Story On Demand
A couple weeks ago I went out with a friend to this little Korean hof and ordered a pitcher of beer. As is the custom here they asked that we also get some food. Between the two of us we might be able to sound out the Korean alphabet in under a half hour so we figured the point and pick method would be our best bet. It turned out all wrong. So wrong. We ended up with this lovely silver platter, on top of which was the ugliest dried fish I've ever seen in my life. Heads on, dried eyes still in the sockets. Gaping mouths with rows of tiny sharp looking teeth. And the smell! Gah!
Unfortunately, (more so) my friend happens to be a veggie so it was up to me to make an attempt at eating this fishy foreign feast. It came with a sauce that appeared to be made up of equal parts soy sauce and sliced jalapenos with sesame seeds floating around in it. I waited until I had finished a goodly portion of my second pint from our pitcher before digging in, in an attempt to gather my courage. Finally, in a burst of cultural interest and personal fortitude I reached out and pried a chunk of the fish's flesh from it's dehydrated skin. It crackled and snapped, releasing an odoriferous assault upon us. Quickly, before I could lose my nerve, I dipped it liberally in the sauce and popped it in my mouth. Immediately I regretted this decision. It was wrong. So wrong.
It was so salty and spicy from the sauce that at first I was amazed I couldn't taste any hint of the odour that had so thickly saturated the air around our table. Oh, then it hit me. I gagged, but continued to chew, egged on by the promise of another pitcher of beer if I succeeded in swallowing this malevolent morsel. Attempting to shut out the taste, the smell, and the texture of the fish and, of course, the cacophonic laughter from the far side of the table, I continued to chew and swallow mechanically.
Once it was down, I one shotted my beverage. It did very little to cut the salty, burny, fishy film that seemed to have attached itself to my tongue. I poured another and swished a mouthful. Slightly better. I did it again. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. At last, my throat muscles relaxed and I was past the point of regurgitative danger. Then I smelled my fingers. Why must I do such foolish things?
Unfortunately, (more so) my friend happens to be a veggie so it was up to me to make an attempt at eating this fishy foreign feast. It came with a sauce that appeared to be made up of equal parts soy sauce and sliced jalapenos with sesame seeds floating around in it. I waited until I had finished a goodly portion of my second pint from our pitcher before digging in, in an attempt to gather my courage. Finally, in a burst of cultural interest and personal fortitude I reached out and pried a chunk of the fish's flesh from it's dehydrated skin. It crackled and snapped, releasing an odoriferous assault upon us. Quickly, before I could lose my nerve, I dipped it liberally in the sauce and popped it in my mouth. Immediately I regretted this decision. It was wrong. So wrong.
It was so salty and spicy from the sauce that at first I was amazed I couldn't taste any hint of the odour that had so thickly saturated the air around our table. Oh, then it hit me. I gagged, but continued to chew, egged on by the promise of another pitcher of beer if I succeeded in swallowing this malevolent morsel. Attempting to shut out the taste, the smell, and the texture of the fish and, of course, the cacophonic laughter from the far side of the table, I continued to chew and swallow mechanically.
Once it was down, I one shotted my beverage. It did very little to cut the salty, burny, fishy film that seemed to have attached itself to my tongue. I poured another and swished a mouthful. Slightly better. I did it again. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. At last, my throat muscles relaxed and I was past the point of regurgitative danger. Then I smelled my fingers. Why must I do such foolish things?
posted by C. at 1:04 AM
2 Comments:
ohhhh that made me so happy to read. hehehehehe
Clay,
This is hilarious! I can't beleive you ate that thing. I would have surely succumbed to my inner picky child and sent it back untouched. There are just some things that I'm not willing to do to save face. Good on you for trying!
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