What's in a Name ?
Think Bahamas spiced with a pinch of Maori.
& a great big melting pot.
In a previous chapter to my life on this mortal coil , I toiled away frying eggs for the obscenely
rich and sometimes famous which in turn saw me living for extended periods in the Bahamas.
Now let me introduce you to a conch ; pronounced conk .A tasty mollusk native only to the region.
Similar texture to paua with a rich flavour just shy of a scallop.
Prepared as a dumpling ; often referred to locally as fritter or
as my personal favorite , a salad ; more of a ceviche featuring a combination of
chillis , bell peppers ,tomato , key lime juice and heaps of langipape.
Typical Island conch shack.
Extracting the meat from the shell is an art in itself.
Buying fresh conch from the boat ramp in the southern tip of the island ; the guys take
extra delight in biting the the sex organ out of the meat & sucking the clear
vremacilli like noodle through their teeth.Obviously looking for a reaction.
I'm like - whatever Dady O.
There is an interesting national geographic doco on the Bahamas that features the shell fish.
It uses that sharp beak to protrude from the shell and drag itself along the grassy ocean floor.
It of course doubles as a weapon as it stabs it's prey.
An intriguing watch if you want to track it down.
The countless conch shacks lining the bridge to Paradise Island in Nassau.
Great start to a heavy night out .Ice cold Kalik and a conch salad .
As a part of the Commonwealth the Bahamas is the closest part of the motherland
to have survived the onslaught of the American Revolution. Brits escaping the mainland washed
up here. It also had a colourful history as a haven for pirates. To this day the shallow banks & treacherous
currents are a challenge. Charts are a suggestion as the shifting sands of the banks make a mockery of them
and the early morning /afternoon glare of the sun on the waters surface disguise coral reefs and pinnacles.
Eye Ball navigation is your friend around here.
A local term for these Brits is Conche Joe . Pakeha fellas with a thick broard Black accent.
Spread through out the outer Islands ; congregating in Spanish Wells.
I first encountered the term when a young black waitress told me she thought I was a Conche Joe
until I started talking .I used to gate crash a lot of the expensive resorts and use their facilities.
The only guy paying cash sticks out like dogs balls.
Atlantis - Paradise Island
It would seem the other side of the family may well have a few branches washed up here.
The local rugby field is at Winton park.Nothing in itself.Butttttttttt.
On several occasions people would walk up to me starting a conversation like they knew me
only to be quite startled when they realized I had no idea who they were.
A zone called twilight ?
Moana of course is the maori reference to the ocean .
Conkijoe Moana
You Tube - Conkijoe Moana - Bahama Mama Link
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