May 2nd, 2023 Tuesday Sunny
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would that be?
My answer is “scallops”, the juicy, sweet jewels of the sea. While there are many other foods that I enjoy (e.g. berries, mushrooms), nutrition-wise scallops may be the most balanced, so I could still live a healthy life despite my restricted diet 😛
I like scallops cooked in any way – steamed on the shell with garlic and vermicelli, stir-fried in sauce, mixed into congee with other seafood, sashimi, nigiri sushi, seared with lemon juice… It is an ingredient that shines no matter what.
I used to eat scallops more often, before the pandemic. I would often order a scallop dish if it appeared on the restaurant menu. Sometimes I would buy some from the market and cook them at home. While scallops were never considered to be “inexpensive”, their prices were comparable to other seafood, and I did not mind a splurge every now and then.
Then the pandemic hit. Food prices skyrocketed. Supply chain interruptions exacerbated the shortages in grocery stores. Many vendors tried hard to keep their prices and offerings reasonable, but this effort usually only extends to “daily essentials” or “staple food”, such as bread, milk, eggs, and common vegetables. Less popular food like seafood received little attention, so their prices rose to a level never seen before, and have stayed that way. Scallops, even more so. Paying more than twenty dollars for one pound of scallops seemed like a real luxury – even though it would not break the bank, I would feel guilty to indulge myself too frequently.
As a result, I have not had sea scallops for half a year. Until my birthday a few weeks ago, when my husband decided to prepare a special treat for me – seared scallops in light lemon sauce, decorated with young docks from our garden.
With one bite, the zesty lemon flavor burst in my mouth, before the tender flesh touched my tongue with a subtle sweetness. I felt the dopamine explosion in my brain – so yummy ?! A sense of happiness rushed through me, as if the world was suddenly filled with joyful air. I would remember that moment for years to come.
Honestly speaking, I must have had other tasty sea scallop dishes before, but when I was able to eat this delicacy more often, I took it for granted, and forgot to savor it at every opportunity. I became habituated, not reacting as much to something as delicious as sea scallops. Only when I stopped eating them as often did my sensitivity return.
Is that a paradox? Is it true that we could only treasure the positive things in life if they are rare? If so, what is the point of trying to obtain more positive things/experiences if we fail to really adore them?
I hope that is not true. Maybe we just need to remind ourselves from time to time. After all, the extent of delight that one would experience in life might be more determined by how much one takes the time and the frame of mind to truly appreciate it, rather than by how “objectively exciting” something is. By refining our sensor of pleasure, we may find sparkling instants every day.
The more we learn to cherish the bliss, the more beautiful our life becomes.