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Bonaire, squid
"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it's always ourselves we find in the sea." ~ee cummings
There is a huge global demand for seafood. It is now a common menu item and sushi is as popular as Arby's. This wasn't always the case. When I was a kid, seafood was not popular. Catholics weren't supposed to eat meat on Fridays, so some would opt for fish. My family came from an island, so we ate a lot of seafood, which was considered weird. Then at one point, I stopped eating meat and was a pescatarian for 20 years. The seas weren't yet overfished, cod hadn't collapsed, mercury wasn't in seafood, and people weren't enslaved to feed the global appetite.
Things seemed to have come full circle. I have…
View Full Recipe at Mindful Eats
,%20it's%20always%20ourselves%20we%20find%20in%20the%20sea.%22%20~ee%20cummings%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThere%20is%20a%20huge%20global%20demand%20for%20seafood.%20It%20is%20now%20a%20common%20menu%20item%20and%20sushi%20is%20as%20popular%20as%20Arby's.%20This%20wasn't%20always%20the%20case.%20When%20I%20was%20a%20kid,%20seafood%20was%20not%20popular.%20Catholics%20weren't%20supposed%20to%20eat%20meat%20on%20Fridays,%20so%20some%20would%20opt%20for%20fish.%20My%20family%20came%20from%20an%20island,%20so%20we%20ate%20a%20lot%20of%20seafood,%20which%20was%20considered%20weird.%20Then%20at%20one%20point,%20I%20stopped%20eating%20meat%20and%20was%20a%20pescatarian%20for%2020%20years.%20The%20seas%20weren't%20yet%20overfished,%20cod%20hadn't%20collapsed,%20mercury%20wasn't%20in%20seafood,%20and%20people%20weren't%20enslaved%20to%20feed%20the%20global%20appetite.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThings%20seemed%20to%20have%20come%20full%20circle.%20I%20have%20stopped%20eating%20most%20seafood,%20except%20for%20easily%20farmed%20items%20like%20mussels%20and%20oysters.%20There%20was%20a%20time%20when%20I%20would%20just%20ask%20a%20lot%20of%20questions%20--%20where%20was%20the%20seafood%20from?%20How%20was%20it%20caught?%20Is%20it%20sustainable?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThen%20the%20questions%20just%20weren't%20enough.%20First,%20certain%20fish%20types%20were%20collapsing.%20Cod,%20blue%20fin%20tuna,%20swordfish...%20We%20were%20overfishing%20our%20seas,%20and%20these%20huge%20fish%20couldn't%20reproduce%20fast%20enough%20to%20replace%20what%20we%20were%20eating.%20Second,%20all%20the%20pollution%20we%20create%20was%20finding%20its%20way%20back%20into%20the%20ocean%20and%20bioaccumulating%20as%20mercury%20in%20the%20fish%20we%20eat.%2010%25%20of%20women%20of%20childbearing%20age%20in%20the%20US%20have%20enough%20mercury%20in%20their%20systems%20to%20cause%20defects.%20Third,%20I%20noticed%20that%20there%20was%20a%20lot%20of%20fraud.%20Many%20restaurants%20(including%20sushi%20restaurants)%20and%20stores%20were%20labeling%20fish%20as%20a%20certain%20type,%20like%20snapper,%20and%20it%20wasn't!%20Outrageous.%20And%20the%20last%20straw?%20Fourth,%20there%20is%20such%20a%20huge%20global%20demand%20for%20fish%20that%20PEOPLE%20ARE%20BEING%20ENSLAVED%20to%20work%20in%20the%20fishing%20industry!%20This%20%22lucky%22%20man%20escaped%20after%2022%20years.%20The%20problem%20is%20that%20there%20isn't%20enough%20accountability,%20so%20if%20someone%20tells%20you%20that%20no%20slaves%20were%20involved%20in%20the%20fish%20they%20are%20serving,%20they%20just%20don't%20know.%20I%20don't%20need%20to%20eat%20fish%20that%20badly.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ENot%20to%20mention%20that%20I%20started%20scuba%20diving,%20and%20the%20fish%20that%20we%20eat%20are%20beautiful%20in%20their%20natural%20habitat.%20A%20shoal%20of%20squid%20is%20a%20graceful,%20beautiful%20sight%20-%20nothing%20like%20what%20you%20see%20on%20your%20plates.%20But%20that's%20a%20digression.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhat%20to%20do%20-%20Eat%20Seafood%20Responsibly%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EJust%20avoid%20eating%20any%20seafood%20or%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EEat%20only%20seafood%20that%20can%20be%20farmed%20or%20fished%20locally%20and%20responsibly.%20Mussels%20are%20a%20safe%20bet.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EDon't%20feed%20pet%20food%20that%20contains%20seafood.%20Thailand%20supplies%20a%20lot%20of%20that%20fish,%20and%20that%20is%20where%20most%20slaves%20are%20used.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EUse%20the%20Seafood%20Watch%20guide%20and%20app%20to%20find%20the%20most%20sustainable%20seafood.%20Ask%20your%20server%20and%20fishmonger%20questions%20about%20sourcing%20and%20sustainability.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWant%20to%20read%20more?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhat%20I%20ate:%2015%20oz%20green%20juice,%2010%20oz%20yogurt%20+%20blueberries%20+%20chia%20seeds,%202%20peaches,%20portobella%20mushroom%20+%20arugula%20+%20queso%20arepa,%206%20Korean%20vegetable%20dumplings,%202%20peaches,%202%20ears%20of%20corn,%20dried%20mangos,%2050%20oz%20water,%204%20squares%20of%20dark%20chocolate%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EExercise:%20jogged%204.5%20miles%3C/p%3E){kind=link}