For the past several weeks, we have observed an unusual number of seagulls (and eagles) in the area. At first, we thought the slowdown from Covid-19 had driven the seagulls inland from some other source of food. It actually turns out that the West river is full of smelt! If you look carefully, you can see just how densely packed these fish are in the river:
Just before the Conservation Officers shut down fishing access to the river as part of increased social distancing measures, we were able to catch some for ourselves!
But the most exciting part was yet to come! While I fought back slightly queasy feelings at the idea of killing, cleaning, and eating a creature I had just caught, the children had little hesitation getting their hands dirty while we FaceTimed with Pappa.
After chopping off their heads and tails, gutting their insides, and soaking them in milk overnight, we coated them with batter and fried them up for lunch the next day:
I confess that while the food was delicious, it was still a touch unsettling to have only recently held these creatures alive in my hands. Seeing their spines on the pan didn’t help!
I’m grateful that my children will grow up with a unique perspective on the matter!