Countryman

In the early seventies when the new road to Hellshire (just 20 minutes from Kingston, Jamaica) had been built, a few of us found our way to a small Indian fishing community on the beach and made friends with a charismatic young fisherman called ‘Countryman’ and his family. This was the first time I ever knew intimately the simple lifestyle of fishing folk and I came to adore my frequent visits.

We would watch him haul in the latest catch of colourful parrotfish, doctor fish and snapper. Quickly gutting a few and rinsing them in seawater. ‘Mummy’ would take over and deftly season and fry them in a ‘wok’ sitting over a fire, burning right there on the beach.