The Legendary Chicken Rita’s of Barbados
I’m currently having a wee break at a nice apartment down at the Silversands area of Barbados. By chance I came across what I would describe as a typical looking down to earth rum shop called Chicken Rita’s. I suppose the name gives the game away that that chicken is their speciality.
Because Chicken Rita’s was within walking distance from my accommodation, it meant I could leave the car and have a few drinks along with my food, which is probably the main reason we chose to eat there.
Deciding what to have to eat at Chicken Rita’s isn’t too difficult as long as you want to eat chicken, because that’s all they do! You can have breast, yes please and make them big, legs or thighs, which you can have along with homemade chips or rice.
What can I say about Chicken Rita’s a little unassuming rum shop, is that they do extremely good fried chicken, it was very tasty and fresh. The chips were homemade and looked just like my mum would have made them when I was a wee kid back home in Scotland, but Chicken Rita’s chips weren’t the best I have tasted, they maybe looked like my mums, but they were a poor imitation, they were cold and a bit soggy. I would also like to add that the Banks beer was chilled to utter perfection and tasted too good!
Overall I would personally say that Chicken Rita’s is well worth paying a visit if you are ever in the mood for some rather tasty fried chicken in a fairly laid back rum shop. Also don’t feed the cats until you are finished eating or you will never get rid of them and there was 7 of them hovering around the night I was there.
There was also some delicious looking rum cake and chocolate cake in a cabinet on the bar, which I was sorely tempted to try, but alas I was stuffed from the Chicken and chips. There will however be a next time when I visit Chicken Rita’s.
The Total bill for 2 servings of chicken breast and chips, along with 6 bottles of banks, (it was thirsty work!) a quarter bottle of rum and 3 bottles of soft drinks came to around $65.00BDS, I would call that very reasonable indeed.
Chicken Rita’s Rating:
Fried Chicken: 7 out of 10
Homemade chips: 4 out of 10
Banks Beer: 8 out of 10
Directions:
Head along the south coast main road towards the airport until you get to Oistins. At the fork in the road, turn right heading towards Silver Sands, continue up this road until you come to an oval shaped roundabout. Turn right and follow the road until you come to St. Christopher’s Church. Turn right and follow the road for about half a mile then take the next turn on your left. At the end of this road you will see Chicken Rita’s right in front of you.
Independence Day In Barbados
Today is what is known as Independence Day in Barbados, the 30th of November 1966 was the day in history when this Caribbean Island ceased to be a British Colony. The first British settlement in Barbados happened way back in 1627 and it took 339 years before they gave up ultimate control.
As a Scotsman living in Barbados I can see why they were so reluctant to give this island up. I suppose it is much like my country Scotland and why the British Government is fighting tooth and nail to keep the United Kingdom together. Like Barbados our day will eventually come and we will be celebrating our Scottish Independence.
Living in Barbados and seeing the immense pride that the citizens feel towards Barbados Independence Day, should provide every Scotsman, woman and child with believe and hope that our day will come soon. Independence in Barbados was achieved without blood shed and fighting, it was achieved through diplomacy and that is an indication of the type of people that live on this extremely beautiful Caribbean Island.
Never Forget those That Fought and Died for Freedom and Liberty
As most of us are aware yesterday was November 11, which was of course remembrance day that is of course a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and civilians in times of war. I decided not to publish an article primarily for the reason that I knew there would thousands of articles written better on the subject than I ever could.
But today I feel compelled to voice my humble opinion over some comments I read on a Barbados based blog last night. The person whom I will refer to as The Idiot, wrote that they would never personally wear or allow their children to wear a poppy because no black person was knighted because of their war deeds during the first or second World Wars. I personally don’t know if that is true or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Just like I could hazard a guess and say that there were probably no poor or working class white people knighted because of their war heroics.
That is just the way the British elite do things, they don’t give a dam about anything apart their own kind. We can almost be certain that any of the upper classes and high ranking officers that were knighted because of the war, were hiding miles away from the real action, as the poor and working classes, whether they were black, white or Indian were getting massacred. So does that mean that we shouldn’t pay our respects to those that did die.
