An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude

In the mid-1990s, Canadian professionals Ann Vanderhoof and her husband Steve left their demanding careers to pursue a different life. They quit their jobs, rented out their house, and moved onto a 42-foot sailboat named Receta to spend two years sailing through the Caribbean. Vanderhoof documents their voyage across 16 countries and 47 islands, describing the landscapes, local people, and food they encountered. She details their activities—swimming at secluded beaches, exploring local markets, fishing, and socializing with island neighbors—while adapting to a slower pace of life. Throughout the narrative, Vanderhoof includes recipes for dishes they discovered during their travels, such as cracked conch from the Bahamas, curried lobster from Grenada, Dominican papaya salsa, and West Indian rum punch. These recipes allow readers to participate in the culinary aspects of their journey. The book combines travel narrative with cultural observation and food writing, offering an account of their experience from the Bahamas to Trinidad.