Ode To Oistins

So after The ZR Van ordeal, there I was in the hustling, bustling fishing village that had transformed drastically by night fall. The streets were crowded with cars and people alike. Loud music could be heard from every direction. And don't get me started on the smells. It was Fantastic!

Oistins is a great place to see all walks of life. I could go as far as to compare Oistins to a mini Globe. All tourists eventually come to Oistins, providing that they are on the island for at least One Friday night.

Guests from Mango Bay

After meeting up with Kate, Cleston, Tennyle and the party of 16 guests we were entertaining for the night,  I decided to roam around with the camera and just take in the sites and delicious aromas  as our guests got settled in to their reserved tables and ordered some drinks.


There is such a diverse crowd to be found at Oistins on a Friday night, From little kids, to families and Elders and everything in between.

Friday in Barbados is generally a very laid back day and many people can testify that not much gets done. From early hours in the day, men can be seen sitting in rum shops and "having a cold one" or knocking back a shot or two of white rum. I personally don't know how they do it but as the popular saying goes,

"Drinking before ten doesn't make you an Alcoholic...

That makes you a bloody Pirate!! ARHHH!!!"

Well to be honest, I'm not so sure as to how popular that saying is, but I use it all of the time as my excuse!

I was naturally drawn towards the stage where there were some tourists dancing along with some local dancers, no strangers to Oistins. Everyone was all smiles from ear to ear as they kept in rhythm and in time surprisingly! 

There are a group of street dancers, who make their living by.....dancing in the streets! Go figure!

Lets dance!

Teach me your moves

Everyone was taking videos

They frequent Oistins and 1st Street in Holetown. They can be seen doing Michael Jackson impersonations, costumes and all, and they are extremely good at what they do. I remember staring at this one particular guy and wondering if his waist was made of rubber....because he moved in such ways ...that I am sure my body is incapable of allowing. It brings to mind the song "Rubber Waist" by Timmy (soca music 2004) 

The crowds gathered in front of the stage cheering them on and the dancers smiled on proudly as their pictures were taken and countless videos that will probably be shared on blogs...and Facebook, Instagram and all sorts of Social media.

But i didn't stop there. Countless photos and Videos later, I ambled on to see the stalls in full throttle. Vendors peddling jewelry and beautiful handcrafted figurines that Tourists could take back with them as their souvenirs from 'The Rock" 

Tourists and locals all together laughing and talking as if they had known each other for years, sharing tables and countless piles of beer and rum bottles collecting here and there. Truly, the atmosphere was alive and thriving! 

One could find themselves sucked in by the allure of the aromas and festive voices, not to mention the sweet salty sea breeze that swept through every now and then. The melodies of the waves crashing on to the shore intertwined with the voices and chatter of hundreds of people out to enjoy themselves.  

This feeling can be more intoxicating than a bottle of Mount Gay XO, and so addicting. When most people come to Oistin's they almost always dislike when they have to bid adieu at the end of their night. 

At some point in time I ran in to Kate who was standing on the sand whilst Kaycee and Aaron were playing and running around and dancing all at the same time. It was impossible to keep up with them and they seemed to be in their own little world. They too, with their little voices and boisterous giggles, lent to the jovial atmosphere at Oistins last night.

The guests were all smiles and were enthusiastic when their food was served! The fish looked juicy and well seasoned and some chose to have the famous Macaroni Pie accompanying their fresh catch whilst others opted for the breadfruit and salads. 

Tennyle!  wondering why I'm following him around !

At this point in time, Tennyle pops out of nowhere with a drink in his hand and Kate and I are like? whats the deal Tennyle? So he knew what that meant.

Its always good to work hard, but a bit of play never hurt nobody! (said in a smoky, Luis Armstrong type voice).



Cleston at this point in time zooms by, all busy like and I headed over to find Tennyle, only to stumble across him pouring almost half the bottle out and saying that the drinks are mild! Mild to him perhaps! But he just laughed and smiled his charming smile and handed me my drink! 

CHEERS!

But, playtime was interrupted as duty called.

A Plus Tours has a good relationship with Fred's Bar in Oistins.  And truth be told, I can understand exactly why. I excused myself from the table where I was sitting with a group of random Canadian guys I was chatting with and went off to do a little Q & A session with the lovely Julia Crawford who runs the Family owned shop along with her Mom Angela Crawford.

Julia Crawford from Fred's with Leonora from A+

Whenever A Plus has its Fantastic Fish Fry Friday Tour, they always bring the guests to Fred's Bar.

