When you are in a landlocked nation, it is easy to become snobby about seafood – especially if you are from a port city.
Once, I dined with a fellow immigrant to Austria (he was from Acapulco) at a seafood meal. “THIS IS NOT FISH!” we declared, a bilateral front of West Coast supremacy. “Face it, we’re just too far from the ocean.” It’s a wonder we weren’t ejected from the table. I don’t make a point of engaging in nationalist arm wrestling contests, but it’s proximity to the sea that gives you, um, seafood, you know?
Between travels and guests and dining out at places without fish on the menu, it’s been hard to maintain the Fish Wednesday groove. And it’s difficult to shop for quality fish in our supermarkets. Most of what we see is farmed fish, which I won’t buy. I have to compromise and buy frozen. It’s not the same, but today’s meal of salmon steamed in dill, mustard, and wine, roasted potatoes, and watercress salad wasn’t bad. It’s was no West Coast Fish Wednesday, but it will do.
See what I mean? Snobby.
If all goes as planned, next week’s Fish Wednesday will take place in Belgium. Belgium has an actual coast and several fish market towns, so I’ve high hope for doing it up right.
The Stranger, Seattle’s alt-weekly paper, has an article here about a like minded veggie type felled by fish. It’s a fun read even if it leaves this Seattleite pining for Spud at Alki Beach.
Yayyyyyyyyyyy, I get to eat it instead of staring longingly at the photograph thinking ‘How did she do that?’ and ‘What gene don’t I have?’
Now you’ve gone and done it. That picture is making me very hungry. Salmon’s my favorite. Why, I oughta… 😉
I hope it was delicious. Living in a New England fishing town, I sure understand seafood snobbery. I don’t like farmed fish either, and one of my besy friends, whose dad was a commercial fisherman, has a great rant about how fish farms are harmful to both the fishing industry and to fish… but I can’t remember it all right now.
Rock on, and safe travels to you.
Just correcting my blog link for you. I’m up past my bedtime. 😉