Roti, Roti...

If there is one place on this earth that I could call a home-away-from-home, that place would be the Virgin Islands. The effects of an island childhood has irrevocably shaped the kind of woman that I have become. Wherever my life takes me, I walk to a reggae beat, heal myself with local plant wisdom, keep myself open to new cultures, and crave the flavors of the tropics. These flavors are unforgettable. 

On my last trip to the islands, my father had a surprise for me. He had scouted out a local food destination on the way from Charlotte Amalie to the ferry at Red Hook. He pulled our jeep over at “We Never Sleep” food truck which consisted of a refurbished school bus, painted bright red with a eating area created immediately behind it. I was immediately excited because their main dish is roti, something that I have been curious to try. Roti, which is also known as chapati, is an unleavened flat bread. 

It is made from stoneground wholemeal flour and originated in India, but became popular as well in Guyana, Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives, South Africa, Suriname and the Caribbean. Most notably, roti got an upgrade in Trinidad and Tobago. Here the bread, which had been used to accompany meals or sop up soups with, became transformed into a carrier vessel and roti became known as a sandwich! 

Of course the options are endless for filings. We were lucky that day to have been offered saltfish, which wasn’t on the menu. The roti bread is too thick to roll, so it is folded loosely over the abundant filling. Our filling consisted of saltfish with potatoes and garbanzo beans with rich and slightly curried flavors. 

Another pleasing discovery for me was that they sold Moringa tea. Recently I had been studying up on this “miracle tree” which is a virtual powerhouse of nutrients. The leaves contain more than 90 nutrients 46 antioxidants! The list of benefits is almost too long to mention, but it has been used for ages with traditional healing methods, with great success. So naturally, we had a cup. That’s my medicine for the day! 

If you happen to find yourself visiting the Virgin Islands, and specifically St. Thomas, look for We Never Sleep on the way to the ferry. It is very close to the Coki Beach area, on the side of the road.