HUSBAND TURNED HARBOR SEAL

 As promised I made the salmon soup.  I was so pleased with how it turned out.  The recipe was simple to prepare and the result was spot-on.  I love to cook.  What fat person doesn't, right?  I enjoy trying new recipes and I often make things that can be sort of involved, so it's always nice when I'm able to present something that feels gourmet, yet doesn't take all night to prepare.  The soup had a nice milky broth and the fish was fresh tasting.  The stock was a bit strong, but I feel like the leeks and onion rounded out the flavor and helped balance the fishiness.

I'm not the biggest fan of "fish soups," actually, I'm not the biggest fan of fish, but I do enjoy it when it is prepared to my liking.  Recognizing that like all Americans I probably don't eat enough fish, I've made a conscious decision to replace some of my meat and poultry dishes with fish, and to also replace some dishes with a vegetarian meal.  My goal is to try and eat at least one fish meal per week, preferably two, and to eat at least one vegetarian meal.  I'm not only looking to reduce my reliance on red meat and carbs, but I'm also trying to vary my diet to where I get exposed to a wide variety of nutrients and don't just end up eating chicken every night as my protein.  It is challenging but not impossible.  I think it teaches you to embrace other styles of cooking and makes you a better cook, as you don't get caught up in making the same type of dishes over and over again.

Now my husband's reaction to the soup wasn't quite what I was hoping for.  I dished up a nice big bowl for him with a side of crusty French bread.  I was stuck cleaning up the kitchen so I told him to go ahead and start without me.  He grabbed his chow and snuck off downstairs.  Moments later, nothing.  I patiently waited for the all too familiar yell up the steps, "babe, this is good!"  But it never came!  Horror of horrors, is it possible he could not like the soup I've made?!?  He is pretty open-minded when it comes to my meal plans and I'm proud to say that he is forever saying, "babe, I don't even worry about what's for dinner, cause everything you make is good."  Would tonight be any different??  I headed downstairs to do some follow-up.  I found some sniffing going on, a bit of lip licking, some sifting.  It was more like a forensics investigation than a meal eating.

ME:  "You don't like it?"

HUSBAND: "It's fishy?"

ME: "That's because it is fish."

HUSBAND: "Well I know that but..."

ME: "It's okay if you don't like it, I won't be mad!"

HUSBAND: "I like the salmon, I think I just don't like it in soup."

ME: "Well that's sorta the whole point."

HUSBAND: "Well look, I'm not a harbor seal...you can't just feed me a pail of mackerel!"

I retreated back to the kitchen.  Time to sample it for myself.  Now he has me convinced I won't like it.  I take a taste.  "Hmmm...pretty good," I think.  I have some more.  This isn't fishy at all.  I'm now checking the pot, performing some forensics of my own.  I head back downstairs.

ME: "Look, I'm not saying you're wrong, but is it possible this is different and we haven't really had anything like this before and with you smelling a kitchen full of fish, it might have put you off a bit?"

HUSBAND: "It's fishy."

I got the following email from him today...

"Babe, I will try your soup again..." :-)

I don't have to tell you how the story ends.  Here comes the best part.  I reheat the soup tonight for dinner, half expecting a can of Progresso will also need to be opened for him.  I preface with, "it is not necessary for you to do this, I'm not mad or offended, and I don't expect you to force something down that you don't like."

HUSBAND: "yeah, I don't know, it taste different for some reason, it's not as fishy today...??"


ME: "Sigh........."

"Anybody who believes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach flunked geography." -Robert Byrne