What's the food like in the markets in Ambergris Caye?
Kate Corrigan - Caye International Bank
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I might be just one of the few girls who do not like shopping. I just want to open my cupboards and see food there. I have a nice relationship with the local store by me here in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The proprietor has really lovely things in his store, since he stocks his store so well. He gets a whole container of dry goods from the States. The store owner will tell me that he has a lot of things coming in and that they are getting a...
I might be just one of the few girls who do not like shopping. I just want to open my cupboards and see food there. I have a nice relationship with the local store by me here in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The proprietor has really lovely things in his store, since he stocks his store so well. He gets a whole container of dry goods from the States. The store owner will tell me that he has a lot of things coming in and that they are getting a delivery at his store. However, even after he receives his delivery, there are still boxes lying around, which is where the manana mentality comes in. But it is a very clean, nice store.
I go in there and I buy everything I possibly can; everything we need for the month, like canned food. I buy the standard canned goods like Hunt’s Pasta Sauce and other goods that you would normally see in the US or in England. You have to be careful when going to a store that is not frequented too much. You have to check the dates on the goods. But I do not worry so much, since I know that the man from whom I buy my goods frequently replenishes his shelves. If I have something bad, then I just take it back, which I think happened only once in the three years that I have been here.
My bill came to nearly $500 Belize and he gave it to me for only $400 (US 200). That is already all of my canned goods and dry goods for the month. The owner gives me a great discount because I go there all the time. He knows me and my daughter. My partner, my daughter, and I spend about $100 Belize (US $50) each per week on dry goods and canned food. I buy all my fresh produce from the Mennonites, which saves me a lot of money. I spend about $100 Belize (US $50) on fresh produce every week. I buy meat from the butcher stores where they have floor to ceiling refrigeration units. They have all the different cuts of meat, but if you want them specially cut for you, they can do that, too. They also sell shrimp and crabsticks there, as well as some imported USDA meat, if you want them. Right now, they have some turkey and ham for Christmas.
I go in the butcher shops and buy four packs of one and a half pound ground beef. They will put it in four individual packs. I freeze them, so we have one ground beef meal once a week, since I have a regular family with kids and a boyfriend who works hard, so we have those types of meals. I also buy three packs of two whole boneless chickens. The bill for all the meat that I buy is about $170 Belize (US $85). So that is how it works for us and we eat well. Sometimes, when we have a little bit of extra, we go out and buy some fresh fish.
We also have supermarkets in Ambergris Caye, so if you want to be super efficient and you enjoy shopping, you can shop around and go to different stores. You might find shampoo for $15 in one store, and in another store, they have the same shampoo for $10. Given the different prices you can find in different stores, you decide which one you want for what your time is worth and what you enjoy doing. If you enjoy shopping for one whole day, then you can check several stores. Sometimes, I like to do it, but I prefer to go to my one store and keep patronizing his store, and in return the owner gives me a great discount and we have a good relationship, too.
We go to the local baker here as well, where we buy our local sweet treats, so we have cakes and snacks, too. But I do not have cookies in the house, so that is something extra.
Posted December 24, 2014
David Drummond - Georgetown Trust
Tuesday is fresh fruit and veggie day, which is when the shipments come in off the mainland and you can buy from these little stands. On these days, you’ll find a variety of green peppers, potatoes, onions, and other fresh vegetables. The produce is fabulous and inexpensive. You’ll find bananas, papayas, mangoes, etc. for very cheap prices. You’ll get a nice variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. However, it is an island, so around Friday or...Tuesday is fresh fruit and veggie day, which is when the shipments come in off the mainland and you can buy from these little stands. On these days, you’ll find a variety of green peppers, potatoes, onions, and other fresh vegetables. The produce is fabulous and inexpensive. You’ll find bananas, papayas, mangoes, etc. for very cheap prices. You’ll get a nice variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. However, it is an island, so around Friday or later in the week, the supply will diminish a little bit and the items for sale are going to get a little bit older. Then, on Tuesday, the stock gets replenished again.There are times when we’ll run out of limes on the island, or there will be some particular thing that everyone wants certain times of the year that may be unavailable. However, for the most part, you’ll find a wide variety of small fruit and vegetable stands throughout San Pedro and to the north and south. The locals typically walk to where they need to go, so you will see these stands within walking distance of each other and be close to where most people live.
As far as what a North American would consider to be a “supermarket”, we have a couple of what you would find in a small town in North America. In these stores, you would find box goods, like Cheerios, oatmeal, etc. If you buy the local equivalent, as opposed to the North American brand, it will cost you significantly less money.
In addition, there is a place downtown called the Greenhouse, which has the higher end products that are more expensive, and will be stocked all year round. Here you’ll find items such as frozen shrimp, lobster tails, conch, and some of the frozen meats.
Downtown, there is a meat market, a chicken market, a couple of bakeries, etc., so there is not a shortage of finding good food to buy here. The only thing that tends to be a little bit hard to find in Belize is North American beef—the typical big, fat-filled, Grade A Prime Angus beef.
