Remember that TV show where the participants attempted to identify a song after hearing only a note or two? "Bob, I can name that song in three notes", Contestant Number One would say. Well, for me, it's my senses: I can 'name that smell' from miles away, which can actually come in quite handy on a boat. Propane leaks, mildew, or dreaded head smells - you name it, I can usually uncover the source in just a few sniffs. And who needs maintenance logs when my finely tuned palate can tell us when it's time to change the water filters or bleach the tanks? Hey, it's good to be proficient at something in the "boat fix-it" department, even if it does mean sniffing around in the nastiest of places!

So what does all of this have to do with salad dressing, the title of today's blog entry? Well, my heightened sense of taste also means I'm, let's say, selective when it comes to food. And, unfortunately, the Caribbean isn't exactly known as the culinary universe of the world. Now don't get me wrong - Louis and I have enjoyed many good meals at funky little food stands throughout the islands. But, with a few exceptions, the restaurants we've eaten at have been kind of ho-hum. So I tried not to get my hopes up when I spied "Conch Ceviche" on the menu the other day. I figured they couldn't go too wrong with something so basic. I mean all it is - or should be - is some very fresh conch, a bit of onion and tomato perhaps, some lime, and a secret spice or two. When it arrived, however, all hopes vanished. The generous pile of fresh conch meat was swimming in some kind of gelatinous-based salad dressing. I hesitatingly took a bite. As I feared, there was no taste of that sweet conch meat to be had; instead the entire dish was overpowered by that oh-so-familiar flavor of American bottled salad dressing. "How is it", Louis knowingly asked. "Ugh - tastes like Wishbone Italian" was my disgusted reply.

Well, wouldn't you know...a few minutes later the waitress brought my sister some over-barbequed ribs and a nice green salad. And, then, she set down a bottle of - you guessed it - Wishbone Salad Dressing. Hey, I can name that salad dressing in...one bite!