Sea-Food I don’t like to eat

I love eating fresh fish, and after more than four decades in the Caribbean I have grown quite spoiled. If offered a choice between chicken, pork, red meat or fish I will usually opt for the fish, especially if it’s dolphin (mahi-mahi) or red snapper. Whenever we travel abroad, I rarely order fish because it’s usually a disappointment; fresh-water fish holds little appeal for me now that I am used to fish from the sea, I find it bland and rather tasteless in comparison.

There are, of course, other offerings besides fish in this part of the Caribbean, and lobster is one of the main attractions for the tourists. Mac realized this when he dreamed of opening a restaurant, and his lobster pizza became famous, so much so that it made the front page of the New York Times food magazine!  Lobster appeared on the menu at Mac’s in several different ways; lobster quiche, lobster salad, lobster quesadillas and lobster thermidor to mention just a few, food that the customers gobbled up happily. Do I myself like lobster? NO!  Lobster is pretty much the last thing I will order at a restaurant anywhere! After so many years of dealing with copious amounts of lobster I grew to loathe the SMELL of it let alone the taste, that particular shellfish (which is also a bottom feeder) is one sea-food I prefer not to eat unless it’s in the form of a fritter.

Many people ask me if I like whale meat, and the answer to that is  also NO. I have rejoiced along with Bequia’s population when a whale has been caught, knowing that such a catch is cause for celebration. This held especially true when I first arrived on Bequia in the 70’s, when refrigeration was quite rare in the majority of homes. Once whale has been cooked in its rendered blubber it can be covered and kept unrefrigerated for years, making it a valuable staple for local families. Nowadays most people have electricity, and the need for whale cooked in this manner is therefore not as big a necessity. I don’t particularly like doved whale; once the meat has been boiled in the blubber it tastes rather like fishy beef, and I don’t care for it. I also don’t like the lingering smell left by the whale oil, and was not pleased when Mac’s mother rubbed baby Vanessa from head to toe with the stuff!  I only like whale if it’s been thinly sliced while fresh and then grilled over a wood fire, and that’s something I haven’t had in a very long time.

Turtle is another sea-food that was quite popular when I first moved to Bequia, and although those around me enjoyed its taste I refused to try even a bite. Mac loved stewed turtle, and always invited friends for a feast whenever he brought one home to cook. As a child I had a pet turtle named Hercules, and was horribly upset when he was stolen by a racoon. Would I have contemplated EATING Hercules? Never! I always left the house while Mac cooked his turtle, I simply couldn’t bear to watch, and was happy when turtles were listed as an endangered species in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I am sure that turtle meat is quite delicious but, at least as far as I’m concerned, turtles are majestic creatures of the sea that should be left alone.

Parrot fish are an incredibly beautiful species, and I felt quite dismayed the first time I noticed them being added to a big pot of fish boileen. I loved watching them amongst the reefs while spear-fishing, they were always noticeable due to their turquoise colouring, much prettier than the other species. I was therefore happy to realize after tasting my first parrot fish that they are rather mushy in texture, not nearly as tasty as red fish such as bleary eye, and used that as a valid excuse not to spear any myself. Many years later I learned that parrot fish actually play an important role in the protection of the sea’s coral reefs, yet another reason not to catch and eat them!

Shark is another sea creature Mac would bring home as a special treat, and I didn’t like it at all. I had never liked looking at the ugly predators alive, didn’t like the way they smelled while being fried, and certainly didn’t like the way they tasted! Mac always soaked his shark meat in milk for a while before seasoning it to get rid of what he called “de freshy taste”, then dredged the pieces in flour prior to frying. The shark tasted somewhat rank to me, horrible really, although Mac and my children ate it happily enough. This bad first experience turned me off shark for life, and I am therefore not willing to cook the ugly creature let alone eat it. My husband Nik likes shark, and when the grand-children visited Bequia this past year he insisted on taking them to South-side so they could taste it for the first time. We stopped at Sabrina’s little shop on the waterfront, where everyone ordered portions of fried shark except for, of course, grandma. However, when I was urged to at least TRY a bit I reluctantly did so, and immediately regretted not having ordered any for myself. Do I like shark? Well, I did THAT day, and will be sure to try it again the next time I stop at Sabrina’s little shop on the waterfront!