Three friends visit Grand Cayman

Together we did lots of swimming in the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean, worked hard to avoid a sunburn (I have never used so much SPF30 as I did while in Cayman), met new friends, fed stingray and gave scuba a try.

Quick Tips:

1. Take lots of sunblock in an SPF higher than you'd wear at a beach further from the equator. Don't forget special coverage for your face including even more SPF, extra lip protection and light colored hats.
2. As in Britain, drivers are on the left side of the road (and sometimes, that side of the car too) so if you are not used to this, use extra caution when you are crossing the street or even just walking on the side of the road.
3. Go to Cayman before May or after September to avoid exceptionally high temperatures as well as the rainy season.
4. Consider visiting Cayman for Pirates Week when islanders reenact historic battles in the island's past. At the end of this festive late October week full of special foods, costumes and music, the "pirates" are rounded up, put on trial and deported!

Best Way To Get Around:

Although car and jeep rentals are available and moderately priced, I would not recommend this option unless you are very confident driving on the left side of what are often very narrow roads. Additionally, you will need to get a local driver's license as Cayman does not offer reciprocal privileges with most foreign drivers licenses. Instead of driving, I recommend walking when you can and taking a cab for longer distances. You can get a cab easily at one of the many area hotels or by calling a dispatcher (phone numbers are easy to find given the extraordinary friendliness of Cayman locals).

It wasn't that we wanted to avoid leaving our Cayman resort - on the contrary! We simply hoped to have some degree of cost certainly while fully expecting to leave the resort for some evening meals.

There are only two all-inclusives on Grand Cayman and just one on Seven Mile Beach (SMB), the Beach Club Colony. After considering other SMB resorts such as the Westin, the Hyatt and the Marriott, I picked the Beach Club, but as a girl raised on chains, I was a nervous wreck, imagining everything from dirty rooms to "forgotten" reservations. My fears were unfounded and my friends and I enjoyed our stay at the Beach Club.

Let's me express this clearly: this is not a ritzy hotel. Instead, the Beach Club offers basic rooms in two-story buildings and a few bungalows. There's a pool, but it's small and out of the way. You won't miss it though as the beach is gorgeous.

Our room, just steps from the sand, had two four poster beds, a bedside table, dresser, television with remote control, a clean pale green tile floor and a closet. The in-wall air conditioning unit was noisy, but kept our room cool. Draperies and linens were colorful florals. The tiled bathroom was modern with plenty of counter space, a must when three women share a room!

Our complaints were minor. While the shower temperature was always good, the water pressure left much to be desired. The lighting in the bedroom was somewhat inadequate, however we spent very little time inside anyway.

Service is generally informal, but friendly and efficient. Front desk staff quickly answered our requests for more towels, taxis, and restaurant advice. Our favorite waiter Michael was only too happy to take time to chat with us about our day's plans. But the Beach Club employee who most endeared himself to us was Lismore Clair (known simply as Clair) who set out beach chairs and umbrellas for us each day, putting them right down by the water and marking our space with a hand written "reserved" sign. Each day, we'd chat with him and learn a little more about this gentle soul. We greatly enjoyed his company. I will cover service more specifically in my Beach Club Dining and Activity entries.

Rates. When speaking with the hotel general manager, Padraic Linnane, via e-mail (bchclub@candw.ky), I specified that we'd like an oceanfront room with two double beds) for five nights. We negotiated a rate of $150 per person including all meals/drinks for the first two guests and $100 for the third. In the end, we were charged $320 total per night all inclusive.

One word of caution: lots of Cayman restaurants offer dinner only. Before trying to get breakfast or lunch at the venue of your choice, call ahead to make sure that they are open.

All of the major hotels feature restaurants offering three meals per day; they are often prohibitively expensive. One decent deal is breakfast at the Mangrove Grille at the Holiday Inn (345-946-4433). Every day Mangrove offers a gut-busting buffet for CI$10.95 that includes everything from made-to-order omelettes and waffles to cereals and fresh fruit.

For breakfast on a budget, visit The Coffee Grinder (345-949-6294) located within the Seven Mile Shops complex on West Bay Road. There you'll find a nice assortment of fresh baked goods, coffees, teas and juices.

Lunch options include Eats Cafe (345-945-5288) right across from the Westin Hotel or the Lone Star (a favorite of locals which is NOT the chain, but a local establishment; 345-945-5175).

