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Fish out of water
Fish in water look very nice. You must have seen blue, yellow, orange, silver and gold fish in aquarium tanks. But the problem with fish is that they can’t live outside water. In water they are just fine but out of it ... well, they are dead!
To get fish out of water we do a little fishing. Early morning and even at night fishermen go out into the sea for their daily catch. Sometimes, if they are not careful enough, they may venture into alien territory. It has now become quite common for coast guards of both the neighbours (India and Pakistan) to arrest these harmless trespassers. But they are set free after a while in some kind of an exchange where Indian fishermen are sent to their country in exchange for our fishermen.
Fish are caught from rivers, lakes and the sea. Fish from rivers and lakes are called fresh water fish. They are delicious but full of fish bone, which can, if you are not careful while relishing the delicacy, cause great discomfort and even a visit to the hospital emergency ward.
Sea fish have bones too, of course, but not as many. Then there are also ways of slicing and cooking it without the bones. But for that you first have to buy fish. The biggest fish market in Karachi is in the Empress Market.
“Behave yourselves! You are in class, not the Machhi Market.” Our teacher would say whenever she found a class in chaos and disarray. And that is how we, the naughty, disruptive pupils, were introduced to the Machhi Market without even getting a chance to visit it. It was quite understood that the place had to be in a mess (like our class).
Even though you know what seafood tastes like, I am sure that most of you haven’t been to a fish market. This is probably due to the fact that there are many fish vendors roaming around town on their bicycles selling a few popular varieties such as the pomfret, prawns, etc. It’s quite convenient for your mom to buy from them. But as far as variety goes, the fish market has no equivalent. Besides having all kinds of fish, there are crabs, lobsters, prawns, molluscs, and a whole lot of other seafood you may not even know the names of.
To avoid the rush, one should visit the place early in the morning. That’s when you may also run into restaurant owners, specially owners of Chinese eateries, who have come to restock their freezers. The best thing about this place is that the catch is always fresh, so fresh that the crabs are alive. Why don’t they crawl out of their baskets then? Well, careful observation of their behaviour will give you the answer. You see, they are so jealous of each other that when one tries to climb out, another catches hold of its leg and pulls it back in to climb over it to get out itself and then another one does the same thing. This is what keeps them all stuck in there. A lesson about the value of cooperation here.
Yes, pictures don’t lie. What you see is absolutely true. The fish market is a filthy place and as pictures won’t tell you about the smell, I’d better warn you that it is stinky as well. But the end result of your visit — those deliciously crispy prawns and steamed fish on your dinning table — is all worth the trouble, right?
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