Oistins Fish Fry

The Oistins Fish Fry is one of those things that everyone tells you must be experienced. I don’t really care for fish but I figured an experience is an experience.

Oistins is a fishing town in Christ Church Parish not too far from St. Lawrence Gap where I was staying. Friday nights, tourists and locals both descend upon it and wait in ridiculously long lines for a plate of delicious grilled fish with choice sides.  Snapper, marlin, dolphin, flying fish, shrimp, kingfish, you name it. There was also chicken, but really? Who goes to a fish fry to eat chicken?! Not I!

There are many vendors hawking their creations along the side and as the night wears on different band-stages vie for dancers amongst the crowds. At one end, the elderly folks, yes my dear elderly companions, were ballroom dancing so elegantly. I can call them elderly because at least one of them is known to be 85 years of age and always dances there every Friday night. She also walks for two hours every morning I was told.  That is the life!

I knew I wanted to go but had not yet determined how I was going to navigate the ZR at night-time safely.  When I came back from the Island Safari tour I made my way to the beach to mull away some more, this my last day in Barbados. There, I ran into a very nice woman whose acquaintance I had made earlier in the week and she asked if I was planning to go to the Fish Fry and offered to come pick me as she didn’t think it so wise of me to use the ZR at night. 

So, we were there between the hours of about seven and eleven in the evening which is actually “early” as this event goes on through the wee hours of the night.