Exhuming the Cavs

Wandering through Fabled Islands

Written and Photographed by Cesar Cruz

(page 1 of 9)

If not for the heavy coat of tartar sauce, I am sure I would have choked to death on the grouper fish fingers I was eating, and Silvana Rahming would have been responsible.

“Ladies do not climb trees because it makes the fruit go sour,” she repeated. It was an old Bahamian saying that occurred to her while we sat on the outdoor patio of Wahoo’s Waterfront Restaurant. A few feet away in the harbor was a 110-foot yacht with a Cayman Islands flag on its starboard side. The menacing size of the vessel dwarfed the outdoor bar and its four lonely red vinyl stools that craved attention. I looked forward to my first Bahamian Cracked Conch; tender conch meat, breaded and deep fried to a golden brown. My hosts, Silvana the jokester and Rhonda Ingraham were of the 25% of Exuma’s population whose names were not Rolle. In that district of the Bahamas, it seems just about everyone bears the name of Lord John Rolle, an American loyalist who fled from the Revolutionary War in 1783. When Rolle passed away in 1835, his land was bequeathed to his slaves, who helped established his eternal Exumian legacy. Hence, the towns Rolleville and Rolletown.

Exuma embodies 365 islands which in reality are an agglomeration of cays, or low islands. Great Exuma is the largest island, measuring 37 miles in length and apparently creating a challenge for the authorities to monitor. “[Exuma] can get anywhere from 200 to 500 boats a night of illegal Haitian immigrants,” said Rhonda as the entrées were served. She explained that one of the many reasons immigrants arrive daily is to take advantage of the government’s healthcare system. There are two clinics in Exuma, and at $10 a visit, anyone can understand why they would risk the journey. Haiti’s healthcare system only reaches 60% of its 8.5 million residents according to the Pan American Health Organization. Once in Exuma, some decide to become squatters, creating shanty town pockets in various locations. “Older Exumians do not like the progress, but the younger generations see the benefit,” said Rhonda while I tasted the freshest seafood I’ve ever had in my entire life. “They probably just caught it an hour ago,” Silvana said. As we raved on about how fresh every entrée was, Sherlandra, a former Burger King employee, enlightened us on food preparation back in the States. “First they put the patty on the grill to give it the grill marks. If it didn’t cook all the way, they steam the patty and if it’s still not ready, it will go in the microwave!” Next she spoke of McDonald’s. “You know when you drop a McDonald’s fry in your car and you find it months later? Ever notice it’s still yellow, maybe a tiny bit of green? That’s because they use embalming fluid in their food!” Needless to say, I was glad to be eating fresh food.