The Island's Most Convivial Outdoor Fish Fry -- Savvy locals can guide you to the historic Oistins Fish Market, southeast of Bridgetown and past the settlements of Hastings and Worthing. This is where Bajan fishermen unload their daily catch and sell it directly to the customer -- ideal if you have accommodations with a kitchen. If not, you can find nearly a dozen shacks selling fresh-cooked fish: Flying fish is in the fryer and fish steaks such as wahoo are on the grill. On Friday night, when it seems that about a third of the island shows up to meet and greet one another, the local vendors sponsor live bands and a medley of food stalls from 6 to 10:30pm. In 2008, the place is destined for some spruce-ups when the venue will move into a nearby series of wood-sided cottages, each painted a different calypso color, wherein fresh running water and upgraded sanitation facilities will make the entire event a bit less colorful but a lot more mainstream. And by all indications, the Friday night fish fry will continue to roar along.
Plantation Dining the Way It Used to Be -- For a unique dining adventure, phone Fisher Pond Great House, St. Thomas (tel. 246/433-1754), an early-17th-century plantation house, where John Chandler and his charming wife, Rain, invite, for a fee, anyone who's interested for lunch every Sunday. Some of the art and antiques are derived from silver-screen legend Claudette Colbert, who retired from Hollywood to Barbados and died in an ocean-fronting villa in 1996. The largest and most imposing of the tables is a Sheraton-style gem built of mahogany in 1705 and which has since hosted formal dinners for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Expect a lavish array of between 25 and 30 mostly West Indian dishes laid out like a five-course buffet, and floral "eye candy" gathered from more than 300 species of hibiscus and bougainvillea. The cost, per person, is BD$95 (US$48/£24). No credit cards are accepted, and since the event can host a maximum of only about 80 participants, advance reservations are essential. Everything begins every Sunday throughout the year at 12:30pm, winding up at around 4pm.
