Fresh Scallops
Falconers know good food and frequently it is food that they have harvested on their own whether by talon, hook, bullet or hoe. We love food that has a story.
Nothing in the grocery store packaged in cellophane and styrofoam induces story telling. And I sometimes wonder if falconers are by nature story crafters. (You certainly do not have to write to be able to tell a compelling tale.)
So when a falconer friend sent me scallops there was a story in my kitchen. I practiced, telling it to myself and then had friends over repeating it them after it had been perfected.
Scallops Prepared
“These scallops were in the sea two days ago, when a friend harvested them, took them to a shanty where they were processed, packed and sent to me. The people who shucked them have names which my friend knows. They have accents as thick as the muck they create with their fast knives and vocabulary as coarse as the shells they shuck. They have families that they work to feed, as does my friend who put his kids through college on scallop money. I know the hands that touched these scallops and where they are from. They have a story that adds to the taste.”
It doesn’t hurt that Nantucket Bay Scallops are not a common scallop, smaller sweet and nutty. You can eat them raw, but if you start nibbling, you’ll have a hard time getting to cooking them.
These scallops were a gift. Gifts are for sharing and celebrating.
I wish all the food I ate began with the statement, “I know this food. It has a story.”
Amen!
Of course all food does have a story. But the story that FOOD Inc. and the Omnivore’s Dilemma tells isn’t very appetizing…
Mmmmm. I’d almost swear I can smell them! And a nice Red Tail Ale (too bad they spelled it wrong, it should be Redtail Ale) to wash them down…
Hungry now.
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