The Reggae Shack and Meeting Mahattama

I have days off of school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and always try to take a nice long walk.  On Tuesday, I walked from from my home, just east of downtown, all the way to 13th Street and back.  On the way back, I noticed the restaurant called The Reggae Shack had yellow tape in front of it.  "Oh no," I thought.  "Not another business going under."  I got close enough to read the sign and learned that it was only closed for a few weeks while they undergo renovation.  I took out my camera and started taking pictures when a man came up from behind me and and asked me what I was doing?

I turned around I saw it was my old friendly acquaintance Kaine, the owner of the Reggae Shack.  When I had owned Shakti Imports, about seven blocks from there, Kaine had stopped in from time to time and bought some of my tams and Jamaican flags, as he was from Jamaica.  I had told him I was a vegetarian and wary about meat contamination in my food, and he assured me that they used all separate utensils and plates to cook and serve their vegetarian dishes, of which they had many options.  "We have many Rastafarians come in," he said.  "We have to be very strict."  Always hankering after some good Caribbean food, as I had lived there for two years, I finally took my wife and daughter there one day.  

When we arrived at the restaurant on 619 W. University Ave., the seating was narrow and packed and the service was a little slow.  Kaine, his wife and one other man were the only staff on hand and they were doing everything, including taking the orders, cooking and serving.  You can see everything that is going on because the kitchen is right in front of the customers.  The menu was indeed filled with vegetarian items including Curry Palm hearts, Curry Tempeh, Spicy Tempeh, Veggie Ackee, Calallo (a leafy green vegetable dish), Tofu Stew, Curry Tofu, Jerk Tofu (extremely hot), Vegan Steak, Veggie Mince Special, Veggie Patties, Palm Heart Salad, Rice and Peas, Steamed Cabbage, Fried Plantains, and Breadfruit.  They also have fruit smoothies as well.  I ordered the Tofu Curry with Rice and Peas, and as I remember it, the food was well worth the wait.

When Kaine saw it was me taking pictures of his taped-off storefront, he seemed very glad to see me. We exchanged "how you doing's" and I asked him about the renovations.  "Actually, we're expanding," he said.  "We took on the storefront next door and are in the process of knocking down the walls and doubling the size of the restaurant."  "Wow," I said.  "Congratulations.  Good for you that you're able to succeed to the point of expanding even during these difficult economic times."  Kaine, who is usually cautious with showing his emotions, smiled widely.  At that moment, his wife appeared holding a little boy.  "Is that yours?" I asked.  "Yes," Kaine said happily.  His wife also smiled proudly.

When I got home, Mahattama stopped by looking for Glani and my mother-in-law Maria. Maria used to live next to us but recently moved and now lives north off of 6th Street. Mahattama had wanted to visit Glani and buy some Cheese Bread from Maria.  "When's Ekadasi?" I asked all paranoid.  "Oh, we just had it a few days ago," Mahattama said.  "I just love Cheese Bread."

Glani was in school all day so I offered to drive Mahattama to Maria's to get the Cheese Bread, as she had no car.  When we got there, Maria seemed quite happy that I brought her over.  Mahattama has been living in Mexico and teaching for some time now.  She was in the neighborhood to go to the local school district and drop off her teaching certificate in hopes of getting a summer job here.  Mahattama may come back to live in the Alachua area in the not-too-distant future, as she is getting her strength and energy back.