(Women selling fruit, prepared food and drinks at a food stand, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, pictured.)
Posted May 8, 2015
Rachel Jensen - Grand Baymen
Whether it’s in the States or in most western countries, you have one supermarket where you can get everything such as your produce and your dry goods. Ambergris Caye is different in that it has its own little produce market and then they have a supermarket. The produce market is where you get your fresh food such as your vegetables and you can get some dry goods that are more native to Belize like cashews, peanuts, beans, and rice. The supermarket is...Whether it’s in the States or in most western countries, you have one supermarket where you can get everything such as your produce and your dry goods. Ambergris Caye is different in that it has its own little produce market and then they have a supermarket. The produce market is where you get your fresh food such as your vegetables and you can get some dry goods that are more native to Belize like cashews, peanuts, beans, and rice. The supermarket is where you get your other goods that are imported to Belize. That way you can get your plastic plates, popcorn, Oreos, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and anything else that you could find in the States. You can also find condiments, meat, etc. There are also smaller shops to get meat in Ambergris Caye. These are fresh meat shops that are independent stores that are usually owned by locals. There are no chain stores and there is no huge corporation in Ambergris Caye. The prices of the food and the produce are pretty reasonable, a little bit less than the prices in the States. Some of the dry goods are as expensive as they are in the States because of the import tax.
My suggestion if you are ever going to be on Ambergris Caye, is that you try to eat the native food because if you try not to go for Oreos and other imported goods, it is a lot cheaper. I have been eating a lot of the produce and fruits here in Ambergris Caye and it’s absolutely delicious. I love mangoes, papaya, and watermelon and it’s grown right here. Even if you see a papaya on the fruit stand that you want to buy, they will tell if you can already eat it or if it won’t be ready until tomorrow. So it’s comforting because the vendors look out for your best interest. So even though it causes me not to buy that fruit for that day, the vendor wants me to know that it’s not going to be as delicious today as it would be if I wait for tomorrow.
Local produce and fruits are much cheaper on Ambergris Caye than in the US, especially on Tuesday mornings when there are two boats that come in from the mainland. It’s like a San Pedro farmer’s market where you can buy the fruits and vegetables directly from the farmers, so you get the best deals.
(Pictured: Bananas being taken to market in Belize.)
Posted June 14, 2015
Bob Hamilton - Century 21 Coral Beach Realty
The food in the markets in Ambergris Caye is getting better. As an ex-chef, when I first came here 15 years ago had a hankering for a Caesar’s salad and I couldn’t find a head of romaine lettuce anywhere. Now we have one divine shop here where you can actually get cold smoked Scottish salmon. You can get imported prosciutto from Italy. You can get almost anything you want here in Ambergris Caye now. It is a little pricey. Four ounces of smoked salmon will cost you around US...The food in the markets in Ambergris Caye is getting better. As an ex-chef, when I first came here 15 years ago had a hankering for a Caesar’s salad and I couldn’t find a head of romaine lettuce anywhere. Now we have one divine shop here where you can actually get cold smoked Scottish salmon. You can get imported prosciutto from Italy. You can get almost anything you want here in Ambergris Caye now. It is a little pricey. Four ounces of smoked salmon will cost you around US $12.In comparison to the food in the markets in Canada, the selection here in Ambergris Caye is less but the price is cheaper. If it is mango season here you can buy a ripe mango for about 50 cents as opposed to $6 in Canada. I like mangoes and I used to pay $6 for them in Canada. The best thing here in Ambergris Caye is that there are no growth hormones in any of the pork, chicken, or beef raised in this country and no antibiotics pumped into then. They are all free range and they taste much, much better. The chicken here in Belize is exceptionally good and a lot healthier for you, too.
We have a couple of larger grocery stores here but there is only around three of them, all around 4,000 square feet, which is much smaller than a supermarket in the US or Canada. Most of the better deals are from the guys from the mainland who come over with a little sailboat full of fresh vegetables and fruits. You go to them on the side of the lagoon and you buy fruits and vegetables off of the boats.
We have a store here called The Greenhouse. You can go in there and get some fresh herbs. If you want rosemary and garlic, you can get that here now.
We do not have a fresh fish market here in Ambergris Caye, which is strange because we are on an island and people go fishing every day. Most of the people who fish for a living already have relationships with the resorts and restaurants, so whatever they catch, they just bring to the restaurant or the resort where they have the relationship.
When I was the chef at Captain Morgan’s, I had a relationship with two fisherman who brought me fresh fish and lobster every day. Generally, if you live here for a while, you would know who to go to that could catch you some fish. I went down to the San Pedrito neighborhood and there is a guy named Mario who I have known for a while who is a seafood dealer. He buys lobsters and fish from the fishermen, who sell it directly to him. That way, they don’t have to worry about having to sell it one at a time, so, if you want lobsters and fish, you can just go to Mario’s house. Behind his house there is a shed with a couple of freezers in it and you can buy fresh seafood from him.
(Fishing boat off Ambergris Caye, Belize, pictured. )
Posted October 4, 2015