With current events, it’s hard to imagine traveling again right now, but someday, we will all be dreaming and planning trips again…. Well, I’m dreaming right now. But the planning will have to wait.

One of my favorite things about Tobago is the food. Tobago can do fresh like nobody’s business, but also fried, and carbs, and comfort food. Corn soup, macaroni pie (similar to mac and cheese but more dense and different because local brands of pasta and cheese are used), and savory vegetable dishes like pumpkin cooked down with garlic, pepper, onion, and other flavorings are some of my favorites.

We also discovered D’ Punch Boss last year, who makes the most incredible smoothies I’ve ever tasted with fresh ingredients like pumpkin and provisions (root vegetables like dasheen and yams) with spices and condensed milk. How can you make a good smoothie with starchy root vegetables? I don’t know. I’m sure the condensed milk has a big role to play, but the smoothies aren’t overly sweet, which is why they’re so good.

I haven’t even tried to recreate D’ Punch Boss’ concoctions because they are so dependent on local flavors for their delicious taste. He’s only open in the middle of the night, which adds another layer of fun. (Want to find him? He’s in Crowne Point across from Jade Monkey next to the Jerk Chicken stand. We found him open between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.)

We have a few other favorite places to go to eat, like Kariwak, which has great, fresh vegetarian options. And we love the doubles truck and roadside stands, although sometimes those can make us feel a little funny later. And my mother-in-law makes delicious food for us while we’re there.

A while back, I shared my modified recipe for vegetarian pelau based on the recipe my mother-in-law gave me. I don’t make it as often as I used to because dal is easier and has become our go-to rice-based meal.

After a couple of weeks of having so much Caribbean food while we were in Tobago, I was thinking again about how I could introduce more Caribbean cooking back into our lives in New York in the absence (so far) of a really good, reliable Caribbean eatery in the area that has fresh vegetarian options.

During our visit, one of the Tobago cousins walked me through a recipe for eggplant (called melangen in Tobago, a name I prefer since it doesn’t have all the negative connotations I associate with the word eggplant). I always say I don’t like eggplant because I haven’t found the right recipe yet, and this recipe might be it.

The preparation also caught my attention because it included two ingredients we don’t have in New York: chado beni, and Tobago flavor peppers. Both have a really unique flavor and, in the case of chado beni, texture, that made me want to cook with them.

Alas, they don’t grow here. There are websites that sell the seeds for both plants, but growing plants from seed is a lot of work and I didn’t know if I was up to it this year.

It reminded me of the pitfalls of trying to make traditional dishes from other places. I can make pelau, and buss up shut (someday I might share my recipe, but honestly, it doesn’t taste the same, it’s more of a nod to the dish), and prepare rice and vegetables the way I’ve learned from watching family members make meals during our visit. But the ingredients, and therefore the flavor, will never really be exactly right.

I guess it’s possible some ethnic grocery in my area has what I need to make Caribbean food right, but I don’t know if I have time, patience, or know-how to go to multiple stores looking for a flavor I only get to really smell and taste once a year.

For a long time, the pelau recipe has been the top site on my blog for visitors, but few people stay long enough to read the recipe. This blog is more for me and friends who enjoy reading my writing. So I was ok with visitors bouncing, but it still bothered me a little, not knowing what was “wrong” with the recipe.

This recent visit, smelling and touching the local flavors that went into the eggplant dish I liked, I realized I could find similar flavors. Chado beni is very like cilantro, even if the texture is completely different. I could probably substitute bell pepper or a mild hot pepper for Tobago flavor peppers and get decent results. But it will never taste just the same. Because a big part of what makes a dish is WHERE you make it.

So, friends. I did go ahead and order the seeds. Hopefully I’ll get them in some dirt soon so they’ll be ready to go in the ground when the weather gets warmer. If you want authentic Caribbean flavor, you’ll just have to go to the Caribbean. In the meantime, I’m going to keep trying to bring the Caribbean to me.

I didn’t mention Quench Fruit Bar in Buccoo, Tobago, but when it comes to smoothies, they were a close second to D’ Punch Boss. Plus, they have normal business hours.