I am the Walrus

' I weep for you,' the Walrus said;

'I deeply sympathize.'

With sobs and tears he sorted out

Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket handkerchief before his streaming eyes.

'O Oysters,' said the Carpenter,

'You've had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?'

But answer came there none--

And this was scarcely odd, because

They'd eaten every one.

 A couple of years ago I was at the seafood counter of a local grocery store, waiting to buy some fish. I watched the young woman who was quickly spritzing the clams between customers. When it was my turn I commented that the clams looked fresh, and she looked at me with sad blue eyes. "I feel sorry for them," she said, "they are alive." Clad in an apron, with a hair net and gloved hands, her empathy for these shellfish about to be wrapped in cellophane and butcher paper; well, it nearly made my legs buckle. I never saw her again, but always remembered her words.

On the way home from work this evening, I stopped at the same store, the same seafood counter, to get a little fish, and was surprised to see that they had fresh mussels. Impulsively, I bought a few handfuls. The woman wrapped them neatly and as she handed them to me, she said, "You should unwrap these when you get home. If you aren't going to eat them right away, at least give them some air." I promised to fix them promptly. But I think she was still worried about them being able to breathe. Women who work behind seafood counters...do they become, all of them, sad and anxious?

As soon as I got home I unwrapped them and put them in a bowl of  icy salted water. They should be happy for a little while I thought. Can mussels be happy? I think so. I wanted to call up the store, ask to be connected to seafood, tell them I was doing the right thing.

After the mussels had a chance to relax in their cold salt water bath, I heated up some garlic, green onion, and white wine. I tossed in the mussels and they cooked in under 5 minutes. John had a few, but I was the one who finished them off, thoughtfully.

"I like the Walrus best," said Alice, "because you see, he was a little sorry for the poor oysters."