Normal pizza toppings were almost impossible to get in the early ‘80s, olives, mushrooms, anchovies and peperoni were not yet available in the local stores. We used whatever we could get our hands on, and produced some very unusual pizzas! Island visitors who didn’t know better would turn their noses up at the thought of fish pizza and I would urge them to give it a try. To this day fish pizza is one of my favorites, especially with fresh mushrooms.
Lobster pizza had been an instant hit with the tourists, Mac had been right when he assumed they would like it. It was a struggle to keep ourselves supplied with the tasty langouste, it was hard to come by during the winter months. Once lobster pots were introduced on Bequia lobster was more plentiful, and we went through thousands of pounds each year. In addition to being used on pizzas I made lobster quiches, lobster crepes, lobster thermidor, lobster bisque, lobster ANYTHING …….the tourists wanted lobster.
Customers would often arrive carrying their own pizza toppings and that was fine with me. If I was unable to offer what they wanted on their pizza it seemed only fair to let them supply it themselves. I would charge them for a simple cheese pizza using the toppings they had brought and everyone was happy.
One couple in particular brought their own pizza topping, and they came to the pizzeria every single afternoon. They lived on a small yacht anchored in the bay and pizza seemed to be their favorite food. Arriving each day around 4:00, they would order a plain cheese pizza and give me the fresh mushrooms they had brought. They would each drink a beer and eat the pizza slowly, then settle back to listen to the music and watch the scenery. It was a quiet peaceful time of day, a lull before the evening rush.
That couple loved sunsets, their eyes would go wide with appreciation as the sun sank below the horizon and the sky lit up with color. They would hug each other or hold hands through the event, and if there happened to be a green flash they would go into raptures. When the sunset show ended they would pay their bill, thank me politely, and leave before the first sitting arrived. I told Mac about how cute they were and he came to the Pizzeria one afternoon to see these regular customers for himself. He laughed when he saw the mushrooms they had brought for their pizza and told me why they were such a happy couple.
I had never heard of magic mushrooms (Mac called them “shrooms”) and that’s what the yachties had been eating every afternoon. They went to Spring each day and picked the psychedelic fungi from cattle dung in preparation for that evening’s sunset. Magic mushrooms contain psilocybin and can produce euphoric spiritual experiences, even hallucinations, and they obviously made sunsets on Bequia special!