod? ….when Onions can do some ‘fishing’….?
Ever heard of the thing called LOVE….? …that is why…!
Life is not all MONEY and materialism…. Bushie has no problem in paying taxes to support his cousins and neighbours making a decent living ….rather than save a few dollars and have them desperate because some stranger enjoys some competitive advantage (usually the opportunity to exploit some poor soul to their advantage)
Charity BEGINS at home, then next door, then next district…..
The shiite policy of going for the lowest price sounds attractive until YOUR livelihood is challenged by competitors…..
…of course bajanfarmgirl may have a different perspective…. 🙂
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@Bushie
Any comment on the report we have enjoyed our best quarter for tourist arrivals in 25 years?
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Do these figures include the many arrivals transiting Barbados, ie from Seawell to Bridgetown Port, to join a cruise ship, and the reverse on their return?
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David
Do you really believe official statistics? Why all of a sudden would this Government start telling the truth? Consider those two questions before relying on anything that the Government says.
>
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Ask AC about the statistics, she know about touring the line to riches from 2008, she was left in the Dead King will like all the others yard ducks
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Extracted fro Elombe’s Facebook page:
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first the good news .the tourism numbers are up.now the bad news miller and the blp misfits can,t stand the fact that the blp negative campaiging against barbados has not deter tourist from making barbados one of the carribbean most favoured destination countries in the world .Miller i heard some not so good news about u i hope it not true
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Bush Tea at his satirical best on May 27, 2015 at 9:31 PM:
“Probably for the very same reason that your wife should continue to entertain you ..now that your doggie is limp and in no way comparable to Old Onions or Bushie’s ….. Why the hell should she put up with your inferior rod? ….when Onions can do some ‘fishing’….?”
Oh, christ. With every passing day this witless and obnoxious prick sounds ever more like a not-too-bright 12 year old.
First, dull prick, I have ovaries.
Second, witless dipshyte, do you see no connection, no connection at all, between the mind-bending Bajan diabetes problem and a Bajan trade policy designed to protect inefficient producers of nutrient-deficient, high-cost foodstuffs? Zero connection, right? So you’ll give a few more tax dollars to your cousins while just down the road people who are not your blood kin are going blind, losing limbs, and dying early.
Great sense of caritas you’ve got there, prick.
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@ AC (backwards) 2:22 PM
First, dull prick, I have ovaries.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pity you had to sacrifice a brain in the process…
@ David
We did have a good tourist season. The actual numbers can be disputed, but cold weather in our traditional markets co-operated well with our requirements.
If our tourism authorities were able to influence this weather then they have all the right to brag…
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@ David quoted from Elombe ” donkey taxi round town.”
Barbados Donkey Taxi Service. BDTS. The world’s most eco friendly taxi service.
Would provide employment for cart drivers and a few people to walk behind de donkey cart picking up de sheit and washing way de peiss. lol
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Bush shite the tourism numbers are what they are and it ain;t a dam thing you or the miserable blp outcast can do about them , the tourist are coming and will continued to come weather hot or cold, old fart go find something to do with your diseased pessimistic not so observing brain .you and the blp gangsters still waiting to see barbados topple over, well it will never happen come rain storm of thunder storm.
Read and wipe
TOURISM OFFICIALS OPTIMISTIC – Airlift capacity expected to increase in second quarter
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Meanwhile ,Barbados is back in the same position it found itself in a few months ago. The country once again is inundated with garbage which the SSA is unable to collect. And to think just a few months ago we heard the goodly Minister of Trash, beating his chest and roaring about how he, assumably singlehandedly, managed to get 25 or garbage collection trucks back on the road.
The Sanitation Service Fleet has just be given a new guarantee by the Barbadian public. “Five Miles of Five minutes, whichever come first.”
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Address margins for the farmers? Hahaha. more like margins in favour of Sandals. It seemed to me like Mr. Paul got cowed. He came back with prices of what Sandal currently sources its produce for from some of its current suppliers and whether the local farming sector could match it. If not, what was the minimum amount we’d be willing to agree on.
@Curious agronomist. most things can be sourced at a cheaper price. Heck, even with the cost of shipping from China included, I would venture one could import several containers full of broccoli here cheaper that what farmers here can produce it at. So what’s the difference, right?