For a taste of traditional Caymanian cuisine mixed with some pub fare, try The Wharf (on West Bay Road, 345-949-2231). Along with good food and waterfront dining, each evening, you can watch staff feed tarpon that inhabit the waters nearby.

FYI - tarpon are large fish that average 40-50 pounds, but can grow to 200+ pounds!

If you'd like to visit a pub, Cayman-style, check out Fidel Murphy's (Queens Court, West Bay Road, 345-949-5189). They frequently offer a complimentary appetizer buffet during happy hour. Call for details.

In Georgetown, you will encounter many good eating options. Visit On the Rocks (345-949-6163) on North Church Street for affordable seaside casual dining. Feeling lazy and desiring to watch the sunset in its entirety, one day my gang of five decided to order pizza. While the Pizza Hut pizza was tasty and we really enjoyed our sunset picnic on the beach, we experienced buyers' remorse at having been duped for US$35 for two medium pizzas that we should have left American chains back in the States. If we could have found a local pizzeria in the phone book, we would have patronized it gladly.

Casa Havana (at the Westin Casuarina, 345-945-3800) and Hemingway's (at the Hyatt, 345-945-5595) are two fine dining options in Seven Mile Beach. Be prepared to dress-up and spend upwards of $100 for dinner for two without drinks. Still, if romance is what you seek, these are the spots. Reservations required.

After a week of rice and potatoes, I was dying for some pasta so I focused on finding a good Italian place. I was also interested in getting out of the Seven Mile Beach area for a change. Fortunately, this search led me to Casanova, a lovely moderately-priced Italian restaurant in Georgetown overlooking the harbour.

I called ahead, making a reservation for three people at 7:15 pm and received the first "Bella, bella" treatmant of many. It felt a lot like being in New York's Little Italy and exemplified the friendly service we would receive throughout our meal.

The dining room of Casanova is on the small side, but in a cozy way. One side of the room is all windows and you can get a nice view of the water by asking for a table closest to the windows.

The menu is extensive, covering many Italian classics plus a few unique twists. There is, of course, plenty of seafood to choose from given the Caribbean location.

My friends and I started our meal by sharing a beef carpaccio appetizer. This cured rare beef appetizer was exceptional - very fresh with a hint of lemon. The accompanying parmesan cheese slices were perfect - salty and firm.

To accompany our wine, we chose a bottle of Italian Sangiovese for, I believe, US$3.

Our entrees were uniformly delicious. I ordered the waiter's suggested pasta, penne alla grappa. Similar to a vodka sauce albeit with less cream, the dish had small pieces of pancetta. The pasta was al dente - perfect. Kristy has a delicious cheese ravioli in meat sauce. Laura had grilled mahi mahi which came with potatoes and vegetables.

We were too full for dessert so we ended the visit with a shot of Casanova's complimentary creme rum. From there, it was on to the Sea View/Naked Fish for cocktails with our friends Ian, Carl and Jason.

We took a cab to Casanova which cost US$8.75. Like many Caymanian restaurants, the bill included a 15% gratuity which brought the grand total to US$110. Not bad at all for a quality meal for three people with wine.

There are several other bars, restaurants and shops in the block or so adjacent to Casanova and I wished I had more time to explore this part of Georgetown. Our trip was simply too short!

DJ's is a stylish yet relaxed restaurant and lounge with excellent food and friendly service. The decor is notable - dark in a sexy (not "help, I'm blind!") way, with cool fixtures everywhere, some candles here and there... it's really great, but was, alas, too dark for pictures.

We didn't have reservations, however seating wasn't a problem. Late April is Grand Cayman's off-season so we were quickly seated near the lively bar area. Outdoor seating is attractive, not an afterthought as at many restaurants, so if a table is available there, grab it.

Our cheerful server Julie promptly introduced herself and brought menus. Through conversation, we learned much about her (Canadian and the sister of the owner's boyfriend), the food and DJ's sister restaurant which is about to open in Kelowna, British Columbia. We ordered drinks (margaritas and sangria - both wonderful) and lots of food.

We started with DJ's excellent tortilla chips with the chunky mild salsa. I would have preferred a spicier salsa, however I was overruled! The chips were warm and fresh; the salsa full of firm and juicy tomatoes and onions. Note: the chips and salsa were not complimentary. We paid about US$4.95 for unlimited refills of both chips and salsa.

