Subject: Re: Most Memorable Meal
Hello Fellow Ziners,

We have just come back from a wonderful 2 week trip to the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius. Food is a very important part of the way of life on this island and we are always looking to try the local delicacies rather than go for the Westernised food options you get in hotels. For me the type of food was not entirely new, since my wife grew up on the island, but had not been back for 35 years, but the way it is eaten, was and there are certain delicacies which can only be found on the island.

On our 2nd day on Mauritius we took a trip to the capital, Port Louis and visited the local food and vegetable market. This is a spectacle in itself since every vendor is displaying the most wonderful (exotic) fruits and vegetables you can find, but the most interesting part is found by going through a side door at one end of the market and you end up in a large hall, filled with all different spiced aroma's where around 50 different vendors are selling their foods and drinks ready made on the premises for you to snack on, lunch on or whatever kind of meal you have in mind. My absolute favourite is the dholl puri, a pancake type flatbread which is filled with lentils, dholl (a sort of pea), spices and some vegetables and chili. It is rolled up, handed to you in a paper bag and you are ready to enjoy the most incredible taste explosion you are ever likely to experience (if you like that sort of thing, of course). An absolutely wonderful, healthy and filling meal, eaten in a local ambiance and for the money watchers, the entire lunch (including 2 liter bottles of water, cost us less than 100 Rs (Mauritian Rupees) which is less than US$3.50 for 2.

Bard Vos, back in Arroyo de la Miel in Spain