So I say to you The Idiot, show some respect for all those of all races that fought and died so that the likes of you and me can have our freedom, or even be alive, because I certianly don’t fit the bill of the Master Ayrian race that Hitler and his Nazi party had planned for the world, and The Idiot I dont think you do either!
Today The Barbados Blog is featuring a beautiful song, which mourns the futility of war and is called, “The Green Fields of France” which was written in 1976 by a Scottish born singer-songwriter Eric Bogle, reflecting on the grave of a young man who died during World War I. This version of, “The Green Fields of France”, is performed by the Legendary Scottish folk group The Corries.
Sanctuary From the Mayhem of Bridgetown In Barbados
During my adventures in Bridgetown yesterday morning, when I was walking towards the Post Office to collect a parcel I came across a great refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life. This refuge was St Mary’s Church, which was a great place to escape the noise and craziness of the city centre.
It amazed me how quiet and calm it was inside this beautiful church, as soon I stepped inside it was like entering an entirely different world, because I couldn’t hear any of the outside noise caused by the traffic and people going about their daily business.
St Mary’s is a wonderful place to have a wee look around and sit down and take time out and relax from life, whether you are a religious person or not. It sure was a refreshing wee break and it was a welcome opportunity to get to spend some time in such a beautiful and historic building.
As I have stated on many occasions I love wandering around Bridgetown, Bridgetown Delights For The Wandering Scotsman and another of my trips to the Capital, Lost In the Capital City of Barbados, It Wasn’t So Bad.
Historic Gun Hill Signal Station In Barbados
I had the pleasure of visiting Gun Hill Signal Station during the week and even though it looked like the downpour would never stop, I still had a good time visiting one of the most historic buildings in Barbados.
Gun Hill Signal Station is located in the Parish of St George in Barbados and was built in 1818 after the slave rebellion. It is one of a series of signal station dotted around the island, which were built for the purpose of watching for approaching ships, hurricanes and to warn of slave rebellions on the island.
You get a real sense of history when you wander around the signal station, the surrounding gardens and from the historic artefacts that are on display. I however personally wish there were more military memorabilia, more written information and some more photographs, which I feel would enhance the attraction even more.
The views around the island from the top of Gun Hill Signal Station are some of the best, which you will on the whole island. It currently costs $10 BDS to visit the signal station, which I would say represents fairly good value for money. All in all I would say it is worth paying Gun Hill a wee visit, and even though it isn’t the greatest historic site you will ever have visited, it is still gives you an insight into the history of Barbados.
I took an amazing picture of the rainstorm form the top of the Gun Hill Signal Station Tower, which can be viewed at the Barbados Photo Blog.
Fusilier Road In Barbados Courtesy Of The Scottish
I had a trip to Gun Hill Signal Station yesterday, which is located in the St George in Barbados and it wasn’t too bad a wee trip. I love visiting historic places and looking around them, I find it a great insight into the past.
The picture above is the road leading up to Gun Hill Signal Station and it is called Fusilier Road in Honour of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the 21st regiment, who built the road during their stay at Gun Hill from September 1862 until February 1863.
I kind of felt back home as I walked along this road built by Scotsman with the rain lashing down on me, it was like a rainy day back in Scotland. I must admit I enjoyed the walk in the rain, it was a cooling respite from the sun.
20 Interesting Facts About Barbados That You Should Know!
I have put together a list of what I feel are interesting facts about the Caribbean Island of Barbados. Now that I’m living on the Island I’m making a real effort to learn as much as I can about my new home. I feel that it is my duty as a guest in Barbados to become more aware of what the island is all about.
20 Interesting Facts About Barbados:
- Barbados has a democratic government and its parliament comprises of 30 seats. Its parliament is actually modelled on the British Westminster system.
- The English first colonists arrived on the Island on February 17, 1627. The ship landed at site now called Holetown with 80 colonists and 10 African slaves.
- Britain ruled over Barbados until it gained its independence on the 30th of November 1966.
