We are back in Marsh Harbor for Don and Sue to catch their plane back to Ohio on Weds the 10th, but the adventure for them is not over yet. Anyone who has ever tasted conch either in conch fritters or cracked conch sandwiches or conch salad, can say that conch is interesting and flavorful with the right ingredients. I like conch but I wouldn't say I loved conch. But one thing for sure, it is very plentiful in the Bahamas. In fact, a cracked conch sandwich costs less in a restaurant than a not-so-good hamburger. The point of all of this is we took Don and Sue to a place called Conchy Joe's in Marsh Harbor for lunch on their last full day here. The place juts out into the water and is surrounded by piers that have been destroyed by recent hurricanes. At first glance, the place looks like a dump. In fact, it is a dump, BUT, a very good dump. The bar is designed like the bow of a boat. It goes from the pointy end to the beam which is about 15 feet wide. You sit on either the port side or the starboard side. We sat at the pointy end so the four of us could face each other. When we sat down, the bartender asked us what we wanted to drink. I said we would like to get some lunch. He said okay, what do you want? We said what do you have? And he said, conch. We asked for a menu which he had to go look for. When we finally placed our orders, Peg and I had cracked conch sandwiches and a conch salad. Don and Sue had mahi mahi sandwiches and a conch salad. The bartender recommended High Rock beer which was the local version of Heineken but more potent. We ordered too many.
The bartender then went to the ladder used to go down to the boats on the docks that are no longer there. We thought where is he going? He reached down and pulled up a rope that was tied to one of the piers. On the other end were about six, big conch. He proceeded to pull the meat out of three of them and dispose of the yucky stuff. By the way, it all looked like yucky stuff. He handed me a piece and said, eat this. Excuse me? What is this? Is this the pee pee? No, he said. Even the Bahamians won't eat the penis of a conch. I was relieved and ate the piece he gave me. It actually had a slightly citrus taste to it and was slightly crunchy. He told us that it was the part they put in the salad - raw. It is seasoned with lime juice and is quite delicious.
So he brings the meat he harvested from the fresh conch, back to the kitchen for preparation. The next thing we hear is a tremendous amount of pounding and banging. I wasn't sure if they were building an addition onto the place or tenderizing our meals. At that point, I asked the bartender if he was Conchy Joe. He smiled a huge smile and a young Bahamian woman who was sitting at the bar started laughing. What's so funny? Did I say something dumb? He said his name was Marquis and the woman was his sister Maxine. There is no one named Conchy Joe. It is what you are. What?, I said. He then showed me his hand. On one side it was very black, on the other side it was very white. He explained that black Bahamians who have white relatives in their families have very dark skin on one side and light skin on the other and are called Conchy Joes. Check out the picture at the top of the post. That's me. OMG! I'm a Conchy Joe.
Oh yes, our meals were fantastic.
They play a game on Saturday night. Someone spins the ships wheel and where it stops either the house buys everyone a shot, or the starboard side of the bar buys the port side of the bar a shot or a bunch of other options that are designed to get you to eat the penis of the conch. Can't wait to return. Check out the photo gallery for some great conch photos.