Confessions of a Trini Food-Loving Shopaholic

Photo courtesy: Bang Bang
I was eyeing this little bumble bee number
but I would be a fat bumble bee

Shopping. One of my favourite activities. Student life does not really augur well for shopping but today, I shopped. Like a real person. I just did not care that the money could have gone towards food or a flash drive (a flash drive? really??? lol) In my estimation, a new blouse and my hot new maxi dress and the rest of my awesome haul are investments in my happiness. One of my favourite local stores is Bang Bang and they really banged a dent into my student wallet. But oh, how could I leave the dress and the cute blouse and the hot belt to suffer on the rack? Swiping my card at the checkout was both exhilirating and frightening but it's done now!!! No turning back.

My time at home is coming to a close. By Thursday morning, after 10 hrs in the air, I would be back in London - back to academic torment, back to ready meals, back to student life.

Speaking of ready meals, being home has been great for my tastebuds (but not my waistline). While London is a gastronomic mecca, there is nothing quite like a home cooked meal of red beans, rice, stewed pork and macaroni pie or a nice hot chicken roti with plenty kuchela. It's even better when you can share such delights with friends. Friday night, after a long battle with public transportation, I met up with the girls for a small lime. I left with stomach pains, not from the food, but from the laughter and good times. Ever laughed so hard that your stomach hurt and you had to get up and try to walk off the laugh? That is the type of thing I am talking about. It was great. Our waitress provided much of the entertainment (sweet girl but wow...special!), but dining outdoors on a cool Caribbean night, with the natives out in their numbers also was a bonus.

What I love about Trinidad, is that it is so far removed from the stereotype of a Caribbean island, especially in terms of its fashion. Tobago being more laid back and more touristy is vulnerable to more casual getups, but Trinidad is the fashion rockstar! I remarked during the evening, as we scoped out the patrons on our virtual runway, that women get dressed up to go almost anywhere - even to come out and eat chicken wings. Whether some of the women were dressed according to their body structure is a whole different entry but the myriad of maxi and mini dresses, sexy blouses and especially the wide variety of high heels that passed by was enough to be described as entertaining.

What was left of my French Vanilla ice cream with
oodles and oodles of waffle pieces - my regular order

And is it just me or is there anyone else who eats stuff like, say, oh, ice cream, really slowly, with the fake assumption that eating it slowly somehow reduces one's calorie intake? I will definitely miss my Cold Stone Creamery primetime sessions.

It has been awesome being home but I need to finish this degree once and for all. So I am putting my heels and platforms back in storage and heading back to a flat shoe kinda life. It's back to long nights and rolling off the bed, tired and bitchy. Back to Tesco and Sainsbury's ready meals and no lazy tv nights in bed. Oh, I will miss the lazy tv nights - me, the remote and my ice cream! Still, I go back to London with great expectations for a great term - despite the obvious and harrowing trials of my Master's dissertation at every turn. I already have dinner and drinks lined up for the weekend, so yaaay me.