Poisson cru, the national dishi is comprised of raw red tuna, vegetables, coconut milk, and citrus juice. Ridiculously good! I had never eaten much, if any, raw fish before this trip. (borrowed photo)
I still haven’t had my fill of fresh coconut.
roadside fruit standAnother boat meal: Russian (Olivier) Salad consists of potato, egg, beet, corn, and a mayonnaise dressing. I’ll be making this at home, knowing the veggies can be varied. Served with green salad, roasted chicken thighs and drums, and the ubiquitous baguette (served at every meal). Not pictured is the dessert of waffles with nutella, whipped cream, and bananas that had everyone groaning in happiness.Did I mention baguettes? Ah, French colonization. I’ll see these again in Vietnam.
Traditional feast and show
The mini heiva (live music, singing, and dancing) was fantastic at Le Ficus, a family-run establishment on Taha’a island. The ahima’a, the in-ground oven used to cook our meal.Other than the poisson cru and the rice, everything was cooked in the ahima’a. The beef was bland, but the curried fish was good, and the chicken fa fa (with spinach and coconut cream) was great. The orange gelatinous stuff on the right is poi, made from taro. It was fine. Not horrible, not great, just underwhelming.
Vanilla plantation visit
Ramon at Perle D’O on Raiatea explained how vanilla is grown, harvested, and prepared. It can take 12-15 months for a pod to go from hand-pollination to a usable vanilla bean!Pods nearly ready for sale whole, or for transport to Tahiti for processing into extract.
Papeete’s amazing roulottes (food trucks)
Situated along the harbor, the roulottes are different than US food trucks with their dedicated tables and full service option.shrimp curry over chow mien noodles With baguette, of course! Serious comfort food for about $15.“Mikob” from the Tuk Tuk truck: shrimp and veg over crispy noodles.Vive la France! Nutella, banana, coconut crepe.So no, our food trucks at home don’t have this.
The Journey in Between 
Food heaven! 🙂
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Oh what beautiful little bananas. This place does indeed look like a food paradise. What a way to travel!
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