Unusual Fish Dish

My Dear Princess and Dear Fellow,

It was Labour Day in Aotearoa today. We celebrated by going for lunch with Jefe and Manda at Caro's favourite place, "The Waterfront" at Raumati Beach. 

Caro was extra excited because it is finally whitebait season here. This means she gets whitebait fritters.

Whitebait are tiny little fish and so the fritters are basically a pulpy mash all fried up and served with chips.

"Ew!" said Jefe. He put a menu between himself and Caro so he didn't have to watch her eating them.

"All those little eyes!" he spluttered. "All the eeyeeeeeesssss..."

"Yum!" said Caro, ostentatiously eating her fritter. 

Jefe told us a story about when he first came to this country. He went into a deli and asked for sliced turkey.

"You mean like the fish?" asked the guy behind the counter. 

"What the eff sort of country have I come to where they think turkey is a FISH?" thought Jefe. 

What he didn't realise is that tarakihi (pronounced "terra-key") is indeed the local equivalent of haddock. 

Caro hasn't been able to let this go. "Are we having fish for Thanksgiving this year?" she asked cheekily on WhatsApp.

"Ahhh he loves the attention," she said by way of explanation. 

It's true. And she loves the Jefe-mockery. It's why they get on so well.

S.

p.s. Today's blip is Smokey the cat, hanging out by Caro's car.