Order Fish at a Restaurant

This adventure may sound like an odd one. But when you’re not a fan of eating fish – in any capacity – the thought of ordering it at a restaurant is completely unappealing.

I’ve never enjoyed fish, even though I’ve tried it numerous times, in all sorts of capacities. I had friends and boyfriends that would make me taste what they had ordered. Or, I would be at a work-related event and I would eat it so as not to appear rude.

For example, during my travels to Honduras for my job, I frequently visited a remote island fishing village of Garifuna people, which included lunch. There was no option in what you’d be served, but it was obvious what we’d eat considering we were at a fishing village. Served to me was a plate of coconut rice & beans, fried plantains and…whole fish. I mean, with the eye staring up at me and everything. I bit my tongue from speaking any objection. After all, the woman serving me and her family had just spent an awful lot of time preparing this meal. Despite the fact that we were served a mild fish, this particular taste test still did not make me want to order fish on my own accord.

An example of my lunch at a Garifuna fishing village in Honduras… when I didn't choose to eat fish.

Flash forward to 2011. On my recent visit to Barbados, we ate dinner at a beachfront restaurant. The menu selections were somewhat limited. No chicken, but there was pork. Also on the menu was grilled snapper. I could have taken the easy route and ordered the pork. That would have been exactly the sort of thing I would typically do. But instead, I decided to order the snapper.

Was it awful? No. In fact, the sauce on it was pretty good and really helped me forget about the fish aspect of the entrée. It wasn’t the best meal I’ve ever had, but it was by no means the worst. Going with a mild fish like snapper is definitely the route I should take.

Will I continue ordering fish in the future? Maybe every once in awhile. Especially when the chef’s recipe looks particularly appealing.

What’s your favorite fish entrée when dining out?