Haiti

See also: French phrasebook, Haitian Creole phrasebook Haitians speak French (fwansé), associated with the local elite and the upper middle class and not commonly spoken by many poor locals, and/or Haitian Creole (kreyol), which is the language of the masses, consisting of strong French and African influence along with Spanish and Taino influences to a lesser extent. Do not expect to be able to speak Kreyol if you know French, as the two are separate languages with highly differrent vocabulary and verb structures. Many Haitians are very appreciative if you go to the trouble to learn at least a little bit of the native language, rather than using an interpreter or expecting them to speak English. Haitians working at tourist areas usually speak English well enough for conversation and they can help you with any inquiries.

Haitian cuisine is a wonderful mix of Caribbean and African sensibilities. It is similar to its Spanish neighbors yet unique in its strong presence of spices. Roast goat called 'kabrit', morsels of fried pork 'griot', poultry with a Creole sauce 'poulet creole', rice with wild mushroom 'du riz jonjon' are all wonderful and tasty dishes. Along the coast fish, lobster and conch are readily available. Haiti has a very fine collection of fruit including guava, pineapple, mango (Haiti's most prized fruit), banana, melons, breadfruit, as well as mouth watering sugarcane cut and peeled to order on the streets. Restaurants in the bigger cities provide safe and wonderful meals, and precautions are taken with the food and water to keep things safe. Even in resorts with purified water, it is not always safe to assume that raw vegetables (such as lettuce and tomatoes) have been properly washed. In smaller or more humble venues make sure to eat fruit and vegetables that can be skinned or peeled, drink bottled drinks only, make sure any ice is from a clean water source, make sure any meat is well cooked. When bottled water or boiled water is not available, a freshly opened coconut provides water and electrolytes with minimal health risk in Haiti.

Haitian rum is well-known. 'Barbancourt 5 star' is a top of the line drink. 'Clairin' is the local firewater made from sugarcane that can be bought on the street, often flavored with various herbs that can be seen stuffed into the bottle. 'Prestige' is the most popular beer, and is of good quality and excellent taste. Also be sure to try the 'Papye' drink, a sort of papaya milk shake that is delicious beyond words on a hot day.

The Haitian gourde, pronounced goude in Creole, is the currency of Haiti. It's notionally divided into 100 centimes, but as the exchange rate (as of August 2007) hovers around 35 gourdes to the dollar, you're unlikely to see these. Haiti has become famous for its very informal yet interesting bustling marketplace. Everything is sold here ranging from the curiously appealing to the dullest of objects for rather inexpensive prices. Haggling is wise and recommended and not doing so may cost you precious dollars. The merchants can become quite bothersome so if you're not interested, a brisk "Non, Merci" and walking away should do the trick. There are various large retail supermarkets in the capital that offer a variety of items. Haiti is a world of crafts waiting to be sought after. Although by law, merchants are required to quote prices in goude, rarely do they do so. Instead, virtually everything is priced in "dollars"--not USD but Haitian dollars which are equivalent to 5 goude.