Don’t miss the salbutes appetizer, five bite-sized corn tortillas holding chunks of spicy marinated chicken breast and topped with caramelized onions. They were so delicious that the three of us fought over the last one!

For our main course, we split two dishes. The first was chicken soft tacos which comes as an order of three. The chicken, white meat as with the salbutes, was not as spicy and had a different tang... perhaps cinnamon or cumin. Kristy wasn't a fan, but Laura and I gobbled them up. The accompaniments - salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese - were all fresh and savory. The second dish was a baked ground beef burrito which was delicious. Stuffed with black beans, it had just the right amount of spice to go along with the lean ground beef.

By sharing two entrees instead of three, we also saved a bit of money. Our bill, with appetizers, two entrees and one round of drinks, was less than US$30 per person.

We had hoped to return to sample DJ's nightlife, but time ran out. When we left after dinner, a rock band was setting up. Other scheduled nights included old school hip hop (Mondays) and traditional Caribbean music (Sunday).

The restaurant is set back a little from West Bay Road in the midst of a shopping complex. Find Edoardo's and keep walking back, then you'll see DJ's on the left side.

While dining at the Beach Club was not as fancy or elegant as the top dining choices on Grand Cayman, our meals there were surprisingly good, for the most part.

Our introduction to meals as the resort came within an hour of landing. Although we arrived after the 2:30 pm end point of lunch service, the staff graciously fed us anything we wanted from the large grill overlooking the ocean. Our choices included chicken, fish, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. accompanied by green salad. Not a bad start, at all, and we were quickly impressed by both the staff's friendliness and the open air dining room with beautiful views of the beach and sea. "I could get used to this," my friend Laura said while sipping an included pina colada, the first of many.

For most meals, a standard format applied: during the 2-3 hour meal window, fresh foods were be served buffet-style and replenished frequently. Accompaniments such as multiple salads for lunch and dinner, and fresh fruit for breakfast were available on one of several other tables. Often, a chef would man the grill and turn out delicious fresh meats and fish jerk-style or simply roasted.

Breakfasts were full of variety. The usuals were all present: dry cereals, fresh fruit, muffins and danish. In addition, hot selections including hash brown potatoes, bacon and omelettes made to order were options most days.

Lunchtime selections were hit or miss. Although my friends loved their tunafish salad, grilled cheese sandwiches (admittedly not a great beach choice) were good some days, but inedible due to stale bread others.

The Beach Club balanced local specialties (the aforementioned jerk chicken, pork and fish; ackee and saltfish, etc.) with foods visiting Americans and Europeans seek quite well. The jerk specialities were firey and delicious. At least five different desserts were offered each night, and having sampled MANY, we can say that most were winners. We tried everything from pecan pie to strawberry pie to several variations on chocolate cake.

Still, I couldn't help but feel bored with eating three meals per day at the resort. Breakfast and lunch - that I could manage, but by dinner, I heard "escape!!" ringing in my head. My friends were easier-to-please than me, however they indulged my craving for meals in other restaurants several times during the trip. If you have tried and liked all-inclusives before, you'll have little trouble at the beach club. But if you get antsy like me, try to negotiate a more flexible package or stay at a rental that does not include meals.

It sounded great, however after speaking with locals, we soon realized we could find a better deal – lower cost, higher quality. Fortunately, we met Mark Solomon, a former Beach Club employee and native Caymanian at our hotel who offered to set up a more personal tour for US$30pp.

On Saturday morning, Mark drove us to the Grand Cayman Yacht Club. We were met by Robert Smith, the boat’s owner. The only other guests were a couple spending one day in Grand Cayman during a cruise. The five of us hopped aboard and cruised past million dollar houses on the inlet.

On the open water, we sped past the old pontoon-style boat we would have been on had we stuck with the hotel's excursion. There were at least 35 people on the boat and we were glad we'd joined Mark instead.

Our first stop was a reef near Stingray City where we would snorkel. Mark explained safety procedures and handed out our snorkels, masks, fins and life preservers (included in the cost).

The snorkeling was good, however the reef was crowded. Still, it was worth it to swim with the vibrantly colored fish and see the main attraction: a nurse shark. Not dangerous by "shark" standards, when this one swam close to me (I had deflated my flotation devise for a short dive deeper), I touched its back.

