And, if you listen to that old time superstition, then Good Friday is not the day to travel. In fact many will be at home or with their families, eating a fish meal.
Indeed, finding fish for Good Friday is a big deal in Holy Week. For Christians, fish is the meal of choice as a religious observance on the day that Christ died. But, it's gone from a purely religious custom to a deeply embedded cultural practice where everyone who can afford it: agnostic and believer, sinners and saints share the same meal. That can mean fried, baked or bar - b- qued fish, or, alternately, a good "sere." Today Sahar Vasquez went to the fish market to find out what's selling and what's cooking:...
William Hope - Fish Finder
"The fish is not bad but I think it is a bit expensive."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"How much?"
William Hope - Fish Finder
"I bought about 4 pounds and it cost almost 10$ a pound. I think that is rather expensive."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"How do you usually buy it for?"
William Hope - Fish Finder
"We'll normally, the last I paid was about $7 a pound. Now it's $10 today."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So a dramatic increase."
William Hope - Fish Finder
"It's very expensive. But like everything else we want to eat this on good Friday and I have to get the fish."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So what's the most popular catch?"
Francis Staine - Boatowner
"Snapper, we had a couple Jack's and one barracuda."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So how have the sales been? A lot of people buying?"
Francis Staine - Boatowner
"A lot a people the buy right now."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So they are buying the barracuda the snapper..."
Francis Staine - Boatowner
"Well the barracuda I get it fi miself because I use that."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"You're making good sales? Is this your best year?"
Francis Staine - Boatowner
"Well I try hard no fi gouge people so I sell at the same price- 7 and 8, so ih the go good."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"What has been the most popular catch this year for people to buy?"
Manuel - Fisherman
"Well they mostly ask for snapper, bake size and then thing deh."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And what are you selling it at, at what price?"
Manue l- Fisherman
"Well they have different prices out yah, they got fu $8 and they got fu $10.'
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So people more buy the $8?"
Manuel - Fisherman
"Right."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"What goes for $8?"
Manuel - Fisherman
"Snappers, they yah right so da fu $8, you got for $7. Yeah, we got different prices out yah so man. Different boat have different prices."
Rasheed Price - Fish Finder
"We normally look for the red tail snapper."
Sahar Vasquez- Reporter
"And what do you make with that? Rice and beans or..."
Rasheed Price - Fish Finder
"Well it depends. We have family coming from foreign so it depends on what they want to eat: fried fish, baked fish, hudut, BBQ fish, it depends."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So you are cooking for a large amount of people?"
Rasheed Price - Fish Finder
"Normally I do, yes."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So how many pounds do you buy?"
Rasheed Price - Fish Finder
"That's like 25 pounds of fish in total."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And how do you find the pricing- affordable or too much this year?"
Rasheed Price - Fish Finder
"$8 is not too bad, 'cause it's the same thing in the west and we come all the way from the west to get our fish."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"You prefer the fish here, you think it's the best?"
Rasheed Price - Fish Finder
"Yeah, it's good,"
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"Can you tell me about the fish you just bought? What kind is it?"
Clifford - Fish Finder
"Well actually I don't know. I don't know if the name of the fishes. My wife does the buying she knows exactly what it is. I just carry the bag."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So do you know what your wife is gonna cook with these fish?"
Clifford - Fish Finder
"All things she be using the rice and beans as usually, I think that's what they use for the summer."
Sahar Vasquez- Reporter
"What's the price?"
Freddy Kruger - Fisherman
"$10 a pound."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And weh kinda fish have you been catching?"
Freddy Kruger - Fisherman
"Any kind once ih big like this."
Sahar Vasque z- Reporter
"What kind is that?
Freddy Kruger - Fisherman
"This is barro. You have snapper and so, that gwen fu 12."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"What kind are you looking for?"
Joseph Nuñez - Fish Finder
"Red snapper."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And what are you going to make with this fish?"
Joseph Nuñez - Fish Finder
"Well tomorrow da good Friday, you dig, so fish with fried beans you know- da bun business. But weekend likewise and Sunday- hudut hudut."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"What do you think about the fish pricing"
Joseph Nuñez - Fish Finder
"Well you done know at this time yah so ih kinda outrageous but that's why you mek sure you mek wah couple a fisherman friend weh cu give you wah nice deal offa check."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So what kind of fish are you buying today?"
Joan Bennett - Fish Finder
"Well I buy grunt because that da the only fish I eat inna dih sea."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And what will you make with this? A hudut, rice and beans..."
Joan Bennett - Fish Finder
"I gwen mek me mi hjudut. I tiad a rice so I gwen mash some hjudut today."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"Are you making for your whole family?"
Joan Bennett - Fish Finder
"Yeah, for me and my grandchildren."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And how's the pricing to you?"
Joan Bennett - Fish Finder
"Well reasonable because wah pound a grunt da $6 and they give me fu 5 so really reasonable; I wah you snap that man picture too cause da he give me it for $5."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So you're out here to buy your fish right?"
Albert Neal - Fish Finder
"Trying to get."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"Ok, what kind of fish are you looking for?"
Albert Neal - Fish Finder
"Well snapper, barro."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So are you finding it or is it too late?"
Albert Neal - Fish Finder
"Well it seems that we got here a little bit too late. The catch just came in but we gonna see what da catch brought in because it seems it is scarce even in the waters."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So, are you going to cook with this fish?"
Albert Neal - Fish Finder
"I think we're just gonna a BBQ it."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So what kind of fish did you just buy?"
Donovan "Jewbwai"- Fish Finder
"Well I get wah couple pound a king fish."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So you're gonna cook that?"
Donovan "Jewbwai"- Fish Finder
"Yeah, tomorrow morning me a deal with them real Jamaican style."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So what? Rice and beans..."
Donovan "Jewbwai"- Fish Finder
"Yeah yeah, some rice and beans."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"How is it pricing? How you find the fish pricing?"
Donovan "Jewbwai"- Fish Finder
"Well ih aright you know cause the man weh go catch it da my friend so."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"You got a deal?"
Donovan "Jewbwai"- Fish Finder
"We play domino together so the man deal with me good."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So what kind of fish have you bought?"
Francis Robateau - Fish Finder
"Snapper."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"Ok, so you're gonna be cooking that with what tomorrow?"
Francis Robateau - Fish Finder
"Serre and beat plantain."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And how do you find the pricing this year good or..."
Francis Robateau - Fish Finder
"Well the price da like $10 a pound."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And how many pounds you bought?"
Francis Robateau - Fish Finder
"Like 5 pounds."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"So you ready fu eat up the fish?"
Francis Robateau - Fish Finder
"Yeah, but I come way from Esperanza village."
Jamal - Fisherboy
"I go dive da Half Moon Caye or Turneffe."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And how much you mi catch this year?"
Jamal - Fisherboy
"Lot."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"This da want barracuda? So what else you caught?"
Jama l- Fisherboy
"I caught 6 snapper. I caught deh dangerous corrals, and red snapper and black snappers and turbits."
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"Keh kinda is this?"
Jama l- Fisherboy
"Tuna"
Sahar Vasquez - Reporter
"And you catch this?"
Jamal - Fisherboy
"Yes ma'am."
Some we spoke to earlier in the week complained of prices as high as 14 dollars a pound, but we didn't find that today.
