Getting Slipped the Tongue in Guadeloupe

It was a beautiful day in Pointe-A-Pitre, Guadeloupe. My husband and I had just finished touring the lush tropical jungles of the island and were enjoying the local sights and sounds of Basse-Terre. We wandered through a local market, brimming with tropical fruits and vegetables, freshly cut meats and fish. The locals were friendly, and you can definitely tell there is French influence.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and we decided it would be a good idea to grab a snack. We wandered down a side street, and saw a quaint little bakery - the window was filled with delightful looking pastries, and the place reminded me of the little pastry shops I had visited in Paris.We decided this was a good choice, and entered the shop.

The woman at the counter spoke French, and did not seem too thrilled that we did not, even though Pointe-A-Pitre is full of English speaking tourists. I conveyed to her that we wanted one of the delightful looking pastries, and stressed any fruit filled pastry would be perfect.

She handed us a wonderful looking pastry, and we grabbed a quaint table in the corner. We both dug in, hungry from all of the touring we had done. The pastry was flaky and just fell apart in my mouth...but what was that texture? it certainly wasn't fruit...my husband and I exchanged glances. "Is this fruit?", I asked and he seemed to have the same puzzled look. So I took my fork, and slowly pulled back the top layer of the pastry. Only to find....a tongue!!!!!! An actual tongue, from some sort of animal, tucked neatly into a pocket of pastry. I shrieked. We decided it would be best to get out of there, and we immediately left and headed for an ice cream shop. That woman slipped us the tongue!

- Tracey Noble, Pittsburgh, PA

 

Watch out for the Bulls!

If you ever find yourself in Mazatlan, I highly recommend Luis Maceil to explore the area with. Luis somehow managed to not only get us into the closed bull fighting area but I also found myself in the practice area with several of what they called the "childrens bulls" and being chased behind the nearest barrier by the crooked horned one! This was a full sized bull, I didn't know I was able to run that fast! It was a once in a lifetime experience, & I loved it. Luis took us to a beautiful beach front restaurant that had an amazing beach complete with cock fighting demonstrations and the best Mexican food I have ever tasted!

- Jason Noble, Pittsburgh, PA