After snorkeling for 30 minutes, we cruised to Stingray City. The water there is shallow (3-5 feet for the most part) so our equipment wasn't necessary. Mark explained how the stingrays came to congregate here (see Cayman.org for more info), as well as a few do's and don'ts. Mark pointed out the location of the suction-loving mouth on the rays' undersides. He said that as long as we avoided sticking our fingers there and didn't grab their tails, we'd be fine.

I was excited, however when the first stingray approached, I felt a little... quivery. Even with Mark's instructions, I really didn't know what to expect. I got over my fear pretty quickly though and was psyched to touch the rays' slippery undersides. When Mark offered me a piece of squid to feed the rays, I took it, held it as Mark directed and soon stingrays were swooping in and the squid was gone.

My friend Laura was a little iffy about this experience at first, however she seemed to enjoy it once she got used to the stingrays swirling around her legs. Kristy, as you can see from the photos below, would not describe this as her favorite activity of the trip!

Still, I recommend this attraction as something not to miss.

Most people there were hanging out at tables on the outdoor deck or in the swings adjacent to the mostly outdoor bar.

The vibe was just right - casual and oh-so-Caribbean. People were chilling out, drinking Stingray and Red Stripe beer, wearing shorts and t-shirts as they chatted with friends old and new. Surprisingly enough, we tourists ran into a bunch of people we had met during our stay. Kelly and Darrio from Alberta... Duke, a Caymanian... more people from the dive shop. Amazing how many people we met in such a short period of time.

Even though we had just eaten dinner (US$35 for two Pizza Hut pizzas consumed while watching the sunset), we ordered one of the LL's massive dishes of nachos for the group to nibble on. Honestly, they weren't the best I've ever had - garlicy guac and weird cheese - but they tasted fine and the night was a blast.

Soon after arriving, we started doing shots thanks to Carl. Then he initiated a drinking game involving frogs which cracked the Americans up because South African Carl's sound funny to us. He was baffled, but went along for the ride anyway.

Also amusing: the bathrooms. Instead of "Men" and "Women", the signs on each door say "Pat." Check out my photos if you don't believe me.

The water is crystal clear and the palest turquoise in shallow parts. At greater depths, the color changes to cerulean and even further out, it's almost navy, yet not the inky black of Atlantic depths.

In short, this beach is as close to perfect as I've ever seen.

During our visit, we used the Beach Club's complimentary snorkel equipment to explore a small reef several hundred yards from shore. We spotted at least six different varieties of fix and on the way out to the reef, we even saw a turtle swimming in approximately 8 feet of water.

We also enjoyed 30 minute sessions on wave runners which you can rent on the beach from the Beach Club or nearby Red Sail Sports. At US$65/30 minutes, it's NOT a bargain, however we were too lazy to walk the beach searching for a better deal.

The beach varies greatly as you walk north or south. To the north of our hotel, the Beach Club, is the small oceanfront portion of the Hyatt (the majority of the hotel is across the street via an odd bridge). The beach is pretty nice there, however it's not very large and it's cluttered with excess chairs. Further up, the beach narrows a bit, widens again and there you'll find the construction site of the new Ritz-Carlton.

To the south, the beach varies greatly and I personally would avoid staying on this part - the beginning of Seven Mile Beach - if possible. In front of the Marriott, for example, the beach is extremely narrow and even more cluttered than the Hyatt's beach. The coral content rises sharply as you continue south making walking irritating on your feet.

The Next Level is a short walk north on West Bay Road from the Beach Club. As we had been promised, it was Ladies' Night at The Next Level meaning we didn't have to pay a cover and all of our drinks were free. Excellent!

The decor was interesting. Ycould be in a nightclub anywhere; there was no sign of Cayman. It looked a lot like NYC clubs, but on a much smaller scale. It even had a roped off VIP section. When we were invited to sit there, we laughed, said a polite 'thank you', but declined. It would have been too much like a zoo - just the three of us girls, looking out, the other people looking in, neither doing much of interest.

Instead, we grabbed some loungey chairs on one side of the dance floor to wait for the "action" to heat up while we sipped our free Red Stripes and cocktails. There was a lone man on the dance floor - he was either insane or on ecstacy - dancing wildly (think YMCA without the letters) to hits from the 80s. Every once in awhile, he'd come over and with a heavy Manchester (UK) accent shout "Wazzup" to us. It was amusing, but then the bouncer threw him out for taking his shirt off and sitting down with us.

