Of Mofongo and Monsters
We dined in Fern here at the resort on Monday, run by Jean George, whose Manhattan restaurant we aren’t crazy about, despite its reputation. We encountered the same here, rather indifferent food. But last night we dined in a highly recommended informal restaurant about 30 minutes away, and enjoyed mofongo, which is fried plantain, mashed with garlic and oil. It is accompanied with seafood or chicken or beef. Fabulous.
The pool area at the resort is gorgeous, and contains several levels with islands amidst them. I found two, yard-long iguanas on one of them, a lime-green specimen and an olive drab colleague. The latter was on the ground and staring at me at eye level as I stood in five feet of water. These are wild animals and come and go as they please, meaning they swim across the pools to hunt food or visit friends! (Iguanas can swim in the ocean, often traveling between islands.)
Can you picture a kid in the pool suddenly watching a small dinosaur coasting by, with those huge, rotating eyes taking him in? The kid screams for his parents, the iguana disappears, and his parents assure him that there are no monsters in the pool. It would, perversely, make my day and no doubt drive the kid eventually into psychology where he would unsuccessfully attempt to deal with his own demons.
I digress.
The weather has been great, the ocean warm, the place serene. Tonight we’ll go off property for dinner and some modest gambling.
Be careful, you might want to stay out of the water!
© Alan Weiss 2012. All rights reserved.
