A Trip To The Beach TODAY Show

conched · Post by **conched** » November 19, 2004 11:01 am

The TODAY show just featured the couple, the Blanchards, who moved from Vermont to Anguilla and opened a restaurant. The story is reminiscent of Don't Stop The Carnival.

They wrote a book called "A Trip To The Beach." It tells how they visited Anguilla and just didn't want to leave. They came home to Vermont and sold everything they could to get a start "living on Island Time in the Caribbean."

As they were doing a cooking segment on the beach, Al was making some Rum Punch and was told to keep pouring the rum..."It's Five O'Clock Somewhere."

Although, this is an older book now (2001), if you haven't read it, it's a great read!!! Click above on the amazon link and give it a go!

PA PAR8 HED · Post by **PA PAR8 HED** » November 19, 2004 11:28 am

Another good book in that vein is "An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude".

About a couple who takes 2 years off to sail the Caribbean. A very easy read, a few Buffett references and some great recipes included as the author describes the food and drink they were introduced to along their adventure.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 65-3259851

finsup2k · Post by **finsup2k** » November 19, 2004 11:34 am

Cool! I think I will. Hopefully, it's a blueprint for success.

springparrot · Post by **springparrot** » November 19, 2004 11:41 am

Thanks for the info

conched · Post by **conched** » November 19, 2004 12:10 pm

PA PAR8 HD, I'm glad you pointed out that "Embarrassment of Mangoes" has recipes. That is one of the best things in the Trip To The Beach book.

Ilph · Post by **Ilph** » November 19, 2004 12:45 pm

This is a great book. I loved it. Another one that's worth a read is "The Sex Lives of Cannibals" by J. Maarten Troost.

jbfins · Post by **jbfins** » November 19, 2004 1:20 pm

My wife and I liked the Blanchard's book so much that we went to Anguilla for our honeymoon.

MG · Post by MG » November 19, 2004 10:22 pm

My wife and I went to Anguilla on our honeymoon in 1990. The Blanchards had just opened Mango's, their first restaurant on the island. It was just a short walk down the beach from the resort we were staying at. Our taxi driver from the ferry terminal to the hotel said it had just opened the week before. We ate dinner there one night and had lunch there a couple of days later. At the time, we had no idea that the owners were the Blanchard & Blanchard salad dressing people. Somewhere in our archives, we have a menu from Mango's and a photo of Bob Blanchard. We loved Anguilla and hope to get back there someday. In the meantime, we will have to read the book.

conched · Post by **conched** » November 19, 2004 11:30 pm

MG wrote:My wife and I went to Anguilla on our honeymoon in 1990. The Blanchards had just opened Mango's, their first restaurant on the island. It was just a short walk down the beach from the resort we were staying at. Our taxi driver from the ferry terminal to the hotel said it had just opened the week before. We ate dinner there one night and had lunch there a couple of days later. At the time, we had no idea that the owners were the Blanchard & Blanchard salad dressing people. Somewhere in our archives, we have a menu from Mango's and a photo of Bob Blanchard. We loved Anguilla and hope to get back there someday. In the meantime, we will have to read the book.

I have to say they were having a great time doing the food thing on the beach during the TODAY show. They seemed like a really sweet couple.

There was another couple on there today who had gone down there 6 years ago and commented about how they hated to go home...so they didn't. He said the only things he longed for were cheap gas and ??

MG · Post by MG » November 20, 2004 12:33 pm

I have heard that Anguilla has changed quite a bit since we were there in '90. It has become the destination for celebs and is reputed to have some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean. I believe the first golf course on the island is under construction. When we were there, I think there were only two traffic lights on the entire island.

fruityparrothead · Post by **fruityparrothead** » November 20, 2004 11:22 pm

I've read that book...they ran another segment on the couple a year or so ago...I purchased/read the book then. I really is interesting.