As I write this, Alex is on an airplane somewhere between Phoenix and Philadelphia, as part of the middle leg of his journey east to view some properties that we have been researching. This trip is a major investment for us; in order to keep the ticket under $1000, he is making two connections. Including the time spent driving to and from the airports, he will be on the road for approximately twelve hours, barring any delays. This may seem as though we’re moving quickly, but we’ve actually been researching possible properties for over a year. The ones that are a combination of attractive and viable are few and far between. There was one place that I loved in Maine, but it was outside of our budget, and so I had to give up the dream. One of the harsh realities of starting your own business is that money counts almost more than anything else. Some days I’m tempted to apply for Survivor just for the chance to win a million dollars. If I won, I could buy almost any property we wanted. Of course, that would also raise the question of whether or not I would still want to. In the long run, I think that I would; you can only loaf around, spending money and traveling for so long. Eventually, the money runs out, and you need an attractive safety net to keep things going.
We got a beautiful shipment of fish in today. I spent my morning gutting and scaling and marveling at how beautiful the fish were. Iridescent colors rippled along their bodies. These fish were gorgeous, sweet-smelling, covered in slime (a good thing), and firm-fleshed with vibrant, bloody gills. It sounds barbaric, but I was happy. The best thing about cleaning your own fish is knowing that the job was well done. I won’t have to worry about stray scales or gashes in the flesh because I gently prepared them with my own two hands. I have some Tasmanian sea trout curing in a mixture of sugar, salt, and Szechuan peppercorns to be smoked tomorrow. There is some impeccably fresh Peekytoe crab meat, which I’m thinking of pairing with some macerated rhubarb and roasted sesame seeds. There’s also some fresh calamari, which I should save for Alex but will probably grill tomorrow and drizzle with fresh lemon juice and fruity olive oil. It’s an abundance of riches, and I look forward to seeing how the dishes play out.
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