So when I stood there talking to Julia as she mixed a large bottle of Rum punch flawlessly next to me, I was somewhat in the middle of production. Staff were hustling and whipping around us, and even though I'm not someone who has ever been back there before, I was no obstacle in the way as they glided effortlessly around us doing their job as if we weren't even just standing there in the middle of the road!

So me being me, asks the most typical question of all:

Q: So Julia, What would you say about working here at Fred's Bar? 

A: "Other than it being hard? (long pause and a big smile), I would have to say that it's interesting. Things are never the same on each individual Friday night. 

In the middle of Julia answering me, " You meet new people all of the time ..." But she trailed off as she turned and yelled to someone, "You got to get some Swordfish! Swordfish better than the Marlin!" All this while still mixing the rum punch! I swear, she takes multi-tasking to the next level so effortlessly! Also she must have supersonic ears because I had no idea there was even another conversation going on ! Entertaining! 

Julia went on to explain some things about Fred's Bar 

FRED'S BAR

• Established since 1992 , but in current location since 2006
• Two generations of Crawford women at the reigns  
• PUDDING & SOUSE DONE HERE!
• FRED'S BAR was named after the late MS.FREDERICA OSBOURNE ,
  she was one of many 18 yrs ago what was the old oistins fish fry.
• Table settings and tablecloths, a home away from home no plastic plates, forks or knives.
  You can have a variety of fish
  Mahi-Mahi, King Fish, Blue Marlin all fresh fish,
  which is marinated and served to you fried or grilled
  but we are famous for our
  Pan Seared fish with Vegetables.
• On Tuesdays and Thursday nights there is Pudding’ N Souse Thursday nights there is our famous Jerk pork and white rice.
  Pickle and Fried Sea cat if Available 
• Saturdays you can also have Pudding N ’Souse from around 1:00 pm --2:00 pm
• Culinary Team: Julia Crawford , Angela Crawford, Lorna Best and Henderson Best
• Takes bookings, Walk-ins welcome, Good for groups or parties, Good for children, Takeaway, Delivery, Catering, Table service and Outdoor seating and they specialize in Lunch dinner and DRINKS CAN' DUN!

However after all the serious stuff, Julia let me know that On Saturday's she does NOT work! 

No, no. She works hard and diligently on Friday night's keeping up with the fast paced needs of the outdoor restaurant  and their patrons and after being in Oistins until 3 am, so Saturday is her time to relax, unwind, entertain her friends and LIME (It's a bajan thing! 'Liming'  a.k.a. hanging out).

She understands the laws of business in Barbados, so she takes the time to socialize at other shopkeepers businesses, because it is well known that if you scratch my back, i will scratch yours, and that is a major rule of thumb here on the island. Julia is in no way shy to let me know that she likes to de-stress and drink some beers with her friends.

One of Julia's favorite pastimes is the Souse-pedition! (sounds like something i would like...I be reppin' Team #PorkMout !) Where the group goes around to different shops that make Pudding and souse on different days and bring their posse with them! 

Apart from Liming at Fred's Bar, Julia likes to go to "The Rocks" up Sheraton Centre as her cousin is the head chef there. And once again multitasking like a pro, while seasoning and flipping some big juicy steaks of fish and grilling them and plating food, she reminisced of one time she and some others went up to "The Rocks" one saturday before 1pm and drank drinks until after 10 in the night! Their bill was so high that the next time they went they received complimentary drinks.

All of a sudden a patron with a rather stern demeanor waltzed up and inquired about dolphin. Julia informed him there was no dolphin left but he could have swordfish. Even though he seemed to fret a bit he was seated and ordered a beer. I remembered him staring back at me and asking me if I would sit with him! and you know i did! and after having his meal, I learnt that that this had been actually his second time being there and he had come back because the food and service had been excellent! And despite the fact that he wasn't an avid swordfish lover he was more than satisfied with the flavors and the service once again! I dubbed him the Man in The Green Shirt! 

It was a great opportunity to talk to Julia. I would have loved to have spoken with her mother Angela but she was very very busy, but perhaps we can save it for next time! 

Momentarily before our Q & A was finished i noticed that she was dipping the fish into this greenish brown seasoning marinade type sauce before dropping them on the grill. I tried my best to get the secret ingredients, but to no avail! Whatever that marinade seasoning thing was .... it was absolutely superb! I say this because the team sat down shortly after to have a bite to eat (and some more drinks), and I had swordfish and Marlin and it was like an orgasm of my tastebuds!!! 

In Danish they say "Hyggelig" to mean cosy, but its a step higher than cosy, its beyond cosy. well Fred's Bar was definitely Hyggelig! 

Unfortunately, soon after it was time for us the A Plus Crew and our 16 guests to bid farewell to Oistins and head on down to St Lawrence Gap to continue the party at the Reggae Lounge!