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Social Profile
Food & Drink: The French cuisine is good and the Creole specialities combine French, tropical and African influences. Dishes include Guinea hen with sour orange sauce, tassot de dinde (dried turkey), grillot (fried island pork), diri et djondjon (rice and black mushrooms), riz et pois (rice and peas), langouste flambé (local lobster), ti malice (sauce of onions and herbs), piment oiseau (hot sauce) and grillot et banane pese (pork chops and island bananas). Sweets include sweet potato pudding, mango pie, fresh coconut ice cream, cashew nuts and island fruits.
French wine is available in the better restaurants. The island drink is rum and the best is probably ‘Barbancourt’, made by a branch of Haiti’s oldest family of rum and brandy distillers.
Nightlife: There is plenty of choice ranging from casinos to African drum music and modern Western music and dance. There is something happening in at least one major hotel every evening with the main attraction being folkloric groups and voodoo performances. On Saturday nights bamboche, a peasant-style dance, can be seen in one of the open-air dance halls. Hotels can give further up-to-date information on local nightlife.
Shopping: Bargaining is recommended at the Iron Market, where good- and bad-quality local items can be bought, including carvings, printed fabrics, leatherwork, paintings (particularly in the naïf style, for which Haiti is famous), straw hats, seed necklaces and jewellery, cigars and foodstuffs. Port-au-Prince has a good selection of shops and boutiques selling a wide range of local and imported items. Bargaining is an accepted practice. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1300-1600, Sat 0800-1200.
Special Events: For a complete list of carnivals and festivals held during 2003, contact the Secrétariat d’Etat au Tourisme (see Contact Addresses). The principal annual festivals in 2003 are:
Mar 3-5 Carnival, throughout Haiti. Mar 5-Apr 20 Ra Ra, Leogane. Apr 14 Pan-American Day. Dec 5 Discovery Day (celebrations to commemorate Columbus’ landing on the north coast in 1492). Jul/Aug Local traditional and religious festivals, many towns, including Limonade, Plaine du Nord, Petit Goaves and Ouanaminthe.
Social Conventions: Informal wear is acceptable, although scanty beachwear should be confined to the beach or poolside. Only the most elegant dining-rooms encourage guests to dress for dinner. Tipping: Ten per cent service charge is added to hotel and restaurant bills. Taxi drivers do not expect tips.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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