Member-only story
FISHY POETICS
Explaining What the Hell Gefilte Fish Is
At least six appetizing pieces in a jar
After many years of people asking me, “What the hell are you eating, Mark?
And then making nauseating faces after inspecting the oblong piece of food on my plate, I’ve decided to explain gefilte fish in a poem.
You don't need a pole
to reel in this catch,
take a number
at your local Jewish deli
and either buy one homemade
or snatch one off the shelf.
It's a deboned whitefish swimming inside
a sea of gelatinous broth and spices,
an Eastern European appetizer,
canned or in a glass jar,
usually eaten on Shabbat or Jewish holidays,
sometimes with fried matzoh.
My Mexican wife says it's disgusting,
although she eats cow's intestines.
My friends and neighbors
can't stand the sight of it.
My dog growls when I take a bite —
and, of course, my cat prefers
farm-raised salmon.
