Food for thought

This posting is about food, and the many faces of generosity. There will undoubtedly be more postings on these topics, but a number of events recently conspired to make these timely issues for our blog. Mainly, we have been blessed by many meals that originated in nearby waters – meals that have been given to us or shared with us.

We have not yet put a hook down into the sea to try to catch dinner. What with learning how to sail we’ve been a bit distracted from the food gathering part of this adventure. But the crew of Isis has been fishing for some months now. They have caught numerous fish including bonito, triggerfish and others. But the much anticipated (by young Quinn) dorado, also known as mahi-mahi, has eluded them. Quinn is all but obsessed with catching a dorado – not a day goes by without his mentioning his desire to snag one of these prized fish. We hope he gets one soon, and that we’re around to experience his euphoria when the first dorado is hauled up onto Isis.

We’ve spoken in the past about the generosity of folks in the cruising community. Well, it turns out that seafood is a gift that is often given to strangers (and acquaintances). When we were anchored in the Ellipse we were given about 3/4 lb. of dorado (Isis had already headed to Isla Carmen, otherwise we would have shared it with them), and about 18 chocolaté clams. It was a very unexpected gift because it came from someone whom neither Dan nor Lisa particularly liked. The man was an ex-US-marine turned Blackwater mercenary (or so he claimed). He was arrogant, obnoxious, and physically intimidating. We had heard him be verbally abusive to other cruisers and marina workers. But despite our coolness toward him, he kept coming around to chat. So we would be civil to him during our discourses, but not exactly friendly. He told us that in his younger days he had sailed a small boat like Rumiko, and remarked that he had been the recipient of many gifts from bigger boats (gifts such as water, ice and seafood). Now that he owned a big, shiny vessel he said he felt like it was his turn to give back. We thought that showed a hint of goodness in the man that we had not previously noticed. And so we accepted the gift (albeit with a slight feeling of ickiness given our dislike of the man). We got over our bad feelings as soon as we tasted the chocolatés. As the mercenary said they are "to die for." (Okay, he didn't really say that, but he should have. . .)

Another example of generosity was experienced by the crew of Isis. They were in Loreto provisioning and were adopted for the day by a few older men who own real estate in Loreto and split their time between Loreto and California. These men had a vehicle, and drove the Burke, Kacey and Quinn (BKQ) around town to get food, water and some other items. Just as BKQ were about to return to Isis some friends of the men arrived on the scene, having just caught several yellowfin tuna and a small dorado. The men asked the fishermen to fillet some of the tuna and give it to Isis. Kacey protested and offered to pay for the fish, but the men rebuffed her suggestion. So Isis was given about 6-8 lbs of freshly caught tuna. And then one of the men threw in a dozen lobster tails. That night, Isis, always willing to share their bounty (they had just had us over a couple of nights before to eat triggerfish and pargo given to them by Chuck, and avid fisherman from the boat Jacaranda), invited us over for a tuna and lobster feast. So delicious! And they sent us home with a chunk of tuna and a couple of lobster tails.

Yes, we are blessed both by having good friends, and by the generosity of strangers. This has been good not only for filling our bellies, but also for filling our hearts and souls. And when we start harvesting food from the sea, we will be sure to share out bounty with friends and strangers alike.