ISLAND COOKIN'
Although some may think Caribbean cuisine is homogenous, the foods from the region differ significantly from place to place as a result of the varied influences from the influx of immigrants from around the globe. The "Don't Stop The Cook: Island Recipes" cookbook — available at Foster's in Camana Bay — offers more than 100 of the best Caribbean recipes in a pocket-sized format. These traditional recipes include regional favourites like "Cha Cha Cha Chicken" from the Florida Keys, "Yam Balls" from Barbuda, "Tamarind Balls" from St. Kitts, "Curried Scallops" from St. Thomas and "St. George Garlic Pork" — which uses a half-pound of garlic and Scotch bonnet peppers as part of a four-day or more marinade — from Guyana. There are also several recipes from the Cayman Islands, including "Captain Morgan's Rum Cake."
COOL KITTY BOOTIES
You probably didn't wake up this morning thinking, "I need to go to Next Chapter and buy some cat butt fridge magnets," but that's probably only because you didn't know there were such things as cat butt magnets and that they are sold in sets of six at Next Chapter. Now that you — and all our cat-loving readers — know, these fun, feline derrière magnets designed by Steph Mantis for Kikkerland will likely grace refrigerators all over Grand Cayman. As one description of this product proclaims: "Plastic animal butts — perfect for displaying everything." How can you argue with that?
FUN COASTERS AND TRIVETS
CoasterStone coasters have been saving coffee tables and other living room furniture from cup ring stains for almost 40 years. These super-absorbent soapstone coasters — which are available at Bedside Manor — are ideal for Cayman's climate, where condensation on cold drinks is almost assured. In addition to its standard-sized coasters, CoasterStone makes smaller coasters to protect your vehicle's cup holder and larger trivets to protect your dining room table. CoasterStone offers more than 2,000 different designs on its coasters, but we chose to feature the dog-wearing-big-sunglasses. Why? Because this column is called "What's New, What's Fun" and an image of a shaggy dog wearing oversized sunglasses is about as fun as a trivet can get.
RETRO SOUND
Since the early days of rock 'n' roll, Marshall amplifiers and speaker cabinets have been among the most recognised and well regarded in the music industry. Now, Marshall offers various Bluetooth speakers for personal use, including this portable and rechargeable Stockwell II speaker available at Cayman MAC Store. Although it weighs only 3 pounds, this speaker packs a solid sound punch and can do so for more than 20 hours on a single charge. It also features the classic Marshall retro look, complete with a guitar-inspired carrying strap. It's equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 technology for wireless music play up to 30 feet away from the speaker. If Marshall is good enough for The Who, it's good enough for you!
About the author
Alan Markoff has worked with Dart as the editor for Camana Bay Times for five years and has been writing professionally since 1997. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Alan graduated from the State University of New York at Albany with a degree in English, and first moved to the Cayman Islands in 1982. He has 18 years of experience in the real estate industry and previously worked as a journalist for the Cayman Compass before joining Dart to relaunch the Camana Bay Times monthly newspaper. Alan is passionate about food and wine and he loves to write about both those subjects. He is also the leader of Grand Cayman’s Slow Food Chapter. One of Alan’s favourite ways to relax is to catch a film at Camana Bay Cinema. It was at one of these movies that he met his wife, Lynn!