Welcome to Simply Trini Cooking! I'm Felix Padilla, and I absolutely enjoy writing about Trinidad and Tobago's rich cuisine and culture. As an avid foodie online, I am pleased to bring out what I consider to be the true reflection of the home cooked meals we in the Caribbean enjoy on a day-to-day basis. The focus of my blog is to present the diverse and traditional, everyday type of foods eaten here in Trinidad and Tobago, and to show how culture and life in general are intertwined with the food and its preparation. In other words, I just want to tell it like it is.
The reason I say our cuisine is rich, is that it has numerous influences ranging from European, to Chinese, to East Indian, to African and because of these influences, over time, the food has been transformed and taken on a life of its own.
This blog is also meant to be an archive for the cuisine from my country so that the recipes will not be lost and possibly be a source of inspiration to all for years to come. The recipes are simple to follow with step by step directions, lots of pictures and plain language for everyone, such as the busy housewives, foodies, novice cooks, and chefs.
Other than the recipes, visitors to the site can also enjoy a number of other added features to the blog:
(1) Places to visit - Ever so often I may visit a beach or other places of interest to show what a beautiful country Trinidad and Tobago really is. I'm always updating the page with picturesque scenes from my travels around the country.
(2) The Trini Dictionary - A collection of words and phrases in our dialect which will enlighten visitors on our peculiar twist to the English language.
(3) Folklore - Want to know what is a Douen or a Soucouyant? This is the place to find out. Our folklore is just as interesting as our food.
(4) Other general thoughts. From time to time I delve into some of my philosophy on food and related topics as I see it (just my way of sharing).
As for my personality, well!! it comes out in my writing; just normal, down to earth, and no frills. If you want you can follow me on twitter or join my group on facebook where we could talk, discuss and share even more. Alternatively, you can get my recipes by subscribing via my rss feeds or email. Do enjoy the recipes :^)
P.S. In trying to reflect the authenticity of the Trini dishes I have decided to write the titles using the trini creole - the dialect that we speak. So if you see something looking grammatically incorrect in the recipe names, don't be too worried about it; it's the "creole".
The reason I say our cuisine is rich, is that it has numerous influences ranging from European, to Chinese, to East Indian, to African and because of these influences, over time, the food has been transformed and taken on a life of its own.
This blog is also meant to be an archive for the cuisine from my country so that the recipes will not be lost and possibly be a source of inspiration to all for years to come. The recipes are simple to follow with step by step directions, lots of pictures and plain language for everyone, such as the busy housewives, foodies, novice cooks, and chefs.
Other than the recipes, visitors to the site can also enjoy a number of other added features to the blog:
(1) Places to visit - Ever so often I may visit a beach or other places of interest to show what a beautiful country Trinidad and Tobago really is. I'm always updating the page with picturesque scenes from my travels around the country.
(2) The Trini Dictionary - A collection of words and phrases in our dialect which will enlighten visitors on our peculiar twist to the English language.
(3) Folklore - Want to know what is a Douen or a Soucouyant? This is the place to find out. Our folklore is just as interesting as our food.
(4) Other general thoughts. From time to time I delve into some of my philosophy on food and related topics as I see it (just my way of sharing).
As for my personality, well!! it comes out in my writing; just normal, down to earth, and no frills. If you want you can follow me on twitter or join my group on facebook where we could talk, discuss and share even more. Alternatively, you can get my recipes by subscribing via my rss feeds or email. Do enjoy the recipes :^)
P.S. In trying to reflect the authenticity of the Trini dishes I have decided to write the titles using the trini creole - the dialect that we speak. So if you see something looking grammatically incorrect in the recipe names, don't be too worried about it; it's the "creole".
