Induction into Pescatarianism

When the guides told me we would be eating fish for lunch, I did not expect to be served a plate with a whole yellow snapper fresh off the grill, skin peeling back in wisps of thin crispy scales and eyes still sizzling in their sockets.  The charred fish rested in a bed of fresh platanos and fried rice.  We had spent the entire afternoon snorkeling off the coast of La Ceiba, Honduras. The clusters of tiny jellyfish bobbing about in the ocean waters took a liking to me, and every few minutes I would feel the light sting of their affection on my arms and legs.  I looked down at my lunch, its mouth slightly open and exposing a row of tiny jagged teeth.  I had been a vegetarian up until that point for 3 years; was I really going to break that streak and eat this fish?  I was tired and sore and my mouth was dried out from the salt water.  The sun beat down upon my back, and my stomach clenched with hunger.  Hell yes, I was going to eat that fish.

We were not provided with utensils, so I began peeling the charred-pink flesh dusted with flakes of fried skin, off the brittle bones of the snapper.  And so started my love of seafood.  On that day I vowed never to pass up another fresh fish, scallop, crustacean, or other delectable sea creature presented to me on a plate ever again.  I would eat it all, and love every minute of it.   

Every once in a while I would stop to lick my oil-covered fingers and pop a slice of a platano into my mouth.  These will forever be the perfect side to any fresh seafood dish.  The starches of this great fruit mixed perfectly with the oils seeping with the savory flavor of the grilled snapper.  I picked at each tiny bone, sucking all the remaining succulent bits from the skeleton, trying to make the flavor last as long as possible. 

After lunch, we all clamored back onto our boat and headed inland.  I smelled the cool breeze of the ocean, the splash of salty water on my cheeks, and closed my eyes.  All I could see was the yellow snapper, its face frozen in an expression of shock and anger.  It was delicious.