- The first Prime Minister of Barbados was Errol Barrow on the above date.
- The Motto of Barbados is “Pride and Industry”.
- The National Anthem is “In Plenty and In Time of Need.
- The national flower is the Pride of Barbados or Caesalpinia Pulcherrima, which grows all over the island.
- The prime mister is David Thomson and the current ruling party is the Democratic Labour party who came in to power on January 15th 2008 after winning 20 of the 30 seats.
- Barbados is 166 square miles in size and is divided into 11 different parishes.
- Barbados has over 3000 hours of sunshine a year and the average daytime temperature is between 29-31degrees Celsius.
- Currency The Barbados Dollar is tied to the US Dollar at a fixed rate of US$1.00 = BDS$1.98. The US Dollar is readily accepted everywhere on the island.
- The time difference in Barbados is 4 hours behind GMT in the winter and 5 hours in the summer, 1 hour ahead of US Eastern Standard Time in the winter and the same during US Daylight Saving Time.
- Barbados is situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, which is situated in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
- Barbados is only 434 Kilometres northeast of the South American country of Venezuela. Its closest neighbours are Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the west, Grenada to the south-west and Trinidad and Tobago to the south.
- Barbados is the most easterly island in the Caribbean and is considered part of the Lesser Antilles.
- They drive on the correct side of the road in Barbados, which is of course the left side of the road.
- Taxi fares in Barbados are not metered; fares are actually set between certain points. It goes without saying to always ask how much before you get into a taxi.
- One of the first signatures on the original United States constitution was a Barbadian as was the printer of the document.
- The legal drinking age for alcohol in Barbados is 18, but those that are aged 10-17 are allowed to consume alcohol provided they are with a parent.
- Barbados is seemingly one of the most densely populated countries in the world; It sure doesn’t feel that way! It is also seemingly has one of the most dense road networks in the world, I can believe this one!
There you have it 20 interesting snippets of information that I have learned about the Caribbean island of Barbados.
Historic Chattel Houses of Barbados, A Very Real Part of Paradise
Ever since my first visit to Barbados in 2005 I have found those wooden houses that I would occasionally see dotted around the Island an interesting sight. You would see them in various conditions, some would be in a total state of disrepair, others were well maintained and looked in fine condition. What amazed me the most would be when I come across a real run down wooden house next door to a what is very obviously a expensive house worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. These wooden houses in Barbados are of course called Chattel Houses, Chattel is Bajan slang for small wooden house.
The Chattel house was originally designed by the early plantation workers. What I find truly amazing is that the Chattel House is actually a mobile house, which can be quite easily dismantled and taken apart and rebuilt on another location. The word chattel actually means moveable property so the name is highly appropriate.
There was a very good reason for the original design of the Chattel House by the plantation workers. Because they didn’t own the land that their houses sat on, and the fact that the plantation workers could be sacked without much notice and then ordered off the land. It made good economic sense to have a house that was moveable.
The original Chattel House was built to a certain design standard, the house is set on concrete blocks as opposed to being set on a proper and more permanent foundation, as I said earlier the house was built from wood, the roof is made of corrugated iron, and they also have steep gable roofs, which are ideal for lessening the impact of hurricanes. The roofs angle is seemingly good for deflecting the wind, instead of lifting it off. For windows the old Chattel Houses had shutter-like jalousies that could be opened and closed when required . Nowadays most of them have been upgraded to glass windows. Another great aspect of the Chattel House is that it is relatively easy to add another room as and when the owners needs change.
I personally feel that Chattel Houses are unique and important part of the history of Barbados. Every time I pass one I cant help but look at it, no matter what condition the house is in. I would like to see more done to perhaps renovate some of the more dilapidated ones that I see scattered all over Barbados.
There is a beautiful example of a Chattel House just 5 minutes walk from where I live, it has very obviously being well looked after and is still lived in. The owners have a coconut tree, breadfruit tree, lime tree and banana tree in their smallish back garden; it looks like a good house to live in. That house is the picture at the top of the article.
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Bridgetown, Barbados
Bridgetown, BARBADOS
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