Seeing that today is
Earth Day, I decided to share with you a story that, I hope, will make you stop and think. We often take for granted everything handed to us by Mother Nature that we rarely actually think about what we are eating. I hope this story will stick with you as it did with me.
Several days ago I had a chance to
sail the Central Adriatic with a young
couple from Norway. I was very keen to sail out after certain period of ‘sailing inactivity’ caused by winter and I was happy to have a chance to spend some time in Dalmatia
before top tourist season.
The advantage of sailing at the
beginning of April is
fair weather and endless calmness of island villages, but at the same time, this calmness turns into disadvantage. Most of island villages seem to be abandoned since only few people could be met on the waterfront, restaurants and bars are mostly closed and there is not much life going on. However, those few
bar and restaurant owners are
extra cheerful and
welcoming in this period of year so something unexpected and unusual could happen.
That was the case when I moored our Bavaria 44 at ACI marina Milna at the island Brač. I went to
the first restaurant next to the marina in order to check out what is going on there. The restaurant was not officially open because the staff was busy with preparation works on infrastructure after winter break.
Cheerful owner didn't want to lose the opportunity to welcome his first guests so he offered something really unexpected –
freshly caught swordfish! When he saw disbelief in my eyes he showed me the way to giant refrigerator where magnificent swordfish weighing
54 kg was waiting its destiny. I rushed back to our yacht and explained to my guests the offer and we all agreed about the dinner for that night.
Swordfish steaks grilled on fresh pinewood were
amazing and absolutely
nothing to be compared with. The price also was nothing to be compared with but we also agreed that it is an unusual offer and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Few days after I said goodbye to my new Norwegian friends that swordfish came into my mind again. My doubts were about
how correct is it to eat swordfish which I thought is pretty
rare in the Adriatic. I made a little poll among friends who are more into fishing and regulations and they explained to me that
it was OK to have swordfish steaks for dinner.
Swordfish and tuna are among the most valued trophies at
big game fishing competitions at the Adriatic, but still,
the catch is mostly brought back to the sea on such competitions.
I went back to Milna again in my mind and remembered the owner of the restaurant explaining to me that the swordfish was
caught into the nets of fishermen who were chasing
sardines and there was no other option but to take poor fish to the restaurant. “We saved her from miserable life in the can by providing her glorious death on grill” he said laughing at his own joke…
My friends convinced me that
my conscience can be clear because I did not kill that magnificent animal and if I did not take that dinner, someone else would. OK, I can live with those facts but would certainly
think twice next time when someone enthusiastically offers me something unusual.
My Norwegian friends and I were also happy the other days when we cooked our own dinner aboard and spent nice evening without conscientious objection of any kind…
I wish you a calm sea, a fine wind and a strong mast!
