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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why West Indian food isn't as popular as other cuisines?

128 replies

LoafersOrLouboutins · 29/08/2014 08:53

I've always been a fan and living in NW London there is a huge variety of restaurants on my doorstep. Yesterday I took the DDs (ages 2 and 5) out for lunch, we went to my favourite West Indian restaurant and shared curry goat, jerk pork, plantain chips and dumplings with coconut water for the DDs and a rum punch for me (at 1pm Blush ).

The restaurant wasn't as busy as the Chinese across the road or any of the other restaurants we passed. The West Indian takeaways weren't as busy as other take-aways and whenever I have a take-aways with my friends they want Vietnamese or Mexican. My colleagues tend to hold meetings or the Christmas 'do in Italian or Japanese restaurants. When I suggested we hold the 'team building' exercise at a West Indian restaurant everybody was a bit Hmm. Why hasn't it taken off in the UK like other cuisines?! Tis fab! Or is it really popular and I just have really boring colleagues and friends? IMO Chinese is very same-y and can be too sweet, but it seems to be the most popular cuisine in the UK.

OP posts:
Whitershadeofpale · 29/08/2014 13:53

I think it's partly how its been traditionally marketed too. Chinese and East Indian cuisine has been adapted and sold to a more 'western palate'. Its been my experience that West Indian cuisine has always been marketed to people of West Indian heritage and I think that's led to people thinking, unfairly imo, that it must be an aquired taste that you need to have been brought up on to appreciate.

KneeQuestion · 29/08/2014 13:59

I must say though, I have started to see caribbean food popping up in these new fangled[tongue in cheek!] street food markets.

Seriouslyffs · 29/08/2014 14:04

It's perceived to be acquired taste. Unlike other cultures' cuisine white people are unlikely to have had a taste of it at school or home- ersatz stir fry and curry pizza and pasta are childhood in the uk and have been since the 70s. It's not ubiquitous so you're unlikely ever to be in the position where it's jerk chicken or nowt like with McD. And the cafés/ restaurants are a bit scruffy tbh.
Red Pea soup is the best thing on earth. Fact.

BlueBrightBlue · 29/08/2014 14:06

Whitershade, you have a point there. It is poorly marketed and is aimed at West Indians not the wider population whereas in say an Italian or Chinese restaurants, you'll see people from every ethnic background.

antimatter · 29/08/2014 14:17

I went last year to west coast of US to Portland
they have something called carts - which is low cost set up for street food
city subsidizes rent and anyone can set up as a small business
they are very popular - some squares have up to 30 of them!
and each is different cuisine
I tried lovely food there.

I can see that it's started in London - we always eat at South Bank, I tried duck confit in a bun, but I don't think there's Caribbean stall there this summer
www.kerbfood.com/

I hope that in few years time street food like that will be available everywhere!

MortaIWombat · 29/08/2014 14:36

I'm sort of curious about it, but the scores on the doors of the two near us in SE London are 1/5 and 0/5. I'm not THAT curious... Wink

phantomnamechanger · 29/08/2014 14:52

0/5? how have they not been closed down??

you lot are making me hungry.

we have chip van once a week where I live!!
or a 5mile drive to the nearest town for Chinese/indian etc

LePetitPrince · 29/08/2014 14:55

I think WI food is viewed as street food, not somewhere you go for a night out. The only outlets I know are small takeaway venues or those with a late night bar/cafe vibe.

I think the menu can be restrictive if you're not familiar with it too, unlike Italian where the ingredients seem everyday now.

umiaisha · 29/08/2014 14:59

West Indian food is one of my favourite cuisines and I have often wondered this myself..

Luckily living in London it is easy enough to get a fix and friends of ours have just opened a West Indian restaurant just up the road so even easier now!

TinklyLittleLaugh · 29/08/2014 15:07

When I lived in East London 30 years ago I loved Caribbean food, but I have never seen it here in the North West.

I bought a jar of that Reggae Reggae sauce out of curiosity. Utterly vile stuff.

NanFlanders · 29/08/2014 15:08

This is something I've often wondered. OK, some dishes are high in fat, but looking at the popularity of fried chicken shops and pizza takeaways that is not likely to be the reason! Kallaloo (sp?) and Ital are healthy enough I think. Mmmm - really, really fancy some oxtail stew now!

BlueBrightBlue · 29/08/2014 15:08

One of my favourite snacks is Bun ( toasted) with strong cheddar, nom nom.

