As a recipient of the Williams College Center for Environmental Studies summer grants, Jeffrey Rubel, a member of the class of 2017, presented his summer project “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,” at Log Lunch on Friday, October 14.
Jeffrey focused his project on seafood consumption, explaining that he was and remains curious about why we eat the fish we eat. He recognized his interest while visiting his favorite fish market, the busiest in Maine, the Harbor Fish Market. He decided to do a bit of researched and found out that 70% of our fisheries are depleted and codfish are the symbol of that depletion. Jeffrey recognized that there are several factors playing into what fish we purchase at restaurants or to cook ourselves. These are: Seafood in Cookbooks, Underutilized Fish and Language.
Jeffrey explained that he had a great time over the summer doing research, specifically because a lot of it was reading older cookbooks and making recipe observations. He took us through a history lesson of these old cook books proving that people do not care much about fish diversity when cooking. When seafood was involved in a recipe, many stated something along the lines of “codfish, tuna or any other kind of fish.” The dish was not centered on the species, each of which tastes and is very different.
Next Jeffery explained the concept of underutilized fish. For every fish we have a sustainable catch limit. With cod and other popular fish, we are fishing and eating far beyond the sustainable number. He explained the way certain fish populations have plummeted throughout history based on what was fashionable to eat at the time. The solution? According to Jen Levin, “Eat with the Ecosystem.” Or as Jeffrey put it, follow the seasons and eat was is in season: Eat SEAsonally.
Finally Jeffrey discussed the effect of language on seafood consumption. Certain fish have had name changes over time that have made them far more attractive to consumers. For example, the previously named “slime fish” is now known as the monkfish. The tooth fish is now known as the Chilean Sea Bass. In order to prove his point, Jeffrey performed a survey with two fish names he had created himself. His survey asked if people would rather eat a “Beerfish” or a “Spinach Fish.” No surprise to Jeffrey, although the fish was not real, more people wanted to eat the fish with the more appealing name: “The Beerfish.”
Jeffrey left the community with a few thoughts to take away: To think about the associations we have with names, and to eat with the seasons and engage with the shifts. Fish are one of our last wild foods. Think about the remaining fish.
Eat SEAsonally,
-Caroline Beckmann, ’17