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| - Méli-Mélo has a little bit of everything for those who are interested in Haitian and Carribean food and culture. There is a grocery store, with giant sacks of beans and rice, cans of interesting fruits and spices, and fresh fruits and vegetables including sugarcane and whatever kind of mangoes are currently in season in Haiti. There is a hot food counter, with wonderful Haitian meals to go, and pâtés Haïtiens at the cash register. There is a case full of Creole-language books and some Creole magazines and newspapers. There is even a service for sending food or flowers to your friends in Haiti.
A typical Haitian meal consists of meat with rice (usually riz collé - rice with beans, or riz djon djon - flavoured with black mushrooms), plantain (fried), and maybe some salad or pickleez (spicy pickled cabbage).
Griot is cubes of fried pork. Cabri is stewed goat meat. Lambi is conch meat (seafood) and is a special-occasion dish. Chicken (either grilled or in stew) is also typical but I don't know if it has a special name ... c'est juste du poulet.
To vary your starch (or add to it), try maïs moulu (similar to polenta) with bean sauce (sos), or véritable (breadfruit).
Acra is a kind of cod fritter (savoury) served as an appetizer.
Pâtés Haïtiens are different from the more-familiar Jamaican patties (though Méli-Mélo also sells those). You have a choice of beef (rectangular), morue/codfish (triangular) and sometimes chicken (semicircular) filling surrounded by flaky puff pastry. Eat over a plate so that you don't miss the crumbs that are sure to fall off. You can take your pâtés home and reheat them, or take them along to a soccer (football) game if you want to be a real Haitian.
Bon appetit !
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