Pasta shapes

Pasta shapes

Sunday 25^th and Monday 26^th February, 2024

Mike likes to declare that macaroni is the best type of pasta.  This always makes me laugh as (to my mind) all pasta tastes the same, it’s just different shapes.  Over the years, I have wondered why there are so many different shapes of pasta? What is the point?  At least in one regard, I have found an answer. . . 

Today for lunch we had an excellent pasta dish with leeks, tomatoes and ham.  The pasta was buccatini (sp?). This pasta shape is long like spaghetti but more like a straw with a hole down the middle.  We had something like this in Italy and it was called picci, I think.  I was trying to wrap this pasta around my fork—with singular lack of success.  Thinking back, I realized that I didn’t really grow up with the spaghetti-twirling thing. Mom used to break the spaghetti in half before she threw it into the boiling water.  There was no twirling required.  Only years after leaving home did I try to acquire the technique.  I think it would be fair to say that I haven’t mastered the skill.  However, buccatini represents a distinct challenge to the pasta-twirling public.  Think of it more like trying to coil up a fire hose. Even picking up a single strand and twisting my fork against the spoon, the ends would spring out in an unruly fashion.  In frustration, I declared to Mike: “now I know why there are other pasta shapes.”

On Sunday, I was feeling pretty poorly.  As a result, we spent most of the day hanging out reading our books.  In the late afternoon, we went to shore for a few provisions.  This morning we hauled up the anchor and sailed west and then northwest to Anse Chaudiere.  We got anchored, had lunch and watched a three person team fishing with a large circular net. Then went to town—Le Bourg, for a little wander around.  A swim, a shower and a light dinner finished off our day. 

   

Gloria

14 28.787 N, 61 04.824 W

As of Tuesday morning Gloria is still feeling rough. She seems to be running a slight fever and has an intermittent cough, which in full swing is unbelievable. She has also developed conjunctivitis in both eyes. We strongly suspect that she has Covid (again) but we have no tests aboard to confirm that However, she has started a course of azithromycin to deal with any secondary chest infection.  Perhaps more of a concern is that she was coughing so badly that she pulled her back out, and that’s really sore. Hopefully it’s “just” a pulled muscle, but Gloria has a history of compression fractures in her back so that’s got us a little nervous. 

Mike

Les Anses D'Arlet - photographed from our dinghy as we approach town

We are anchored about a mile south of town in Anse Chaudiere. it's quiet and lovely, with super clear water. These guys were fishing in mid afternoon. Towards the end of the process the guy in the red shirt put on a mask and fins and went into the sea, perhaps to close off the net. All of Martinique seems to be heavily overfished. 

These fisherman were just hanging around when we got back from town. At first we thought they had an engine problem, but they were just waiting for sunset, when they and several other boats set off to tend to their fish weir on the edge of the bay.

The two fisherman heading off at sunset

Anse D'Arlet has a lot of colorful buildings

Details, details ...

This fishing boat was up on land

We have a first-class seat at the greatest show on earth. (The black specs you may be able to see are Frigate Birds)