Food - it's all about the texture

I love food, all kinds of food. I love the colors, the smell, the taste of it. And I'm not at all a picky eater. At least I'm not usually a picky eater.

But somehow, for me, the most important component of food is texture. It's why I despise uncooked broccoli and like canteloupe more than watermelon. It's why I'm picky about both my rice and my pasta - if it isn't the right texture, I'm not interested. If it doesn't feel right between my teeth? I'm done.

This may be especially true for me and fish. I grew up in a family that caught its salmon right out of the Pacific Ocean and brought it home and cooked or smoked it. I spent several years as a teenager working on a gillnetter catching salmon, then eating it both fresh and home canned. I also spent two summers working in a fish packing plant popping herring. (Take the herring between two hands, belly up, pop it, take out the roe. The roe goes to Japan, the rest of the herring ends up as fertilizer.)

So if the fish isn't right? I won't eat it. I don't like mushy fish, even the fish that's supposed to be mushy. I like my fish to be firm fleshed. I like it to be solid. I love sushi and ceviche, all that lovely firm flesh between my teeth.

Good thing I live in Vancouver, methinks.

Kate