Busmans' Holiday?

[Peachcreek]

My wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary together this past summer and spent 10 days on the island of Bora Bora. Stupid amounts of fun. It was great!
Anyhow, while we were there we spent one morning shopping for gifts and souvenirs when I was discussing with my wife some mineral specimens they were selling at one store. The shop owner started hearing our conversation and asked if I collected rocks and I said I did. The next thing I know she is on the phone with her husband who rushed off from work to come talk about minerals with me. Turns out the guy is a fanatic rockhound. Drives his wife crazy. So we talk about minerals in the US and other places and then they ask if we want to come to dinner. We say sure and oh, btw- I cook for a living and I will cook dinner for them. They were flabbergasted! So I ended up making dinner, "American food".We had a great time- ended up hanging out with them and their friends the rest of the time there. My French and their English improved dramatically. We are planning on going back next year and this time will stay in family run pensions and offer to do the cooking. Stupid amounts of fun...
For the dinner I went shopping at the two grocery stores in town. One was a Chinese mercantile, the other was more like a supermarket. Everything imported is very expensive, and if it has to be jetted in (fresh chicken), it is outrageously expensive. The French government subsidizes the importation of staple food items- grains, French cheese, frozen chicken were all cheaper than buying them in the US. Fresh baguettes were 40 cents. Local fruit and produce were good and cheap. The Tahitian pineapple was the best thing on the whole trip. Coconuts and bananas grow wild everywhere like weeds. Beef prices were a little more, FRESH! fish was a good deal- I bought hours-old Ahi for @6.00 per pound, US. I sliced it up for carpaccio, it would be a crime, no a sin to cook it.Topped it with some green mango that the locals pick and roll in powdered star anise- red ginger and eat like candy. Took the mango, minced it fine, put it on the fish then drizzled it with a little lime juice and soy sauce. For the entree I pan seared ribeye steaks in some sort of local chili paste and butter. I served that with local eggplant, tomatoes, onion and zuchinni that I lightly sauteed and tossed in the drippings. And some garlic roasted spuds. Very tasty.

[shroomgirl]

bora bora!!!! wow, aren't you in some really Northwest locale with very few folks...Montana, Idaho somewhere like that? Did you fly out of LA?
What a hoot to get there and discover like minds, it's always a treat....there is karma in the world. Good for you!