Something Fishy

Matilda is a fish fiend. Any time you ask her what she wants to eat she'll say fish, Last week we broke every limit-mercury-consumption-for-young-children rule by feeding her fish every single day. Oops.

After a satisfying meal of fish and chips, Matilda got an even more rewarding fish encounter on the commercial fishing docks in San Diego last weekend. One of the boats was emptying its holding tanks and there were anchovies escaping all over the place. The fishermen threw a few on the dock for us to show M. After a few minutes of observation and flopping we then fed them to the waiting birds or sea lions.

After the close encounter with fish, Matilda has added a new item to her repertoire of animal charades. Dogs, meerkats and eagles have been the previous favorites. Now, however, it is common to find Matilda flailing around on the floor flapping her mouth open and closed. Since fish are naturally much quieter than eagles we are encouraging this behavior. Our fellow restaurant patrons have been somewhat perplexed by the sudden appearance of a screeching eagle at our table demanding fish.