So, out of all the photos I could have chosen for this first step in a more advanced direction, I've chosen to encompass this post with a dead fish and a crazy girl with her tongue dangling out. Yeah that crazy girl is me.
What's with the fish? Well, I don't like fish. I mean, I love looking at fish and they're kind of cool when you try and pick them up, but to eat - not my cup of tea. I don't like the fishy taste of fish. I tried to explain that to someone once and they just didn't understand. Fish is supposed to taste like fish. Ugh. But not that icky fishy flavor.
So what's with the fish? Well, I've reached a new development in my life: I DO like fish...it just has to be fresh. Like pull him out of the water and stick him in a frying pan. I guess there's something you have to do in between, but I'll leave that to the experts. I came to this conclusion on my vacation to the Pacific.
I remember the feeling at the restaurant the first day as the waitress explained the set lunch for the day: fish, plantain, coconut rice, and lemonade. My stomach lurched a little. I don't eat fish. Well, that was the only option so I was ordering fish. It made it better know that everyone else was too. The waitress brought out the plates and I looked down at mine. I frowned and turned my head away. There on my plate was a full fish staring back at me. Yeah, in Colombia they don't bother chopping off the head or the tail. So there I have a plump little fishy with vacant glassy eyes chilling on my plate waiting to be eaten. I looked up at my companions, "I'm not certain I can do this."
To be honest, I didn't even know where to start. Is it okay to eat the skin? Are there scales on this guy? What about bones? Am I going to choke and die? How about the fins or the tail? Should I eat those too? Pop the eyes out and suck on them? You'd think that a girl with a thick linage of Great Lakes' fishers would know what to do with a fish. Not this one. That would have meant eating fish and remember, I don't like fish.
So I sat there for a few minutes, watched what everyone else was doing, and dug in. It was quite laborious. Fork on fish. Flesh in mouth. Chew. Chew. Chew. Then the flavor hit me. BAM! I was taken aback. What? Is this even fish? Yummm! Wait, I don't like fish. But, it was so good. Then you add some coconut rice and fried plantains. It was a plate to die for! I gladly continued working around bones until I had finished my very first full fish. I felt like it was such an accomplishment!
You know, It's a really good thing that I discovered that I liked fish. Guess what we had for dinner that night: fish, plantain and rice. The next day at lunch? Fish, plantain and rice. And when dinnr time came around the fish, plantain, and rice returned. For 5 lunches and 5 dinners that's what we ate: fish, plantain and rice!
Whew, I'd say this crazy girl with her tongue sticking out has had her fair share of fish for a while...and plantains and rice
No comments:
Post a Comment