The night before the program started, there was a cultural presentation for all the assistants put on by students studying to work in tourism at the local high school in Fort-de-France (the capital of Martinique). We got to taste a lot of traditional Caribbean fare: guava juice and fresh guava fruit, plantain, starfruit, several types of berries, candied coconut and a fruit juice made of prunes de cythère, which was unlike anything I'd ever had before -- it's bright green and has a bitter, acrid smell, but in actuality it's quite sweet. We also got to eat actual sugar cane, which was chewy and rough and fibrous and nothing like what I'd expected.
Afterward, we all had to close our eyes while the students came around and placed different scents under our noses. We had to guess the scent, which was actually harder than I'd thought it would be. We smelled cinnamon, almond, vanilla, and pepper, all of which are important flavors in Caribbean cuisine. I loved that the night was all about the sensual -- appreciating the colors and smells and textures and flavors of the natural products of the earth here.
Apparently, there used to be a music and dance portion of the cultural presentation, but that's gone now because there's no money. Story of everything, right? But I guess I can't complain.
Here's a (somewhat blurry) picture of the girls in traditional Martiniquais dress.
