As the main cook in our family, I prefer to do our grocery shopping. I’ve found that grocery shopping is an interesting experience. Any time you have people in a centralized location, you’re bound to encounter some fascinating individuals.

The last time I went to our local grocery store, I visited the fish monger. While surveying the bountiful supply of “fresh” (which, in Indiana I believe means “previously frozen”) seafood, I encountered a rather bizarre individual.

This individual was a young mother, escorting her child to the display of seafood. What made this mother interesting was the one-way conversation that she started with her child. It went something like this,

“This is seafood. That’s a fish. That’s a shrimp. That’s a mussel. That’s a crab. And, it’s all disgusting. It’s all gross. You will never, never, never eat it.”

So, I began to wonder what inspired this strange educational experience. Could it be that this young woman was a hardcore vegetarian? Could it be that she had some religious objections to certain types of seafood and simply decided to reject them all? Did she have a bad experience with seafood in the past and it has scarred her for life?  What could create such a sense of hatred towards salmon, tilapia, scallops, and the like? I just couldn’t wrap my head around her position.

So, I did the whole “peer into the other shoppers cart” thing (this is something that I don’t normally practice, but learned from observing church folks peer into my cart when I happen to bump into them while shopping…the whole “I wonder what the youth pastor is eating and drinking” thing”).

Doing so totally wiped out the vegetarian angle. The cart was full of processed foods…chicken nuggets, pot pies, Jack’s pizza’s, frozen meatball’s, canned lasagna and ravioli, chips, soda (Mt. Dew), Pop Tarts, and so on.

The whole “peer into the cart thing” did reveal something to me. I believe that her opposition to seafood centered around the health factor. A serving of seafood is healthier than a serving of chicken nuggets dipped in honey mustard…therefore it is evil. Fish would require actual cooking (heating something up or re-heating something does not count as cooking) and therefore it is a hassle…which means it’s evil.

Of course, when she peered into my cart and saw fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, pork, and beef she probably thought I was bizarre. As much as I do not understand this woman’s opposition to seafood, I’m sure she doesn’t understand my pro-fish agenda.