Something's Fishy

...packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes....

I eat an entire tin of sardines on Triscuit crackers, squirting vulture cats with a spray bottle because I don't want to share. Halfway through my inhalation, I wonder whether this is a manifestation of some neurosis, nutritional deficiency or emotional baggage. I haven't even thought about sardines in... I don't know how long.

I pull my copy of Constant Craving, Doreen Virtue's book on the meanings of your food cravings. Nada. Sardines are not even mentioned. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, however, has a significant entry.

I pull Joy Of Cooking, which has useful information about sardines, but only one recipe.

Frustrated, I dive into the 'net, always a risky business, as I mean to do things, but get distracted by the shiny internet and eventually wander away from the computer wondering what it was I meant to do, how I managed to spend $63.87 NOT doing it, and where the hell have the last four hours gone.

Wikipedia says of sardines, in part, this:

are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies suggest that regular consumption of omega-3 fatty acids reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. These fatty acids may also help lower blood sugar levels a small amount. They are also a good source of vitamin D, calcium, B12, and protein.
Because they are low in the food chain, sardines are very low in contaminants such as mercury relative to other fish that are commonly eaten by humans.

Good to know. I certainly may be lacking in some of those nutritive areas. But I derive comfort from this post- the comments, rather than the entry itself.

On bread with mustard, with hard-boiled egg, drizzled in soy sauce, disguised as tuna salad, in hot sauce over rice- so many ways!- I never knew any way to eat them except out of the can on a cracker. Also striking was the memory-laden resonance of some of the serving suggestions:

Daddy and I would sit on the back porch (Mother would not allow sardines in the house) and smash sardines on Saltine crackers. I was about 5 and none of my siblings would touch them. Just me and my Dad. I hadn't thought about that until I read this piece today. I can hardly wait to get a can, sit on the back porch and think of my Dad, long gone, but those sardines were only thing that was "just us".

Evidently, I'm not the only one scarfing a whole can of sardines all by myself.

(Synchronicity II; The Police)