Chefette

Chefette is the local fast-food chain in Barbados. They serve everything from burgers and fries to rotis and their upscale section BBQ-Barn even has pork chops and macaroni pie. So we are clear, I love Chefette. There's nothing quite like a Broasted Chicken Bubbie Sandwich on a warm Sunday afternoon on Accra. Its actually one of the things I miss most when traveling. Don't be confused by there signature Broasted Chicken, it is fried chicken just cooked under a pressure fryer. The difference is subtle, but so damn good. Its the definition of crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Now if you visit Barbados and don't go to Chefette, you haven't really visited Barbados. It can only be found here so don't even try to cheat. Their trademark yellow and purple are iconic here and could never be copied with the same success. There are 15 branches spread out around the island so it shouldn't be hard to find one, and when you go, trust me you won't regret it. If you want Bajan Street Cred get the Broasted  Chicken Breast Sandwich, 6 piece Nuggets and Chips with a Mauby. Extra points if you call it a Chicken Bubbie Sandwich. But if theres a special get the Wing Dings. 6 Dings, Chips and a Coke... and the Sauce. Always use the sauce. It makes the meal, its like if hot-sauce and ketchup had a perfect baby.

In conclusion, if you are every hungry in Barbados just go up to a taxi driver and say, "Take me to Chefette" and all will be right with the world. If you want to look them up online, go to www.chefette.com. Find the closest location to you, give them a call and order everything on the menu.

BEME

BEME is a social media app where you send video messages that you don't see or edit before you send. The app was created in part by the incredible, Casey Neistat. While not seeing what you are putting out into the world before you send it might seem like a crazy idea, its actually kind of cool.

With most social media apps you retake, edit and filter everything to the point where the finished product doesn't resemble the reality. With BEME, you get one chance to make it right, and then its out there. It makes everything more real.

The whole point of this is to make a more authentic experience through social media. Its more personal. I think its great for travelers because you can create content and then go back to enjoying the experience instead of getting caught up in creating the content. I say try it out. See if you like it. If you don't like it, I'm sure there are loads of other apps to fill that void. But try it out. Its fun. I think there are some bugs but its got some serious potential. And you want to be a pioneer.

If you want to download BEME check it out here. And if you want to follow me on BEME, add me at j.cho. So have you tried BEME? If yo have tell me your username and what you think in the comments down below.

Half The Fun Of The Travel...

Coast to Coastan

Love when travelers make videos of Barbados. These guys made a awesome video of their trip to Bim. Its crazy how someone can come here in a short time and see all these incredible things. As a tourist destination, Barbados should be on the top of everyones list.

These guys also seemed to do a lot of exploring. They did a few things I'm not sure all tourists would be able to see. But I guess, everyone travels differently. If you want to follow their formula;

1. Rent a car.
2. Go on a catamaran (then swim with the turtles).
3. Get beach chairs at Boatyard (do ALL the watersports)
4. Visit Speightstown.
5. Drop by the Barbados Animal Reserve (get harassed by green monkeys, then harass the turtles)

Either way, I've gotta learn how to make awesome videos like this. Barbados is too gorgeous to not do it justice.

China

Going to China was a very special experience for me. My father is from Trinidad, but of Chinese decent. Therefore, I'm half Chinese. However growing up, I always knew that I didn't quite fit in with Chinese people because we are half-breeds. A picture of my extended family looks like an ad for United Color of Benetton. All of the elders on my father's side married people of other races. The Chinese connection is what binds our family but we weren't raised particularly Asian. They assimilated very well and we are fundamentally Caribbean. Well at least that was my experience. My father is a different story. His parents were actually from China and although he didn't grow up there he was much more influenced by that connection. Although he is Caribbean, being Chinese makes up more of his identity that I understand.

Therefore going to China was an incredibly interesting situation for our family. Organized by the matriarch of the family, we travelled in a massive group of 26 people. Family from around the world came together so that we could make that this trip together. There's safety in numbers and we were a traveling tribe making our way to our ancestral land. I think the trip meant different things to each member of the group. For the elders of Chinese heritage, they were going back to their roots. They got the opportunity to get in touch with a part of themselves that they had to suppress in order to be accepted in the Caribbean and better yet they get to show the younger members of the family pieces of themselves that were forgotten. While for others it was less going back to our roots and more getting in touch with a part of our identity that we know very little about. Then there were those who married into the situation and were just along for the ride.

When I first got to China I thought it is different but its still all the same. I started to think cities are the same around the world. Old World, New World, East, West. It didn't matter we were half way around the world, there is a certain similarity with all cities that now seems very familiar. However, the longer I was there, it was different. It was Asian. It was Communist. It was Foreign. There was a familiar basis so I knew I would survive but there was a certain foreignness which kept me on my toes.

Unfortunately I didn't experience the connection with China that I wanted. I enjoyed it. But I never felt the striking familiarity I wished for. I saw things which I didn't want to identify with. I realised they were characteristic of my father but I didn't want to identify with those traits. However, I did gain something else, Respect. Although I didn't identify with the traits I saw, I did gain a deep respect for what I saw and what they achieved. Their ways were different, however they worked. I saw that there are good people there and I may not understand them or their ways but that fundamental goodness is breathtaking.

Wally's Smokehouse

Driving around Trinidad my cousin pointed out a smoke house that he wanted to try. A man with impeccable taste for meats, I was instantly intrigued. We passed it at first but on our way back, tired and rather starved we made one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. Stopping at Wally's Smokehouse.

There's a few meats on the menu that I didn't expect like lamb but I guess in Trinidad, lamb is more common than you would expect. But I got the impression these guys knew what they were doing so I went along for the ride. We got chicken, ribs and lamb. A fairly good selection, I'd say. The minute I saw my chicken I knew this was going to be a proper treat. The chicken was cooked perfectly, the skin had a crisp to be in awe of, while the meat wasn't dry at all. I've got to say, my questioning lamb on the menu was a bad call. The lamb were ideally seasoned and impeccably cooked. Delicious.

When I finished my feast of food. We had a chance to talk with the man himself, Wally. Talking to him you knew he cared about what he was doing and everything was a food choice. He chatted about the potatoes he preferred for the fries, how his meat guy cut the lamb too small and how he may know one of my uncles. Only in the Caribbean can you just go for lunch at a random place and realize they know your family. Great Food. Great People. What more can you ask for?

Extraordinary Places...