The Rum Dum Bar at Ocar closed in the late 70’s when the elderly owner became ill and moved back to the United States. I had always enjoyed the delicious Rum Dum rotis and banana daquiris and I missed them! Bequia had few restaurants in those early days and I was therefore happy when the business was bought by another American couple named Bill and Barbara Little. The name was changed from the Rum Dum Bar to the Harpoon Saloon and it became a fun sunset destination for my family. The children loved looking at the sharks in the pond below the building and Mac and I liked going because it was entertaining!
Bill Little was an older, scrawny man with a gimpy leg and a grumpy outlook on life. During the day he worked to re-build the Bequia slip, a project welcomed by many as it would enable vessels to be hauled out of the water for repairs. Once the sun started to wane Bill would limp his way to the bar, where he would sit for several hours drinking rum and entertaining patrons with his ripe language. Barbara Little was younger than Bill, and the exact opposite of her last name; Barbara was a large, formidable woman, and she gave Bill’s potty mouth stiff competition. A visit to the Harpoon Saloon was fun – the food once it arrived was usually quite good and the free entertainment was a bonus!
Bill delighted in abusing his customers verbally, and his ripe language started to make him rather famous throughout the Islands. It was quite a phenomenon to see people flocking to a bar hoping that the owner would be rude to them, and they were rarely disappointed. If Bill happened to be having an “off” night Barbara would take up the slack, and howls of glee could be heard from the Harpoon Saloon whenever customers were being insulted. The patrons found it very funny, not realizing that Bill and Barbara were dead serious and meant every word they uttered. THAT was what Mac and I found so amusing!
One night a Frenchman arrived alone, carrying what looked like a bag of garbage. He spoke no English, and we knew right away that he was going to be that evening’s target. Bill LOATHED the French, and had everyone in stitches as he commented rudely on the man and his nationality. The Frenchman obviously didn’t understand a word Bill was saying, and every time the others around the bar laughed he laughed too. This of course made everyone laugh even harder, and I started to feel sorry for the poor man. Bill was making him look stupid, and the rum-fueled customers were egging him on. When the Frenchman got up to leave Bill stopped him. Rising from his stool (a challenge for him at that point in the evening!) Bill pulled a large knife from his belt. A sudden hush fell over the bar, we all thought he was going to attack the man!! Bill reached down and picked up the bag of garbage the Frenchman had left under the bar. Without a word he slit the plastic with his knife to make an opening, then slipped the bag around the man’s neck. Patting him on the back, Bill said, “take your garbage and F..K off!” The Frenchman understood THAT, he practically fell down the steps in his haste to get away from Bill!
Once a week the Harpoon Saloon had an evening lobster special. I had promised to meet friends there after work, and arrived late to find they had not yet been served. The restaurant was PACKED, and Bill was grumpier than usual. I commented on how busy it was, and he growled, “Yeah, and Barbara only prepared enough f..king lobster for 25 people. She’s gone to f..king bed, what a woman!”. The dining room was crazy busy and quite a few tables were still waiting for their meals to arrive. I settled down beside Bill to watch, this was not to be missed. Sure enough, a tourist approached Bill with a scowl on his face and shoved his plate of food under Bill’s nose. “What the hell is this?” he shouted. Bill said, “what the f..k do you think it is? It’s a “f..king pork chop!”. The customer, red in the face, slammed the plate down on the bar and said, “ I order lobster and get a pork chop? I can’t eat pork, I’m Jewish!” Bill looked at the pork chop, looked at the Jewish man and said, “you’re not a Jew, you’re a f..king hypocrite!”
Yup, that was Bill! Never one to mince words.