#445 Eating Fish Alone- Lydia Davis
A woman eats fish, but not that often and only when she eats
alone. She has a list of fish that is acceptable to consume socially,
healthily, and environmentally. She puts a lot of thought into the fish she
eats, and is very delicate in the manner in which she goes about her meals.
Usually, when she eats out the wait staff and the kitchen
staff is too busy to give full answers to her questions about the fish. She
does her best to manage anyway. One particular night, a restaurant was serving
marlin. She didn’t remember how marlin tasted, and although it wasn’t on her
list, she decided to try to anyway. The waitress asked on behalf of the chef if
she enjoyed her meal. Even though she thought it a bit chewy she gave a
pleasant if vague reply.
“I thought of the waste, and the care with which the chef
prepared, over and over again, the vegetables that no one ate. At least I had
eaten his vegetables, and he would know that I had liked them. But I was sorry
I had not eaten all of his marlin. I could have done that.”
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