The remains of my fish dinner…I didn’t think to take a photo before eating, probably because I was worried about how to eat it.
One of my earliest memories is of adults in a tizzy because one of them swallowed a fish bone. I think it was one of those very small, pliable bones that’s hard to see. I think the bone became stuck in someone’s throat. I say, “I think,” because this memory is from when I was about 4, thus approximately 50 years ago. Maybe it was this experience that resulted in our eating very little fish as I grew up. As an adult I discovered that fish is good…yummy good. But I always ate it in the form of fillet, or sushi, thus no bones. That all changed when I ordered a fish dinner while in Marseille recently. The menu was all in French so I wasn’t completely sure what I was ordering and was thus surprised to receive a fish, rather than a fillet. Once I carefully removed all those little bones from my mouth (first bite), I figured out what I was doing and enjoyed this meal. In retrospect it was one of the best meals that I had while in Europe. As I remember this, I find it interesting that childhood memories can powerfully hold us back. What childhood memories affect you today?
Today I’m personally thankful for: good food; beautiful spring days; living in California.