Oh, Snap!
Hustling through Grand Central Station yesterday on the way to a meeting, I passed through the Central Market. I was just inhaling by the delicious smelling bakery on my way by, when all of a sudden, the fishes appeared. I’m not a giant fan of fish, having grown up in a land-locked state. The only fish we ever had was trout (icky because they were caught with worms) and canned tuna (icky because its icky). So we didn’t frequent fresh fish markets much – well, when I was little there was no such thing in Salt Lake City. Now there are a couple of them, but it’s still not my first form of entertainment.
But here – we are surrounded by water. I’m not sure where these snappers were plucked from, but I don’t imagine it was very far away.
Which leads me to the conversation I had with the ferry driver on my way home from NY. I asked him how long he had been a ferry driver. He said about 25 years. I said, “so you’ve seen everything then?” He responded that indeed, he probably had. I asked him what’s the craziest thing he’d ever seen out there, and he started telling a great tale full of grisly details. Apparently, over the years, crews on the ferry have come across many dead bodies, a lot of chicken corpses that had probably been used in some sort of voodoo ceremonies (his supposition, not mine), and once a hump-back whale made it into the Hudson.
He went on to describe the detritus that floats up from the bottom of the Hudson after big storms, the flora and fauna and garbage and other choice things. He told me about the attorney who used to row across the Hudson from here in his kayak, all dressed in his suit and tie. Can you imagine how you’d feel in a kayak, crossing the Hudson, when a gigantic cruise ship, 10,000 times bigger than you, starts heading your way? I mean, the cruise ships couldn’t veer away – what if you had a cramp and you couldn’t row? My gosh – the horror!
I then asked him the most pressing question of the day, “would you eat anything that came out of the Hudson?” He laughed and replied, “nooooo m’aaaaam, can’t say as I would.” Well, that about says it all to me. No Hudson fishies for me.
After that enlightening ferry ride, I returned home to ponder the pink snapper fish I had taken a snapshot of. Why are some black and some pink? Is it where they’re from? Is it age? Is it sunburn? Is it …oh wait…I know what it is. I’m sure I do. It’s that all snappers are black, until they see something really embarrassing in the water, and then they blush at the exact second they are caught by a passing fisherman! That’s it!! I’m positive.
Now that I’ve resolved this wonder of the world, I shall try and give the pink snapper a portrait he’d be proud to share with his mama. Oh. Except I bet he’s all eaten up by now. Too late, Snappy-boy.
(Baby update soon!)
