I went to see Ryan this weekend in Cayman. It’s 2 days of travel to see him for 3 days. There is no easy way to fly down and it always involves a red-eye flight down unfortunately. I’m getting to know Pearson Airport very well and have decided I do not like the E terminal. The chairs all have arm-rests so I’m forced to sleep on the floor between layovers with leggings draped over my face to block out the light. I was totally ecstatic during the red-eye to find out there were no babies on the plane too. Last time was one of the few times I forgot my earplugs and sat next to a crying baby all night. The distances we travel for the people we love right? 

There’s always somewhere we all look forward to coming back to and something familiar on the island. It’s both a boon and a curse to some restaurants who cannot take a particular item off their menu because long-time visitors have come to love it. Your palate and tastes may change overtime and you may not even actually like the dish as much anymore. But just thinking about it tugs at nostalgia and you become romanticized about the dish… but maybe thats just me and my love affair with food. Food connects us to place though right? 

My example is the Buba at Pappagallos, my favourite dish since I first had it with Ryan over 5 years ago on my first visit to the island. It’s been on their menu for more than a decade and there would probably be a riot if it was taken off the menu. The buba is lobster and shrimp cooked in a champagne cream sauce with cayenne pepper, poured over fresh braids of the garden pasta and topped with frazzled leeks (the onion straws French cousin). They also have some great fish caught fresh that day and wahoo (local fish) carpaccio.The buba is pictured above. Ryan thinks he’s getting good at capturing me at my best.

I had almost 2 glasses of champagne at dinner…okay maybe 1.5. Still though it’s unheard of for me (I don’t drink a lot). I think Ryan was excited… maybe this long-distance thing isn’t so bad for us? Everytime we see each other it’s a special occasion now. 

Ryan also moved his office to a different space. It used to be a kitchen store but now it’s their man-cave. I took photos of the gigantic spread of snacks and junk food in their fridge. The vegetable crisper is now a beer drawer and the freezer is an ice-cream stand.