Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-10-23
FISH OF THE PACIFIC
WHAT CAN BE SEEN AT HONOLULU FISH
MARKET.
Mr.. Edwords Gives Interesting Description
Of Peculiar Fish Caught in the Waters
Of The Pacific From the Hawaiian
Islands.

Honolulu, II. l., Oct. There are
some odd thingssthat one runs across
in travelling about the world that are
so strange that one is diffident about
telling of them for fear those to whom
the information is impaired will
think that the truth is beirg strained
a little. In such category must come
the fish market in Honolulu. To
people accustomed to seeing fish of
temperate waters there is no compre-
hension of the strange forms that the
denizens Of the deep take ON in those
countries where the water is contin-
ually warm.
When / first walked down the aisles
of the Honolulu fish market l had to
take sudden reef in my memory to
see il had been drinking anything
recently that would give one queer
visions. l did not exactly see blue
monkeys with green tails, but I saw
such variegated coloring and such i'm
possible shapes in fish that thought
my mind must have become warped
by the climate.
We are so accustomed to having q
certain shape in our minds when fish
are mentioned that we cannot associ-
ate any other shape with the finny
tribe, but that idea received severe
jolt when l saw trunk fish living ON
the counter. looking all the world
like grotesque Japanese jewel box.
Imagine fish about five inches long,
with square sides and ends, separated
by sharp corners. At one end queer
little snout surmounted by two beady
eyes, and at the other a caricature of
tail, while two little fins adorn the
sides. 1t your Imagination is good
you can see in your minds eye q
trunk fish. 1t is not edible, but when
it is taken in the net with other
kinds it is sent to market as a curl
osity.
But the trunk fish is mild in COM
parison with the puppy eel. Take
the most loathsome, Shiny snake that
you can conceive of. and in pls se cf
snake head put on it the head of a
new born puppy, ears and all. and
you will have an object that will fill
you with disgust Hawaiians eat this
sort of animal with relish.
could go on enumerating queer
and disgusting fish for some time, but
there are so many that are beautiful
beyond description that think they
will be more interesting to Won.
What | considered most beautiful of
all | saw, was little fish about the
size and shape of the common perch
of American waters. 1t was delicate
pearl in color, it's flesh translucent,
and at intervals were bands of blue,
green, yellow and gold, as perfect in
color and size, as if they had been
laid on with artists brush. They
looked like the coloring of finest
Dresden China, and ran around the
body in perfect proportion. equidistant
from each other. There were fish en-
tirely blue, of color so rare as to make
one dream of summer skies; again
there were red ones, yellow ones.
black ones, all looking as if they were
hand painted, and as if the color were
so fresh that it would come off if it
were touched. | thought at first that
these were painted china fish used for
signs, and it was only when l held
one in my hands that | was convinced
to the contrary.
On one table lay lot of cuttle fish.
Younger brothers to the devil fish, ara
from which the bone that is put ~
canary bird cages comes. Hawaiian
prize this fish highly and make a mt
palatable dish OF it by boiling it la
cocoanut milk. tasted of this dish
with considerable hestitancy at first,
but found it very delicate in flavor,
and came to the conclusion that all
things are not near so bad as they
| look.
Hawaiian waters are noted for their
sharks and the fish market would not
be complete without few of these
| ferocious sea pirates But the sharks.
| saw there were not of the regulation
kind. They were edible, and had a.
uiOSt ptCullStI luStttl VI tIl0
head that we'll ordered fish ought to-
have these had heads that extended
out on both sides of the body, much
| like double hammer. In fact they
were hammer headed sharks 1t is
said thar some of the finest fillets of
sole that is served in high priced
hotels comes from this shark. and
those who pay fancy prices for it
never know they are getting anything
| but the finest fish.
| In the old days the natives made
gala day of market day. and brought
in their wares with songs and rejoic-
ing. Ii thew caught "a peculiar fish it
was the reason for special rejoicing.
Now all this is changed and Japanese
do all the fishing, making it bust
ness in which there is no pleasure.
But the fish market has the same old
charm so far as the peculiar inhabit-
ants of the waters are concerned. and
what is lost is sentiment is gained in
additional varieties of fish to gaze
upon and wonder at.