Pla Jean.

Steamed mussels.

These came from a new place in Scranton, PA called Thai Thai. Excellent food.

The hardest part about my yearly trek to Massachusetts to catch 50 pounds of cod fish is usually the packing of the fish for storage in the freezer. Even though Eliza and I have a very good Foodsaver sealer I always dread the amount of tedious work it takes to properly pack away our fish for the year. But not anymore, thanks to Ziploc’s vacuum bags.

No, I’m not getting paid for saying that. Yes, I wish that I was.

Ziplock’s vacuum bags and pump is really the easiest and quickest I’ve ever been able to pack fish for freezing. What took me 4 or 5 hours last year using the Foodsaver only took me 2 hours this year! I highly recommend these products if you store stuff in the freezer and dread taking the time it usually takes to do it right.

Here are some photos from the process.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen some people that look like fish and some that look like monkeys but that doesn’t mean they were descended from them in some evolutionary chain. It just means their ugly.

The article also incorrectly states that there is fossil record proof that we are descended from fish. So far there has been no direct link in the, still very incomplete, fossil record that definitively proves the theory of evolution whatsoever. Any article that states otherwise is overstating the matter. Scientist have built hypothesis based on, what they consider, evolving bone structures from the earliest time of life to now. Several commonalities between the bone structures of all living things. But that does not mean that they evolved. It means they were made by the same designer.

Consider this; an architect designs 10 houses to his own taste. Some of the elements of these homes will, no doubt, be very similar because they were all designed by the same guy. Is it without question that, if there is a designer of all life, that several elements will be similar throughout all of his works? I don’t think so.

I do not believe there is a conflict between a belief in science and a faith in a creator but many do. Oh, and I’ve asked Justin to have a public forum someday to chat about our conflicting ideals but he’s scared.

Eliza and I spent the day yesterday with some family and friends at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey. I’ve uploaded a few select shots from the iPhone onto Flickr but Eliza has got the goods.

That being said… I do think you’re a little crazy. Nerves of steel.

A few photos from fishing the other night with my friend Johnny. I posted a pretty wicked toothed Walleye on that night but we ended up with a pretty decent catch in a relatively short period of time. Huzzah.

This guy had some wicked teeth!

Yes I have been known to eat fish eggs right out of the fish. I don’t do this for shock factor – I do it because I truly enjoy trying out new things to see if l like them. Side note: The fish eggs right out of the fish tasted to me a lot like grits with a sprinkle of salt.

Which is my I’m proclaiming my love for sushi. I’ve mentioned sushi here before but I’ve never just come out and say that I love it. Or, jot down the reasons why. Oh, and by the way – the photos that spurred this post on are photos from Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market that I saw linked to from the Flickr Blog. Tell me that place doesn’t look like a fish-lovers Graceland.

I suppose I love sushi because it is nearly unadulterated. Most sushi is first frozen to kill any potential parasites or whozawhatsits – but besides that you’re getting fresh, raw, unblemished fish from the ocean into your mouth. Most of the time the tastes from sushi are subtle. Many people like to spice up their sushi with wasabi and soy mixes – and I do too on occasion – but I truly do enjoy the subtle tastes in sushi all by itself.

I find that I enjoy subtleties in most of my foods. Wine, for example, is something I enjoy even more when the fruit of the wine isn’t altogether apparent, but you need to search for the tastes, usually on the finish, to figure it out. I was given a lovely homemade apple wine from a friend not too long ago and the taste of the apples was so subtle that I found the wine extraordinary. Some would sip the wine, expect to be hit with the flavor of apple all over their palate, and be disappointed when that didn’t happen. I, on the other hand, actually am pleasantly surprised when that doesn’t happen.

The subtleties found in sushi are many. The taste of sushi is, at least for this novice, extremely hard to articulate. On the one hand, you have the combination of raw, nearly tasteless, meat combining with the taste of some of the best rice you’ve ever had. Sushi rice is typically prepared with a dabble of vinegar to keep the rice loose – which brings an altogether “freshness” to the sushi. I suppose one of the main tastes of good sushi is, well, freshness. It tastes like you’re eating something brand new.

Other tastes seem to come from the type of fish that it is. The subtle differences between red snapper and salmon, as an example, seem to be more in texture and density than in taste. I can tell the difference between the two blind-folded (I think) but it’d be more based on the feel of the fish than the taste itself. Most sushi has a base taste. That base taste is spread out over all the difference kinds of sushi and then subtle hints are thrown in to mix it up. I suppose that base taste could be best described as the ocean. Not overpowering, mind you – but just enough for you to know where it came from.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. I love sushi. If you’ve never tried it. Do yourself a favor and try something new just to see if you like it. Maybe you won’t catch a fish in a lake and eat the eggs out of it like I did – but perhaps you can have a nice sushi chef make you a few pieces of heaven to try the next time you have the chance.

I wish I had taken a lot more photos (I didn’t even get everyone in a photo). I’m looking forward to camping at least one more time this summer (and hopefully for more than just one night). All-in-all a great short trip and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Yeah, I’ll go with mind == blown too.  I wonder where a brother can find out what these things taste like.

Source: See A Fish With A Transparent Head.
Via: Justin Blanton.

Update: It turns out that this fish isn’t a new discovery but the fact that their eyes rotate and that their heads are transparent is. More info.

Often extremely elusive even to the most skillful seamen, the sailfish seems to hunt in large packs around sardines. This photoset from National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen is stunning.

Source: Sailfish – Photo Gallery.

Date taken: June 22, 2008  |  Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?