The PEEP SHOW presents DESTINATION: PLEASURE / Day 5 -- ELVI'S KITCHEN, SAN PEDRO (BELIZE)

photocourtesyguidetobelize.info

Peeps,

The events were narrated to me by someone who claimed that everything happened as she said it did.  Perhaps a few details, minor ones, may have been missed in the excitement of something so unexpected and novel, she stressed, and who am I to question a village matron who has traded in gossip, rumors, jealousies and slights for the past fifty or more years.  This is the story she told me:  as the sun set quietly in the western sky, and beyond the southern tip of the island and looking in the direction of Caye Caulker, the waves seemed almost burnished with gold; and then in the blink of an eye, the sea turned green, then silver and then blue as thousands and thousands of flying fish leaped in unison, like in aquatic ballet.  Even the nesting birds in the trees at the end of Jade Street were abruptly quiet, and some whispered about the ghost of Chehel, but these comments were quickly hushed.  Then figures started appearing out of the bush past the airport runway and in the distance no one could tell who they were, so we just sat and waited, while the kids played shop with the bunches of sea-grapes and coco-plums that been missed by earlier pickers.  Troops of girl-dancers dressed in Carnival-type dresses of black and gold and big feathers came out and formed behind their tall leader who was covered entirely in black-bird feathers.  A little vexed after missing a promised lunch of panades, they had had to get by with bags of plaintain chips and a few bottles of Orange Fanta.  Yet the prospect of dancing at the birthday party for Miss Elvi cheered them up, as did the thought of the dinner buffet after their performance to which they could partake.  Before you could catch your breath, steel drummers stepped out from behind the girls and joined the dancers, now all moving in unison.  I don't know the beats, but the children did and followed the parade as they headed for Pescado Street where the dancing would begin at six.  I wanted to go cause Miss Elvi begged me to come, but my daughter was sick at home.  I heard that everyone had a good time, and the cup-cakes were pretty and frosted in blue and green, and when you bit into them, tiny bird-eggs of peppery chocolate fell in your mouth.  A plate of food was set out late at night for El Duende, and in the morning it was gone. 


I cannot disprove the story shared with me by Ms B, yet I doubt that she would have skipped Miss Elvi's 80th birthday party held two Sundays ago, and attended by over a hundred friends who dined on culinary delights by Chef Jannie.  For those blog-readers who have not yet visited Ambergris Caye, Elvi's Kitchen is the best thing going with local foods, fusion creations, and the ever popular Friday night Mayan Buffet.  Miss Elvi started her business enterprise back in 1979 as a nightly takeout of hotdogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers.  30 years later, and with hundreds of awards and testimonials to her credit, it seems that the benevolent matriarch is now going to retire.  Hopefully she will have more time for her favorite activities such as tele-novellas, tequila-bar hopping, and gardening. Please visit their website at www.elviskitchen.com to read more about this wonderful restaurant in Sand Pedro, or like them at elvi's kitchen/facebook.  


Thanks,
Shane


PS:  Happy Birthday Miss Elvi, and your dedication is Blue Moon by Tanita Tikaram and Mark Isham.  Enjoy!!