Today went by quick. We went to Costco. There were other activities, sure, but Costco looms over it all. I wonder why. Every time I go to Costco, I have to think to myself if it is worth the membership fee. If you have pets or kids, it is. If you have a Costco that sells gas, it absolutely is. I have to do a quick calculation in my mind, nonetheless. It is how I validate my choice that day. And today I add to that list fish and shrimp. Frozen shrimp is priced very reasonably there!
I had pizza for lunch today. It was the first time I chose to eat in line with my pescetarian choices for pizza. It feels like cheating? Because veggie pizza is great. It does not feel like I am limiting myself. But it did accomplish my goal of me looking at other food choices. Forcing me to go beyond my defaults.
I decided to become pescetarian for the year. I don’t know that I would give it a title such as “new years resolution “. It isn’t. I would say it is akin to a theme. It is not set in stone, but I have roughly broken out the seafood I will introduce throughout the year.
- Easy fish (Tilapia, Tuna, Cod, and Salmon) and shrimp
- Medium fish (Swordfish, anchovies, sardines ) and crayfish
- Mussels, oysters, clams, and other sea boggins
- Squid, Octopus, cuttlefish and other Cephalopoda
Why? Curiosity. I have never had a palate for seafood. I can tolerate shrimp in small quantities. I enjoy sushi rolls and sashimi, but dislike cooked fish. It is likely due to my childhood. Growing up in a land locked country, fish was not a dietary staple (unless you lived by the river). There have been two instances of having had fish in my childhood. In one of them I choked on a bone. Up until recently, I was not keen on the idea of retrying it.
It would be great to give a socially accepted answer re: ethics, or environmental concerns...but that was not the primary driver. Those could be benefits of this change, sure. But I saw that there was a huge portion of culinary history and culture I was unable to partake in. And why? Because of a lack of exposure as a kid? Because of one bad experience? I could not stomach that reason. If I decide to not eat seafood, it should be of a conscious decision. Not because my palate did not develop that way. Right?
What changed? I cannot say. It could be that my continued revisiting of my past via therapy and adapting the change mentality influenced this decision. It was easy to think that my choices were solidified. Statements such as “I have never liked this” and “I have always liked this” used to be more common. But as I took part in more of my wife’s culinary history, I recognized that there were dishes that initially felt off-putting , but I grew to enjoy.
Why would seafood be an exception? Once I thought that, I got excited. They are among the oldest in our culinary history, after all. And much of it remains a mystery to me.
I do not know what exists out there! There are ways of cooking I have never fathomed. Dishes and ingredients I have previously avoided without once trying them. Heck, I don’t know the first thing about preparing fish, and I still get queasy about deveining shrimp! But it is exciting to learn.
I do not know how fish cooks when fried, pan fried, sautéed, grilled. The same with mollusks and other sea critters. It is an exhilarating feeling.
What’s more, this forces me to adapt a beginner’s mentality. I need to learn. It forces me to experiment and adapt. But paramount, it forces me to be aware of the experience. By way of me making it a “Year of pescetarianism”, I have taken an everyday dining experience and turned it into a novel thing. Something to look forward to each night. Something different.
I can’t say whether it will be a good different or a bad different. But it will be different. This reminds me of something Matt Cutts said in his decade old talk on Ted-ed on 30 day challenges
Instead of the months flying by forgotten the time was much more memorable
He was talking about 30 day challenges, and this is longer. I think the principle holds. Regardless of the outcome, these experiences will be memorable.
And if all I get out of this year is learning how to make a bangin’ har gow, it will have been worth it.