I sat across from my friend and watched her sink her teeth into an ahi sandwich. It was prepared perfectly. .lightly seared, a beautiful shade of pink, at least 4 cm thick. It was drizzled with plum glaze, accented with spring greens and provolone, and nestled perfectly between two slices of toasted ciabatta. My mouth watered. "How is it?' I asked casually. She couldn't respond with actual words. She merely groaned with pleasure, eyes closed, clearly having her own personal reception for the perfect marriage of flavors. I dropped my gaze to the portobello sandwich on my plate. No comparison. With a sigh I took a bite. Meaty and satisfying. Too much balsamic. I really wanted the ahi sandwich. But once again, my stupid ideologies stood between my taste buds and the pleasure they desired.
The issue of seafood, has become almost too convoluted to follow. Do we avoid farm raised fish because aquaculture has an enormous environmental impact? Or do we avoid wild caught fish because commercial fishing has an enormous environmental impact? Until recently I was extremely careful not to support aquaculture. In restaurants, large predatory fish like halibut and tuna were always safe bets. In stores if it didn't say 'wild caught' I kept walking. But I have determined that in choosing the lesser of these two evils, there isn't a lesser candidate. I recently heard an interview with renowned oceanographer, Sylvia Earle. She offered a comparison of the ocean at the beginning of her career and the ocean of today. The reality is. . .there is no comparison. The ocean can't afford to give us any more fish. If we take it anyway (which we humans will -take, take, take) the impacts on the ocean ecosystem will be immense and irreversible. Consequently, the ocean affects the ecosystem of the whole planet. I had never given the ocean a great deal of thought (being an inlander and all), but I know that when one species is removed from any ecosystem, every other part of that ecosystem suffers. In this case everything from sharks to microscopic organisms that filter the ocean water will feel the impact. I'm running out of things to eat. perhaps ignorance is, in fact, bliss. To link to the Sylvia Earle interview click the title "The Seafood Conundrum."
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Seafood Cunundrum
I sat across from my friend and watched her sink her teeth into an ahi sandwich. It was prepared perfectly. .lightly seared, a beautiful shade of pink, at least 4 cm thick. It was drizzled with plum glaze, accented with spring greens and provolone, and nestled perfectly between two slices of toasted ciabatta. My mouth watered. "How is it?' I asked casually. She couldn't respond with actual words. She merely groaned with pleasure, eyes closed, clearly having her own personal reception for the perfect marriage of flavors. I dropped my gaze to the portobello sandwich on my plate. No comparison. With a sigh I took a bite. Meaty and satisfying. Too much balsamic. I really wanted the ahi sandwich. But once again, my stupid ideologies stood between my taste buds and the pleasure they desired.
The issue of seafood, has become almost too convoluted to follow. Do we avoid farm raised fish because aquaculture has an enormous environmental impact? Or do we avoid wild caught fish because commercial fishing has an enormous environmental impact? Until recently I was extremely careful not to support aquaculture. In restaurants, large predatory fish like halibut and tuna were always safe bets. In stores if it didn't say 'wild caught' I kept walking. But I have determined that in choosing the lesser of these two evils, there isn't a lesser candidate. I recently heard an interview with renowned oceanographer, Sylvia Earle. She offered a comparison of the ocean at the beginning of her career and the ocean of today. The reality is. . .there is no comparison. The ocean can't afford to give us any more fish. If we take it anyway (which we humans will -take, take, take) the impacts on the ocean ecosystem will be immense and irreversible. Consequently, the ocean affects the ecosystem of the whole planet. I had never given the ocean a great deal of thought (being an inlander and all), but I know that when one species is removed from any ecosystem, every other part of that ecosystem suffers. In this case everything from sharks to microscopic organisms that filter the ocean water will feel the impact. I'm running out of things to eat. perhaps ignorance is, in fact, bliss. To link to the Sylvia Earle interview click the title "The Seafood Conundrum."
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