Description

One summer when I was young I went fishing every day for almost two weeks. I didn’t catch a single fish.

The summers where I grew up in Campbell, CA were a couple of things: hot and full of my mother wanting me out at the house. So one summer my childhood best friend and I decided to learn how to fish. How we managed to convince our parents this was a good enterprise I have no idea. But it kept us busy.

In fact I went fishing every day for almost two weeks and didn’t catch a single one. I did managed to get soaked in the lake by “accident” twice though.

I didn’t actually eat a whole trout until I was traveling through France a few years ago. I was in the small town on Nimes more renowned for the Roman ruins than the cuisine. But the food was rustic and wonderful and a small restaurant had it on the menu. The fish arrived and I looked at it nervous and wide eyed. After digging in it was juicy, bright, and comforting. Western culture don’t eat many whole fish but the bones and skin give it an unrivaled flavor. It is one of my favorite memories of the region and I still love eating it on bright spring days.