What I've Learned From "No Reservations" with Anthony Bourdain

Ok, I'm going to wrap all this China/trout stuff together.

Awesomest show of the decade, No Reservations, featured either on Food Network or Travel Channel (I can't remember which - maybe both!), had a wonderful episode a few months ago. It featured Anthony in rural China, fishing with fisherman in the boats on whatever river it was in those funky looking mountains that look like something out of a fantasy novel or Lord of the Rings.

Except these fisherman had no fishing poles. None in sight. Instead they used an ancient method used in some societies around the world which used partially domesticated cormorants. Fishing with birds. The birds dove (see what I did there?) off the boat, diving to deep depths for what seemed to be an eternity. Suddenly the cormorant would surface on the water, the fishmonger would grab the fish from out of the cormorant's gullet. It was amazing to watch...

Ok so it shouldn't be any surprise that birds have been domesticated for ages. But placed in cages. Most people don't trust birds outside of a cage, you know for that whole flying away thing. Even used in occupation - the canary in a coal mine, those were caged. And what's preventing the cormorants from swallowing the fish for their own? I was so transfixed on this faraway place and the ancient time-tested traditions.

If I was in China, that's what I'd want to do, not inhale the nasty Beijing smog... I'd rather work in the rice fields than in a factory...

Have a marvelous weekend!

Brown Trout

Beware of the Brown Trout...



aka Phoning It In...

Trout Bass Week!

The best way to catch a salt-water striped bass is to use a hot dog as bait. True story. The Girl's 8 year old cousin did it off the Maine coast earlier this year.


Obviously not the 8 year old cousin. Photo by massbayguides.com.

Trout Week!

Ok so I bet you're asking yourself, what does Moxie have to do with trout? Well, I'll tell ya.

This week has been declared Trout Week by the lovely and also Canadian Cake, and she has delivered a very punny trout post today. So I thought of the only trout story I could think of.

With camping week still fresh in recent memory, I'll tell you a camp / fishing story.

There's this fishing hole some distance away from where we camp where one of The Girl's uncles takes the kids. All the kids are sworn to secrecy and I've never been there, so I can't tell you exactly where it is other than it's in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

It's on private property, I can tell you that. Uncle brings a whole gaggle of kids once or twice a year during the camping trip to this fishing hole. Uncle tells the kids there's just one price for admission to this coveted fishing hole.

A SIX-PACK OF MOXIE.

Soda. Fizzy drinks. Non-alcoholic. This man loved his Moxie.

Now if you're not familiar with Moxie, let me tell you. Moxie is one of the most vile concoctions ever produced. It can only be found in New England shops. It's like liquid marmite in a can. I've tried it only once, and only once is all you need.

Uncle and kids give the gentleman his Moxie, and he shows them the way to the fishing hole. Uncle and kids come back with about THIRTY Brook Trout (affectionately called Brookies around here), all about between 8 to 12 inches in length. Evidently fishing here is like shooting fish in a barrel. Just drop in your baited line into this small stream, and a bite is just moments away. Unreal. These are quality fish too, not some farm raised fatty fish. I ate at least three of these little guys last time they brought fish back.

So moral of the story is:

Almost in Jesus-like miraculous fashion, you can turn 6 Moxies into 30 Brook Trout and feed the multitude.