Chance encounter with a local

 

Colourful fishing sheds at Chapel Arm

A short two-kilometre drive from the TCA (that’s what the Trans Canada Highway is called in Newfoundland) is the town of Chapel Arm. Most likely named by Captain James Cook sometime between 1765 and 1772 while surveying the coastal waters of Trinity Bay, the community is small, but has all the conveniences a resident would need - two churches, a post office, and a hardware store. Oh, and a lovely harbour and government dock for the fishing boats.

Traditional way of making salted cod

We stopped in Chapel Arm for the night, choosing to stay at the government dock parking lot (that is allowed unless otherwise posted) with it’s lovely view of the bay. We no sooner parked and were out of the RV checking out our new surroundings when a car drove up and an older fellow jumped out.

We began chatting with him - Pat was his name - and from what we could understand (I don’t think we’ll ever catch on to the Newfie dialect) he asked us, “Have you ever tried fresh cod?” When we responded that the only cod we’ve ever had was deep fried and from a restaurant, Pat responded with, “Well, I bes’ be gettin’ ye some, then.” He walked down the dock to his little fishing boat, untied the lines and was off.

We settled into our boondocking spot, and just poured a bevvie when we noted Pat coming back with a large bucket in hand. He’d only been gone for about 45 minutes, and he’d already caught, cleaned, and filleted five cod!

“How many ye want?” he asked.

“Oh, they’re pretty big,” I replied. “Just one should do.”

“Well, if yer only takin’ one, t’was hardly wort’ my while goin’ out, b’ye!”

“Well, how about two then.”

Mmmm, fresh cod fillets!

We offered him money for the fish, but Pat refused. So we offered him a beer, and he replied, “I quit that stuff years ago. Had to. Only way to keep me out of jail.”

Thirty minutes later, the steak we had planned was back in the fridge and we were feasting on freshly caught pan-fried cod with corn on the cob, wild rice pilaf, and cranberry sourdough loaf.

That was one of the best pieces of cod I’ve ever tasted, and one of the most memorable meals on this trip so far.

Oh, and did I mention it was our anniversary? We didn’t tell Pat, but he made our special day truly special.

Dinner is ready!