An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude
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Product Description
Under the Tuscan Sun meets the wide-open sea . . . An Embarrassment of Mangoes is a delicious chronicle of leaving the type-A lifestyle behind — and discovering the seductive secrets of life in the Caribbean.
Who hasn’t fantasized about chucking the job, saying goodbye to the rat race, and escaping to some exotic destination in search of sun, sand, and a different way of life? Canadians Ann Vanderhoof and her husband, Steve did just that.
In the mid 1990s, they were driven, forty-something professionals who were desperate for a break from their deadline-dominated, career-defined lives. So they quit their jobs, rented out their house, moved onto a 42-foot sailboat called Receta (“recipe,” in Spanish), and set sail for the Caribbean on a two-year voyage of culinary and cultural discovery.
In lavish detail that will have you packing your swimsuit and dashing for the airport, Vanderhoof describes the sun-drenched landscapes, enchanting characters and mouthwatering tastes that season their new lifestyle. Come along for the ride and be seduced by Caribbean rhythms as she and Steve sip rum with their island neighbors, hike lush rain forests, pull their supper out of the sea, and adapt to life on “island time.”
Exchanging business clothes for bare feet, they drop anchor in 16 countries — 47 individual islands — where they explore secluded beaches and shop lively local markets. Along the way, Ann records the delectable dishes they encounter — from cracked conch in the Bahamas to curried lobster in Grenada, from Dominican papaya salsa to classic West Indian rum punch — and incorporates these enticing recipes into the text so that readers can participate in the adventure.
Almost as good as making the journey itself, An Embarrassment of Mangoes is an intimate account that conjures all the irresistible beauty and bounty from the Bahamas to Trinidad — and just may compel you to make a rash decision that will land you in paradise.
From the Hardcover edition.
An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude
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Well written, nice recipes, but the sailing part is pretty boring. The writer definitely doesn’t like sailing. The usual story; the husband would like to go cruising; the wife follows him and hates the sailing part. If sailing is not in your blood… don’t go, catch a plane! She wants us to believe that it is all very brave what they do, but with the house paid off, a whole package of insurances and without hardly any night passage, it sounds more like a Club Med adventure. If a cruiser is fussy in finding a hair salon in port and bug-busting bleaches everything that is on board (mooring lines, fruit,..!), I can only suggest to stick to cooking!
Rating: 2 / 5
This book has been helpful for a friend who is planning to buy a boat and move to the Caribbean. He said it has been influential for him and has given him lots to think about.
Rating: 5 / 5
This was a fine effort from Ms. Vanderhoof. I wasn’t sure about it – this book takes some time to “ripen” at least for me. She doesn’t spend any time on how they were able to take two years off and I guess that ok but I kept wondering about it. When they actually get to the Caribbean the whole book really blooms. The love that these two feel for the areas they live in becomes infectious. The recipes are interesting but where would this Michigan resident find the ingredients? When the author is writing about the people she meets, Mr. Butter, the Minister of Rum, Dingis and family, those are the most WONDERFUL passages in the book. This was not a perfect book but it is an interesting book and I’m so glad I read it.
Rating: 4 / 5
If you have a fantasy about running away to a tropical island, you will love this book.
Rating: 5 / 5
I loved this book. It took me places I will never see, but I felt I was there.
Rating: 5 / 5