Food Budget - What Are You Eating?

[svBeBe]

Reading the praise for grass fed beef gets a chuckle from me. That is all that is available in TRNC -- except at our marina restaurant which imports Argentinian beef. We pay more and buy the real Argentinian beef. It is very tender and does not have that 'wild' taste of the local grass fed beef.

Judy

[subquanta]

Glad to see some low food budgets. We are a family of four with two small kids still land bound in the US and we eat very well on less than $200 a month. This includes Prime Grade stake once a week and takeout pizza every Friday.

Anyone out there cruising in the Bahamas that can give us an idea of your budget. We hope to be there in the fall. Thanks for your time.

[Hud3]

We live on land now, but eat pretty much like we did on the boat when we were cruising. We've averaged about US$800 per month for two over the last four years here on Nevis. This includes food, wine and liquor, but not the cost of eating out at restaurants, which are relatively expensive here.

The local beef is grass-fed. The cattle simply wander around anywhere they choose and eat whatever look god. We like the flavor of the ground (minced) beef, but the cuts are a bit too tough.

[Tbrad]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

It's my opinion that Alcohol is much more rewarding than cookies/cakes/pies
And probably the same amount of suger/carbs....

Ah yesss! Definitely has a longer "afterglow".

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Hud3

The local beef is grass-fed. The cattle simply wander around anywhere they choose and eat whatever look god. We like the flavor of the ground (minced) beef, but the cuts are a bit too tough.

I would hope that is some really good eating beef!!!!

[Hud3]

Cows are holy down here.

[Curmudgeon]

I thought goat was big in the southern Carribean.

[Hud3]

Goats do roam around here, too.

[Curmudgeon]

On Bequia they call it "Goat Water":
Caribbean Goat Stew

[Hud3]

Same here. It could be goat or sheep meat.

Or monkey, some will tell you.

[onestepcsy37]

subquanta -

we spent the last summer in the bahamas. we brought a lot of food with us, and except for the basics i might suggest the same to you. the very basic foodstuffs like rice and beans and oatmeal and such are comparable to the usa, but everything else is higher, sometimes much higher. some would like to tell you it's the cost of transporting these things into the bahamas (and 95% of everything you buy is imported) but having worked in the ocean freight business for ten years i can tell you that the cost of bringing them in is negligible, on a per item basis - pennies or less per can of beans. the real problem is the very high import tax, even on foodstuffs. so be prepared.

if you use dried beans and flour and rice and such, prices are comparable to the usa, as they are not taxed. but go up one step, such as prepared foodstuffs, and the prices began rising quickly. so i would suggest that if you are a 'subsistence' cook (beans and rice) you probably shouldn't devote valuable storage space on your boat to that. instead bring over all the things that are one step above, like cookies for the kids and prepackaged foods that you might enjoy.

and if you're beer or soda drinkers better really stock up on that as the prices can be astronomical in some places (case of 24 kalik beers was $60 in the exumas). there is not a whole lot of local produce either, so if you like your fresh fruits and veggies better be prepared to pay for them. that's where my food money usually goes.

availability is another problem. for instance in the abacos there are small groceries on elbow, gtc, and great guana, which have small inventories and high prices. in treasure cay and marsh harbor there are usa comparable markets with good inventories and slightly lower prices. in the exumas there are small groceries all the way down to georgetown where you will again find a large supermarket. there are large markets in nassau of course but not always easy to get to - take a taxi or the bus. i've heard that the big market on bay street past nassau yacht haven that we used to walk to has closed, but don't know for sure.

having said all that, do not let me discourage you. you will love the bahamas. i'm going back this summer....

[DataPhreak]

Disregard previous contents.

I'm not on a boat, but one thing i've not run across in this post is Masa. Tamales and Arepas take a bit of prep, but are delicious, and can really extend anything. Just stuff your leftovers inside. Really, anything. Chocolate covered pinapple tamales? You bet.

For either, mix equal parts masa and water, and about a tablespoon of salt. Tamales you wrap and steam with banana leaves or corn husks then steam. Arepas you panfry in a very little bit of vegi oil until browned, then bake at 350 for 15 minutes (Someone will have to translate that for presure cooker.) Cheap and delicous. Really suprised nobody has run across this. It's a staple in central/south america.

Originally Posted by Tbrad

Canned spam can be used in place of bacon, however, has been found to cause dissatisfaction by the state of california.

There, i fixed it.

[DataPhreak]

Just wanted to add, sometimes, masa can be hard to find. Wife and I spent two weeks in San Pedro, Belize. My mom, who lives there, had not had my homemade tamales, and I decided to make them for her. We checked every grocery store on the island, and simply could not find masa. Finally, at the pharmacy, I was chatting with a resident, and in a little shack about a mile from mom's condo, off the main road, a lady sold tortillas. I was able to purchase 4lbs wet masa for $2 belize, or about $1usd. With 2lbs chorizo from the local market, it made enough tamales for 4 people twice.

Also, beer in San Pedro at a bar is usually $1.50~$2.50usd for the local brew. (Belican, good stuff) You'll not find a better price in the US, especially not for something on par with red stripe. Rum is even cheaper, and the local rum has a chocolatey boquet. Seriously, if your stores are running low, drop by, but mind the barrier reef.

[NornaBiron]

Originally Posted by DataPhreak

Disregard previous contents.

I'm not on a boat, but one thing i've not run across in this post is Masa. Tamales and Arepas take a bit of prep, but are delicious, and can really extend anything. Just stuff your leftovers inside. Really, anything. Chocolate covered pinapple tamales? You bet.

For either, mix equal parts masa and water, and about a tablespoon of salt. Tamales you wrap and steam with banana leaves or corn husks then steam. Arepas you panfry in a very little bit of vegi oil until browned, then bake at 350 for 15 minutes (Someone will have to translate that for presure cooker.) Cheap and delicous. Really suprised nobody has run across this. It's a staple in central/south america.



There, i fixed it.

what's masa?

[savoir]

It's the type of corn flour used to make tortillas or in this case tamales. Lime is added to the corn to enable it to form a dough. The full name is masa harina.