Laquitar · 29/08/2014 15:24

I love curry goat and West Indian food.

I lived and work for many years in Camden Town and in Shepherds Bush/Notting Hill so i ate plenty!

Whenever i go out with women-group they always suggest Chinesse. I dont dislike it but i cant say i love it.
I prefer WI, Indian, Lebanese, Turkish.

5Foot5 · 29/08/2014 15:25

In Manchester there are quite a few very popular Caribbean takeaways some of which have started off selling food from kitchens at home and have become popular enough to move into commercial premises.

Oo - where? Do you know of any Caribbean restaurants in the Manchester area. (I don't suppose they have made it as far as Cheshire Grin)

I would love to try. I got a Caribbean cookbook some years ago but have tried hardly anything out of it - mainly because I wasn't sure where to get most of the ingredients.

What is ackee?

Missunreasonable · 29/08/2014 15:40

5foot5: there are lots but they are takeaway type premises with small areas where you can eat the takeaway. Caribbean Flavas, Kool runnings... A quick google will bring them up. If you want a proper restaurant then your options are very very limited and you can probably only go to turtle bay which is a chain restaurant and is IMO not like mammas home cooked Caribbean food as it is targeted at meeting the palates of the masses. Turtle bay do good food but IMO is not as authentic and tasty as I would like.
I can't think of anywhere around cheshire that sells Caribbean food....perhaps there is a gap in the market for some business minded person who can cook.

Missunreasonable · 29/08/2014 15:43

Oh I forgot your second question....
Ackee is a fruit and is eaten with salt fish. Ackee and salt fish is the national dish of Jamaica. It looks a bit like scrambled egg but tastes nothing like egg. It is a very tasty dish but has to be cooked right.

Longdistance · 29/08/2014 16:10

I live in South Bedfordshire, and we have loads of places you can go to get Carribean food. They are mainly take away places, and our Sainsbos and Tescos sell curry patties, which fly off the shelves. Nom, nom, nom...

I did try curried goat a few 20 years ago, but it wasn't for me. Have loved the patties for years.

Missunreasonable · 29/08/2014 16:15

Supermarket patties are vile, they taste nothing like freshly baked ones. I would recommend going somewhere to have a freshly prepared and baked pattie and comparing it to the supermarket ones. The difference is akin to going out to an Italian restaurant and eating a freshly cooked pasta dish vs buying a smart price spag Bol and heating it in the microwave.

AnotherStitchInTime · 29/08/2014 16:17

There are many West Indian dishes that have vegetables especially because Rastafarians don't eat meat. A lot of it is not fried, more stews and marinated barbequed fish and meat. My DH is from a West Indian family so I get lots of it at home, it is yummy. Takeaway cannot compare to the home cooked version.

Ackee and saltfish is a very expensive dish to make, but making your own jerk sauce is surprisingly easy and delicious on oven baked or grilled seafood/fish/meat.

WandaBenjamin · 30/08/2014 19:40

I love WI food! Wish it was more available where I live.

Perhaps it will be the next cuisine to 'explode' and go properly mainstream, as Mexican seems to have done in the past few years, much to my delight Smile

Taystee · 30/08/2014 21:05

Most of the WI food in this country is Jamaican. Cuisines from other Islands are very poorly represented unfortunately. There is so much more than just jerk chicken to try. Lovely fish stews, calaloo, pumpkin is very popular. Doubles is a vegetarian Trinidadian dish with curried chickpeas. Trinidadian buljol is a healthy breakfast dish of salt cod with fresh peppers and tomatoes... When all you see is rice and peas I can understand why the cuisine hasn't taken off more!

RainbowRabbit33 · 30/08/2014 21:46

I had lunch at Spud U Like in Bristol today!

Do I get some kind of prize for merging two themes in this thread?!

itsbetterthanabox · 30/08/2014 22:19

If there were a West Indian place near me at all I'd try it. There is nowhere around here at all.
Is there usually much vegetarian choice?

FelixFelix · 30/08/2014 22:26

I had a Spud U Like a few weeks ago at Dalton Park in Durham Grin

West Indian food is so good. We have a huge choice here in Leeds and I'm extremely lucky! The town I'm originally from literally has the choice of pizza/kebab, Indian, Chinese or chippy so having so much choice now is amazing. I'll be gutted when we move away from the city.

areyoubeingserviced · 30/08/2014 22:29

Love love West Indian food. That's all I want to say.