When you stay at a resort, your eating options are pretty typical (and expensive). You get hamburgers, chicken nuggets, steak. All very American food (which makes sense seeing as it’s not far from Florida and a massive source of tourism). So if you want some authentic Bahamian food, then you have to leave the protection of the resort and follow the locals. What you get is a massive expanse of restaurants, eateries, and food trucks that aren’t marketed solely for Americans—or British, or French, or whoever else has decided to spend their week in paradise. You get all sorts here, tourists and locals (mostly locals), and what you get is real food.

But this massive amount of food creates its own problem: choice. When you have that many options, the best you can do is rely on locals for suggestions. Happily, I was told exactly where to go (Drifters) and told what to get (conch salad). I don’t listen so well. I got a conch burger:

I was not disappointed.

It’s probably a good thing that I Googled “conch” after I ate, though, because a look at a mollusk would have made me less likely to enjoy the delicious meal (I am not an adventurous eater; sorry). All in all, it was pretty good, but a little too chewy for my taste. I did try the conch salad; it’s like a fresh fish salsa. I probably liked it better than the burger.

I rather enjoyed the set-up. Very paradise-y. I mean, my coaster was a large leaf. You can’t get much more paradise-y than that.

Moral of the story: Follow the locals and you’ll find something worth eating. Plus, don’t Google the food until after you’ve eaten it. Just in case.