Page 16 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Winter/Spring 2025

TASTE OF
JAMAICA
Beyond the beaches
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CYNTHIA DAVID PROWLS THE STREETS OF JAMAICA’S
CAPITAL AND DISCOVERS THERE’S MORE TO THIS CARIBBEAN ISLAND THAN
ITS MAGNIFICENT BEACHES AND RESORTS.
head north to resort towns like Ocho Rios or
When tourists fly into Kingston, Jamaica, most
Montego Bay for a relaxing sun and sand vaca-
tion. For those craving a different kind of holiday, spending a
few days in the island’s capital promises culinary and cul-
tural adventures and a chance to mingle with the locals.
Kingston, on the southeast coast, is built around a natural
harbour with the misty Blue Mountains rising in the distance.
Handsome colonial buildings contrast with gritty streets in
this bustling modern city. The food scene reflects the island’s
rich ethnic heritage, summed up in the national motto: Out of
Many, One People where culinary specialties from African and
Chinese to Indian and Middle Eastern as well as Britain’s
influences have helped shape Jamaican cooking.
WALK ON
For a quirky taste of the city, I recently joined a three-hour
culinary walking tour offered by Kingston Creative. This pas-
sionate group of young people is on a quest to revive
Downtown Kingston, the once-thriving commercial area near
the port. Vibrant murals painted by local and international
artists are splashed on building façades in Water Lane as we
inched our way to an unusual street-food cart on John Lane.
Here we joined well-dressed office workers lining up mid-
morning for a steaming paper cup of owner Courtney
Cousins’ prize-winning porridge. The thick, smooth concoc-
tion, ladled from a tall aluminum pot, blends green plantain,
peanuts, cornmeal and coconut milk laced with nutmeg,
mace, cinnamon and vanilla. To amp up the flavour, Cousins
stirs in molasses and drizzles condensed milk on top.
CRAB FEST
Across the road from National Heroes Park, where crowds
gathered in the late 1700s to watch thrilling horse races,
you’ll spot a new fan base at Crab Circle. Home of the
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DREAMSCAPES WINTER/SPRING 2025