BARBADOS - Hungry? Papa Earl’s’ on the West Coast of Barbados is the place to go for a hot, home cooked meal - that is, according to anyone in the ‘know’. Specialising in ‘ital’, which is the terminology used by Rastafarians to describe natural food, free of preservatives and other additives, Papa Earl’s home cooking is suitable for vegetarians and those who just like good food.
Easily identifiable by his lengthy dreadlocks; red, gold and green tam and broad smile, Papa Earl is always ready to share a story or assign a nickname to one of his regular customers (mine is Dolly). His food is made with love he says and he takes pride in the fact that his business has been quite successful since the eighties, primarily based on word of mouth. Operating out of the trunk of his car, everyone knows that around 12 pm look out for Papa Earl’s green station wagon along the coast. Monday to Friday you can find him on Trent’s playing field, trunk open and table set up. Most days his offerings include a vegetarian stir fry with salad, bean stew, rice and ‘fries’ (these are Papa Earl’s version of fried vegetarian balls – my description does not do them justice, they are delicious). He also has a variety of sweet breads and natural juices on sale. Depending on the day you can get corn bread, banana or even granola which has cherries and nuts added. The juices include flavors such as lemon and ginger, coconut and ginger, carrot, mango and some unique combinations with interesting names such as ‘mistake’ and other names to make you blush for concoctions said to provide stamina (I’ll leave that bit to your imagination).
Tuesdays are lasagna days and trust me; you have to be there early if you want lunch. Papa Earl’s lasagna is GREAT! Made with soy chunks and cheese, even meat lovers will be impressed. Tuesday is also the day for soup, however, these are made to order and you have to let him know beforehand. This hearty vegetable soup is chock full of goodies – beets, okras you name it, it is in there. Hot, spicy and more than enough for an entire meal.
Now, no description of Papa Earl’s food will be complete without a mention of his famous secret ingredient – his ‘WAAPAX!’ sauce (this must be said with a large amount of emphasis and enthusiasm – see the video for correct pronunciation). This top secret ‘weapon’ is what will have you coming back for more according to Papa Earl. He continuously improves it and has even perfected a technique for applying this sauce. After putting together your take-away container, he whips out his unmarked bottle and with a few shakes you are now ready to go. Of course I tried to ask Papa Earl about the secret to this sauce but his lips are sealed – although I did get some background information for my video (specially for Tripulu of course).
So whenever you happen to be in the area or you are driving or walking by and see Papa Earl and his green station wagon, feel free to stop by and have him fix you a container. A small lunch (small is relative – I can barely finish it) is only $10 BDS, juices are $4 BDS and a large chunk of bread is $3 BDS. Papa Earl is also available for catering and even weddings, all you have to do is ask.
