Feasting on Waves: Sugar on Isle One

In the bonus disc feature of Feasting on Asphalt Alton expresses his concern that he will not be able to find the old Mom & Pop or roadside eateries they went out in search of for the first foray of the FOA series.  Luckily there are still many of those old joints still around.  However, after watching the first episode of Feasting on Waves I began to wonder if he was running into the exact problem he was worried about the first time around.  There seems to be an awful lot of time spent on the logistics of the trip and not as much variety in the way of local food.  Despite the seeming lack; there were some interesting meals.  The most interesting to me was the roadside tent under the mango tree.  It doesn't get much more local than that!  It reminded me of all the local farms in my area who have little tables and stands set up during harvest right now.  For now I reserve my judgment of the series since only the first episode is out.  For Alton's sake; I hope the rest of the trip goes better in terms of finding true local cuisine.

As for mobility, it definitely has a different flavor from the FOA series.  Instead of being independent and able to travel wherever they please and having the ability to dart off in another direction on a tip; they are bound to the boats and vehicles of others.  In my mind there was the impression that Alton and the crew would have chartered a single boat and cruised around an area of the Caribbean.  Now I don't know if the boats they went aboard in the first episode will be their mode of transport for the rest of the series, but the venture didn't have a very cohesive feel at the start.  Intro on a boat, then they are walking around, then they are in a van, etc.  We'll see what happens next.  I really enjoy the FOA series and hope FOW improves.

p.s.  I miss having Jean-Claude on the show.  He's a bit of a character and definitely added to the entertainment value, as well as the wonderful photos!