In addition to the free drinks, Laura, Kristy and I were glad to found The Next Level for in spite of it's bouncers and VIP areas and other things meant to be "cool" and "elite", we met a ton of people - both locals and fellow visitors. Everyone was friendly and fun, just out for a laugh, and over the next week, we hung out with some of them several times.

I can't speak about drink prices since all was free that night. As I understand it, though, drink prices are pretty consistent across bars in the area so I'd guess that you'd pay CI$4-7 per beer or cocktail.

On Thursday, the music was mostly retro, focused on the 80s, however other nights are dedicated to house, hip hop and other styles. If you're interested in specific nights' themes at Next Level, it's so easy to find out what's going on - pick up a local newspaper or simply ask a local. The island is small enough that it's pretty easy to keep up with the social scene.

While they do a great job of providing visitors with information about this endangered reptile and they do release about 4,000 bred turtles into the wild annually, they also sell approximately 3,000 to local restaurants for consumption each year. Kids may enjoy seeing the farm, especially the baby turtles, however they may find the realization that some of these turtles on local dinner tables upsetting so consider this before making the trip and prepare them appropriately.

Hell
This little village at Grand Cayman's northwest point provides a "hellish" counterpoint to the rest of the islands heavenly splendor. Ancient limestone formations called ironshore give this part of the island a very different look and contribute to the village's name.

Make a stop at the local post office where you can send friends and family a card postmarked "Hell."

But woman cannot live by breezes and views alone, so my friends and I indulged in some of the Royal Palms' specialty cocktails and more than a few local beers. Not only were these fancy frozen drinks subtley alcoholic, they were also deliciously caloric, tasting more like a milkshake than a cocktail, seeing as most contained ice cream. We enjoyed Banana Banshees and Mudslides. Many, many Mudslides actually. After a few, you stop caring about anything except ordering up another round.

If, somehow, you can manage to focus after a few cocktails, there's plenty to take in. During the high season (November through May), the Palms has live entertainment six nights per week (Monday through Saturday), all without a cover charge. During my two visits, I heard great live reggae and people danced as long as the bands played.

The people watching is particularly good at the Royal Palms. It's a mixed crowd including both locals and tourists. The age range is broader than at most nightlife establishments I've visited. At the Palms, I saw several wild Grandpa types getting their groove on to the reggae tunes. It was great!

Not a dancer? No worries. Find a bar stool or stake a claim to one of the prime tables overlooking the beach.

If you're hungry, The Reef Grill is nearby, serving dinner seven nights each week.

There is plenty of parking available in front, however if you'll be indulging in the Royal Palms' cocktails, it's probably best to take a cab.

To get there, you will either need to hire a car or take the Rum Pointer, a ferry that leaves several times daily from the Hyatt Hotel. The ferry is the more convenient of the two options, however it does limit you to spending a specific amount of time at Rum Point.

The trip across the North Sound to Rum Point takes 40 minutes and departs daily. The ferry makes the round trip approximately three times per day. Contact the Hyatt for specifics once you arrive in Grand Cayman.

Once you arrive at Rum Point - so named for the barrels of rum that washed ashore during a long-ago shipwreck - it's a "choose your own adventure" situation. You'll find a full range of water sports including water skiing, jet skiing, snorkeling and sailing. If you feel like a lazy day, stake a claim to one of Rum Point's large comfy hammocks or belly up to the Wreck Bar and Grill for a tropical cocktail. Mudslides are the favorite here.

To receive a copy of a two hour self-guided walking tour of Georgetown, call the National Trust at (345) 949-0121.

A few quick notes regarding Georgetown attractions:

Shopping
Eclectic, pricey, yet duty free. The broad selection runs the gamut from designer brand watches to local crafts. Browse carefully and you are certain to find something special to take home as a memento from Cayman. It will be nearly impossible to leave without some item produced by the Tortuga Rum Company (yum, rum cake!)

Stingray Brewery
Caymanians are very proud of the beer produced by the local Stingray Brewery (345-947-6699). Although you'll find lots of beer varieties in Cayman (European, American, Canadian, Jamaican, you name it), you shouldn't leave without giving Stingray a try.

