World Country Guide

Social Profile

Food & Drink
Jamaican food is full of fire, taking advantage of pungent spices and peppers. Jamaican dishes include ‘rice and peas’, a tasty dish with no peas at all but with kidney beans, white rice, coconut milk, scallions (spring onions) and coconut oil. Another dish is salt fish (dried cod) and ackee (the cooked fruit of the ackee tree), curried goat and rice (spicy and strong), Jamaican pepperpot soup (salt pork, salt beef, okra and Indian kale known as callaloo), chicken fricass Jamaican-style (a rich chicken stew with carrots, scallions, yams, onions, tomatoes and peppers prepared in unrefined coconut oil) and roast suckling pig (a three-month-old piglet which is boned and stuffed with rice, peppers, diced yam and thyme mixed with shredded coconut and corn meal). Patties are the staple snack of Jamaica (pastries filled with ground beef and bread crumbs) and can be found everywhere, but vary in price and filling. Waiter service is usually available in catering establishments. Jamaican rum is world famous, especially Gold Label and Appleton. Rumona is a delicious rum cordial. Red Stripe beer is excellent, as is Tia Maria (a Blue Mountain coffee and chocolate liqueur). Fresh fruit juice is also recommended, as is Blue Mountain coffee, an excellent variety. Bars have table and/or counter service. There are no licensing hours and alcohol can be bought all day.

Nightlife
There is no shortage of night-time entertainment on the island that is the home of reggae music. Every town or village has some sort of nightlife, and there are regular street dances. Folkloric shows at larger resort hotels are held and steel bands often play. At least once a week, there is a torchlit, steel band show with limbo dancing and fire-eating demonstrations. Nightclubs feature jazz, soca, reggae and other music. For details of events, visitors should consult local newspapers. The Jamaica Tourist Board arranges ‘Meet the People’ evenings in various scenic locations throughout the island. Contact the Tourist Board in Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios or Port Antonio.

Shopping
Special purchases are locally-made items and duty free bargains. Crafts include hand-loomed fabrics, embroidery, silk screening, woodcarvings, oil paintings, woven straw items and sandalmaking. Custom-made rugs and reproductions of pewter and china from the 17th-century ruins of the ancient submerged city of Port Royal can be bought in the In-Craft workshop. At Highgate Village in the mountains, Quakers run a workshop specialising in wicker and wood furniture, floor mats and other tropical furnishings. Jamaican rum, the Rumona liqueur (the world’s only rum-based liqueur, hard to find outside the island) and Ian Sangsters Rum Cream are unique purchases. Other local specialities are Pepper Jellies, jams and spices. There are shops offering facilities for ‘in-bond’ shopping, which allows visitors to purchase a range of international goods free of tax or duty at very competitive prices. These goods are sealed (hence the ‘bond’) and, because goods are tax- or duty free, can only be opened once away from Jamaican waters or territory. All goods must be paid for in Jamaican currency. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700. Some shops close half day Wednesday in Kingston, and Thursday in the rest of the island.

Special Events
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Jamaica in 2005; for a complete list, contact the Jamaica Tourist Board (see Contact Addresses section):
Jan 26-29 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues, Montego Bay. Feb 21-Apr 18 Negril Spring Break. May 27 Calabash International Literary Festival. Jun 8-15 Caribbean Fashionweek. Jul 1 International Reggae Day. Jul 17 Portland Jerk Festival.

Social Conventions
Handshaking is the customary form of greeting. As tourism is a major industry in Jamaica, the visitor is well catered for, and hotel and restaurant staff are generally friendly and efficient. Outside Kingston, the pace of life is relaxed and people are welcoming and hospitable. Normal codes of practice should be observed when visiting someone’s home. It may be common to see signs on the island referring to ‘Jah lives’, Jah being the name given to God by the Rastafarians. Casual wear is suitable during the day, but shorts and swimsuits must be confined to beaches and poolsides. Evening dress varies from very casual in Negril to quite formal during the season in other resorts, where some hotels and restaurants require men to wear jackets and ties at dinner. Possession of marijuana may lead to imprisonment and deportation. Tipping: Most Jamaican hotels and restaurants add a service charge of 10 per cent; otherwise 10 to 15 per cent is expected. Chambermaids, waiters, hotel bellboys and airport porters all expect tips. Taxi drivers receive 10 per cent of the fare.