I lived in France for a couple years. France is renowned world wide for its cuisine – foie gras, croissants, the wine, other pastries and tarts, sauces etc. We send our own chefs over there to learn to prepare all these dishes. But you know who appreciates French cuisine the most? The French themselves. They boast about it, which region cooks the best, slag other countries saying they don’t know how to cook etc. They are a people fiercely proud and protective of their culture. Tons of French people still shop at their markets. They buy the local cheeses, wines, produce, meats, breads etc. Yes, that stereotype of the Frencman with the baguette under his armpit really does exist. Granted they give you a bit of brown paper to wrap it in first. Here we’re buying bloody Saralee bread in Costuless and the like. Simply What are we proud of here in Barbados? What is our culture? We boast of a national dish that I venture to say 50-60% of us don’t eat anymore far less know how to make.
We encourage all these foreign companies to come set up their businesses here – and that’s fine, great. Foreign investment is important to any country. But so too is developing one’s own local people to engage in business. We sang a shout of praise when Butch Stewart came to fill the gap left by Almond Resorts. Gave them all these concessions. But what happens if/when Butch doesn’t get the returns he was hoping for? Don’t you think he too will up and leave. For a foreigner, it will mostly always be about the bottom line. He wants a return on his investment. A Bajan, yes profit is important, but he lives here. He wants to live in a country that’s prosperous. He wants to see his country succeed. Look at the Canadian banks threatening to leave Barbados because of the economic climate.
*Side note – When it comes to food, I don’t look at price that much. Not that I go buy premium meats or anything but there is so much here that we can get which is better quality and in my opinion the same price or only slightly more. Someone was saying that local farmers use too much spray or some rubbish. Spray? Pesticides? Do we know how much pesticides are dosed on those Gala apples, pears, strawberries, grapes and the like we love to eat? No, we don’t have a clue. And the sad thing is, we can’t find out either. Why? Because at least here you can ask the farmer or someone from the Ministry could go and check out the farm. The supply chain is much too complicated to check up on for foreign products. Locally, you can even call into Brasstacks and ask if you’ve seen Farmer X spraying and in two twos his gipsy neighbour would have called in and given an answer. lol. But I guess local produce aren’t seen as being nutritionally dense, huh? And inferior to the big pretty stuff coming from overseas. I personally don’t want something that’s coming from half-way around the world, travelling on the ocean for who knows how many months or years. I don’t mess around with what goes into my body. Treating NCDs is neither cheap nor pleasant. That’s where many people get it wrong. Thousands of dollars are spent yearly at the QEH treated citizens who think taking some pills from the doctor will “cure” them or “fix” the problem. Dying from an NCD is usually a slow, painful tale for many. End sidenote.
I’m not a zealot or anything when it comes to national pride or anything but we keep saying we want Barbados to be this entrepreneurial hub but Bajans aren’t remotely proud of anything Barbadian. So how can we hope to export anything to the rest of the world when we don’t embrace it ourselves. Stupse
But back to the agriculture thing. For the whole providing hotels with local produce in a timely efficient manner, a couple things need to happen.
Between the BAS and the Ministry of Agriculture, they must be able to keep track of all farmers (well at least 90% of them) at all times, knowing what they have growing and to come. Someone has to be collating this information. Send out the officers,
Someone else should contact the hotels and restaurants to collect from them their yearly volumes of whatever produce.
A storage facility of some sort must be provided. Farmers should be able to bring their produce to one central location and then have it distributed/delivered.
This would be the minimum if this whole thing is to work. And living in Barbados, I’d venture to say it won’t happen anytime soon.
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@bajanfarmgirl
An excellent contribution, a pity the taste and attitude of Bajans appear to have been irretrievably influenced by foreign.
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Who wrote/researched this article? No one in America eats 7.5 lbs of sodium per day. That’s about 15 times a fatal, daily dose.
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rqd is entirely right and it was totally my error. Instead of a decimal point (2.736 lbs) I put a comma (2,736 lbs) of sodium which should be a daily dose of .00749 lbs.
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/food-consumption-in-america.html
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