Established in 1996, the Stingray Brewery offers a self-guided tour that explains how the beer is made. Like most brewery tours, this one ends with the opportunity to sample the wares. You can also stop by the gift shop to pick up a six pack for home or any number of other Stingray Brewery logo products - t-shirts, caps and more.

The brewery is located just outside Georgetown on Red Bay Road. Call for operating hours.

A quick internet search of one web site dedicated to Cayman turned up 62 dive companies on Grand Cayman alone! Simple economics dictates that many will offer a free introductory scuba session with the hope that once you try it, you will be hooked and sign up for a certification course.

Most intro classes take place in a shallow pool to ensure that students are focused on learning the critical basic skills and are comfortable with the equipment without worrying about sea currents, fish, other swimmers and the like.

I first did an intro to scuba in the Bahamas, however my Cayman travel buddies Laura and Kristy had never tried scuba so I joined them as a skills refresher.

Every scuba intro should begin with paperwork where you sign away any legal rights and describe any medical issues the instructor should know about. Then you'll move on to actual scuba basics: identification and purpose of all relevant equipment, basic functionalities, dos/don'ts, etc.

Our wonderful instructor agreed to do the skills testing in the sea, rather than our hotel's rather small pool. If you're strong swimmer, this will work fine. If not, stick with the pool to minimize distractions.

The key skills you will learn are:

1. Finding your equalizer (the piece of equipment that allows you to breathe underwater) should it somehow come out of your mouth underwater.
2. Clearing your mask when water occasionally leaks. This is much scarier in the skills testing phase (when you have to physically put water in the mask) than in actual diving.

Still, the biggest challenge for most people during their first dive experience is simply breathing. It takes time and patience, for some, to get used to the new rhythm of breathing and the feel of the bubbles you produce upon exhaling. Once you get beyond the strangeness and the urge to resurface frequently, you are well on your way.

Once you are a certified diver, you will begin to appreciate the quantity and quality of dive sites in Cayman. Deep dives, shallow or somewhere in between... Walls, drop-offs, arches... Great for viewing fish, eels, coral, sponges, sea fans... such amazing diversity of sea life, all just below the surface.

I have purposely left off pricing information as it varies greatly by what type of certification you seek, as well as whether or not equipment is included. Check with individual providers, shop around, but ultimately choose one with whom you feel comfortable.

* Located in the Western Caribbean about 480 miles south of Miami, flights from the Northeastern US generally take 3 to 3 1/2 hours to arrive on Grand Cayman. Most of the major American airlines fly to Grand Cayman. We used US Airways, but also saw Delta and American flights coming and going.

* To enter Cayman, American, Canadian, British (and other Commonwealth) citizens do not need a visa. Americans: bring either a passport OR your license plus your birth certificate for entry.

* It's incorrect to refer to the islands collectively as "The Caymans" although the locals are unlikely to correct you. Instead, you can refer to them individually or simply "Cayman." Little Cayman and Cayman Brac may be referred to collectively as the "Sister Islands."

* A commonly held misconception is that there is little nightlife on Grand Cayman. This probably exists because unlike many other Caribbean islands, Cayman has no casinos. Still, my friends and I had no trouble finding something to do each night.

* Cayman's religious past lives on today. Nightclubs and Grand Cayman's two cinemas are closed on Sunday. Bars stop serving alcohol at midnight on Saturday night, however there are still plenty of things to do, even on a Sunday night. In a similar vein, there are no nude beaches and topless sunbathing is prohibited.

* Due to strong tourism and banking industry presence in the Cayman Islands, these islands have the highest per capita income of all Caribbean islands. Just about everyone we met was involved in the tourism industry in some way.

Here is some information that should help you navigate local menus, however when in doubt: ask! The natives are oh-so-friendly.

Ackee & Codfish: Ackee is a fruit that when cooked, often looks like scrambled eggs; Jamaican origin

Cassava: Root vegetable often prepared like potatoes and served as a side dish or stew.

Conch: Marine snail popular throughout the Caribbean; usually served as a stew, fried as fritters or chopped with onions as a salad; pronounced 'konk.'

Jerk: Meats and fish are rubbed with spices and left to marinate beofre being smoked over a low fire; level of spiciness is often a huge surprise to American palates.

Patties: Similar to English pasties, patties are usually pastry shell stuffed with beef; West Indian influence.

Scotch Bonnet: Small, very hot pepper.

Local publications including Key to Cayman magazine (2001-02 issue) were used as a resource for this entry.