On seafood, farm-raised brethen, and overfishing...

I have always loved seafood since I was a kid. While I like the usual suspects (salmon, tuna, haddock, cod, grouper, sea bass), my love for most everything from the sea (jelly fish, squid, sardine, mackerel, catfish, carp, red snapper, etc) is pretty complete.

My mom would cook (until her "retirement" from the kitchen after my dad took over, upon his retirement from work). Having to feed a family of seven, she would buy the cheaper seafood whenever she could find the bargains. In Asia, that would mean only a small handful of variety to choose from, and they're usually not very fresh. Oftentimes, it's red snappers, mullets, dace, mackerel, and sometimes carp.  (Yes, carps were not cheap back then.)  Still, it's seafood, all the same, and I have always enjoyed them.

When I was growing up, I never had worries about food stock in the world, much as I love anything that was ivory, without worrying where the ivory might have come from. When I was in my teens, I have become more aware of the environment we all live in. I began to ask myself questions, as to where the elephant tusks might come from. I remember for a brief period, when I would gladly accept the notion that ivory comes from dead elephants only, hence clearing my guilty conscience. But of course that would not do, judging from the large amount of ivory products in the market back then (in the 1980s), I intrinsically knew that could not have been the only source. And then, it hit me when I read about the issues about elephant poaching in Africa. I remember secretly cursing myself for not confronting the issue more consciously, due largely to my vain vanity, for hoping to still hold onto my ivory jewelry. After that, my conscience would not allow me to do that, and I dispose of all the ivory products, and vow not to buy anything ivory.

I have the same issue with red meat; in particular, tender, juicy beef steak. I know vegetarian diet is good for the body. I love vegetarian food too (all veggies, tofu, beans, and the like), but I love steaks and meat too. Perhaps I'm half-lying to myself, but I have always harbored hope that one day, I'll give up meat all together, and go all vegetarian. I just don't want any more killings of animals.

And then there is my love of seafood. I've been reading about issues of overfishing for so long, and that one of these days, fish stock in the world is going to get so depleted that most of the seafood that I have come to love would disappear. Like red meat, I still couldn't bring myself to give up seafood yet. But I've committed myself to eat as little grouper/salmon/tuna, and other seafood as possible; that's not very hard to do since I'm not a big eater anyways. I don't want my kids to not know/like the taste of seafood.  I do hope that, starting as an individual and from a small family, I could somehow contribute to a more sustainable fishing pattern in the world

Talking about weak mind (which I'm painfully aware of myself right now). I am yet to have the determination to turn cold turkey, like I did with ivory...  :(