Eating fish on Good Friday, it is both a religious observance and a cultural practice. And so, invariably, on the so called “Holy-Thursday” – the city’s leading fish market is over-run with Good Friday fish finders. For Belize City residents, it is a gorgeous bustling milieu of complaining about high prices, hustling for lower prices, and trying to get the freshest, tastiest, choicest cut of fish for a Friday feast. And it’s a scene Keith Swift has been looking forward to all week. Here’s his story from the Conch Shell Bay Fish Market.
Keith SwiftReporting,
The scene this afternoon at the Vernon Street Fish Market can be described in one word - chaotic. The hot commodity was fish for Good Friday – preferably a red snapper like this one. And at $8 to $10 a pound - everybody who wanted it couldn’t get or afford it.
Woman #1: These fish are kind of small right now, they are really small and the price they are asking…I don’t think it is valued the fish at all…since this morning I have been back and forth.
Man #1: I am looking for a fish. You know Good Friday everybody normally eat their fish so I am trying to pick up a fish or two right now…right now some small ones are on the scene so I might need to hang out a little longer to see if any bigger ones will come by.
Woman #2: I am not happy because the fish are expensive and there are only small ones and I am tired of small fish. I want one big fish for today. Yesterday I bought some small little ones but I am satisfied with that now.
Woman #3: I don’t live in Belize I just want fish fish fish, not only on Good Friday but it is a thing that we normally have on Good Friday…this is my first time at the fish market…I don’t know, it is kind of confusing but I am with him so I am alright.
Woman #4: This guy says it is $8 a pound. That is kind of high but somebody mentioned just now if they had said $10 people would buy. I guess that is the price you pay for waiting for the last minute. But we got to eat fish no matter what.
Man #2: We are poor Belizeans and we don’t need to eat those kind of fish because we know the man went through a lot to catch his fish but we don’t need no $8 fish…expected at least a $4 a pound. We could appreciate that.
Woman #5: I don’t any of their dear fish. Yesterday I bought a barrow and I will eat that. I am a caye woman and I ketch the fish just like them so I am not buying those for $9 a pound. They are crazy or something is wrong with their nerves.
But the fishermen say they aren’t to blame.
Fisherman #1: This year we have barracuda and cabillo. Last year we had jew fish but as you notice all the fish done so this year it
is like what you call rough season.
KS: What do you call reasonable price?
Fisherman #1: Reasonable price is like $8 a pound for the barracuda already cleaned and everything.
Fisherman #2: I have barrow, I have shark fillet, anything you want you pick and you get…due to the weather, due to the rain due to the breeze so if you don’t get your fish now you won’t get it again later.
And most agree that it isn’t the size or type that matters – it is the fish.
Woman #2: That is the important day and that is a tradition we have been doing from many years so we already used to our fish.
KS: So you won’t leave without fish, even though…
Woman #2: I will take my fish, I will take one big fish when I leave from which will cost at least a $12.
KS: How will you cook it tomorrow?
Woman #2: Tomorrow I will cook stew beans with fry fish and the ripe plantain right on top of it. That is it right there. You can’t go wrong and you have your bread, you have your little bun on the side there and your little juice, you don’t want nothing more than that so I am waiting on my fish right now.
Woman #4: I have eaten fish from since I can last remember, growing up and I guess it is just tradition so it is very important to keep the tradition going so I am going to have my fish tomorrow. Even if I have to wait here another or so, don’t worry.
And that gives hope that crab -or even these hog fish and yellow tail which will end up on a dinner table tomorrow.
