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Photo by: Zach Stovall

Finger-Lickin' Good

I’m addicted to fast food – well, Caribbean fast food, at any rate. You won’t catch me within a mile of a burger joint or a greasy spoon at home, but put me on an island and I just can’t get enough. I’ve feasted at roadside stalls and takeout counters and beach barbecues. I’ve devoured every last mouthwatering morsel and gone back for seconds and thirds. I can’t help myself.

The Caribbean has no shortage of fine-dining establishments, and though there’s a certain joy in lingering over a procession of exquisitely presented dishes, there are real advantages as a travel writer and photographer to grabbing some food on the fly. When I’m shooting photos of St. Martin’s colorful outdoor market in Marigot, for example, I grab a plate of chicken or mutton from one of the stalls, knock back a coconut water or soursop juice from the Coconut Man’s stand and keep on truckin’ instead of risking missing the perfect shot while I loiter in some splendid eatery.

Eating on the run also means that I can dine wherever and however I please. On my way to Les Salines, one of the prettiest golden-sand beaches on the isle of Martinique, I pull off the road to a stand laden with boucané chicken lusciously spit-roasted on sugar-cane rotisseries. Vendors’ tables groan under a bonanza of local delicacies, from fish tarts and green banana gratin to coconut cookies and blancmange, and for a mere $12, I enjoy quite a spread while wearing my swim trunks and watching the waves roll in.