food in fiji

Fiji doesn't really have much of a foodie reputation, so I really didn't know what to expect. I was really happy to find that our little lodge...Bluewater Lodge in Newtown...had some really great chefs which cooked tasty, well presented, inexpensive dinners with massive portions!

my favorite dish that i had at the lodge was the lamb without doubt. it was juicy and delicious, and there was loads of it. not like meat portions in other countries where its tiny and probably been injected with something to make it juicier and fatter. unfortunately the picture does not do this justice, as it was twilight, and my camera isn't the best.

on one of our first days in fiji, we saw a traditional fijian way of cooking underground. the locals and some guys that work in our hotel had buried loads of food under the ground, allowing it to steam cook from the heat of the sun and temperature of the earth around it. they start by wrapping everything in tin foil or banana leaves, or both, then digging a hole, lining it with rocks, packing the food in, then layering it with banana leaves and covering it with earth.

they come back later at the end of the day to dig it up, and transport everything home in a wheelbarrow, and distribute to all the nearby families and hotels, etc. awesome! i remember my brothers trying to do that in england, and being totally disappointed when it didn't work at all...

at the nearby smugglers cove we went to eat a couple of times. there's not a very exciting menu, more american style burgers and fries. but i did try their avocado and prawn salad, which was YUM.

on our trip we met up with this guy staying at our lodge, who kindly took us around the island for a couple of days. an amazing, friendly guy with loads of interesting stories to tell. whats particularly unique about this dude is that he doesn't eat any fruits or vegetables, actually none, not even any at all.

the only thing he will have is fruit juice. plus he doesn't take any supplements or anything. he can actually live without fruit and veg...isn't that strange? i bet loads of kids would like to be able to have that ability! this next photo is entitled: "i'll have the steak and chips, but instead of the roasted vegetables can i have mashed potato?"

the last thing to say about fiji is that, if you want to have delicious fresh food, you need to go to a big supermarket, as the little shops only seem to sell pringles and biscuits; which i guess makes sense when it gets super hot in the summer. but if you are on a resort, then you should be better than ok because you'll get the best local fruit and veg ever, all freshly made and served, woohoo!