Thursday, November 16, 2006

Fish Display


No pictures today, folks. But we wanted to tell you about this great fish display we saw today while we were walking from the bus stop to the Metro station after a nice afternoon spent in Majadahonda. Imagine, if you will, that it is raining. You are sharing your umbrella with your lady (or man, depending on your preferences and on who is narrating this episode). The umbrella was purchased at the local Euro Bazaar for 4 euros on a past rainy day much like this one. It's plaid with silver piping, and it opens automatically when you push a plastic button very hard. Very nice. Elegant. So you are walking along trying to keep dry, thinking about those terrific beans and chorizo you ate for lunch with your aunt and your cousins, and you round a corner in the Arguelles district of Madrid and there it is. The finest fish display of them all. Three tremendous hake, arranged artistically beneath a sea of fresh ice cubes. They all appear to be smiling at you. Inviting you to come in and have a beer, warm up and have some hake for dinner. It is a tempting offer, even though you are still full from lunch. These hake are chewing nonchalantly on parsley sprigs and lemons. Oh, what fine fish they are. And dang it if we didn't have our camera.

2 comments:

Freddy y Blue Demon said...

As one of my favorite Spanish literature professors used to tell me, "Un libro sin fotos es como una quesadilla sin queso. No significa nada, mi hijo."

Then he'd spit on the ground in disgust.

Kathleen said...

maybe it will be like the One that Got Away. This will always be the fish display that will live in your minds and hearts, but the rest of us need to have faith that it existed and was beautiful.