I wandered around the open-air market, eating out of the bags of strawberries, cherries and peas in the pod I'd bought at the stalls, absorbing all the smells and sounds that wafted around: sizzling barbecued elk steaks, grilled corn on the cob (with a choice of half a dozen sauces and dips), fresh vegetables and fruit, the stall-keepers calling out their produce in Finnish, the different languages spoken by the tourists. The fruit sellers sold their produce in tankards that would hold about two pints, I think, rather than weigh them.
As I walked past the fish stall, the fishmonger was in the process of explaining to a couple the different types of fish on his stall and how to cook them. As it was in English, I stopped to listen as I was interested to find out how differently the Finns cooked their fish. At the end of his explanation, the couple began to discuss their options with each other. When the fishmonger heard them speaking in German, he switched to German!
In the East, people like fishmongers would generally be considered to be of a lower educational level, probably even none at all. This fishmonger speaks four languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, and German. I thought, “I’d like to be re-born a Finn in my next life!” From the country, I mean, not as an item for sale on this polyglot’s stall.
(August 1996)
As I walked past the fish stall, the fishmonger was in the process of explaining to a couple the different types of fish on his stall and how to cook them. As it was in English, I stopped to listen as I was interested to find out how differently the Finns cooked their fish. At the end of his explanation, the couple began to discuss their options with each other. When the fishmonger heard them speaking in German, he switched to German!
In the East, people like fishmongers would generally be considered to be of a lower educational level, probably even none at all. This fishmonger speaks four languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, and German. I thought, “I’d like to be re-born a Finn in my next life!” From the country, I mean, not as an item for sale on this polyglot’s stall.
(August 1996)
I would love to know those various ways to cook the fish! It's also amazing to think of a fishmonger speaking fluently four languages, it almost sounds like science fiction for an Italian..
ReplyDeleteAh yes, your recent spate of fishing trips! If the fish is good (i.e., fresh and not boring), one doesn't need to do much to it. The Turks and the Greeks, just to name two, just grill their fish and it's so tasty as it is.
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ReplyDeleteThe only thing I require though is that it is actually cooked one way or another.
ReplyDeleteI have a phobia of raw fish and that's my biggest problem with some Japanese restaurants. One has to scour the whole menu before finding at most an item or two that do not have sushi...