How about this? I'll start out slow. With a non-triggery photo, of the can itself. The label. Then we can get to the hard stuff.
These are my sardines of choice. They come from Save A Lot. I've only tried one other version. I can't remember if they came from The Devil's Playground or Country Mart. They were probably The Devil's sardines, because I can't off the top of my head say which aisle is their home in Country Mart. Anyhoo...I find these PortSide sardines in mustard sauce to be delectable. Okay. Maybe not quite delectable. Tasty. Just right. Palatable. Not too fishy. Just mustardy enough.
This fact horrifies The Pony. And also Farmer H, who used to work with a guy in the city, at his workplace when we met, before Genius was born, who ate sardines and crackers for lunch every day. Then Farmer H would have to get close to him, like carrying furniture together close, and breathe in that guy's sardine breath. So I try to be considerate of Farmer H, and put my empty can inside a ziplock bag for disposal. Anyhoo... neither Farmer H nor The Pony likes to hear that I eat the whole sardine.
Sweet Gummi Mary! What do they think I'm going to do, fillet those fish? It's not like they have heads and tails, and I eat the eyeballs! No siree, Bob! But I DO eat the spines. They're inside the sardines, you know. So there might be a little crunch. And you can definitely see the spines as you're forking the fish, separating bite-size portions to dip into the mustard sauce. And yes, I eat them right out of the can.
All right. Get ready, because the picture of the inside of the can is coming up below. I hope that's all that comes up. I hope none of you have a delicate constitution like Velvet Brown, in the Enid Bagnold classic National Velvet. So get ready. It will be after the next paragraph.
There's been a problem of late with my daily Sardines in Mustard Sauce. For some reason, the fish are getting BIGGER. That's not a good thing. A long time ago, there were four sardines per can. But in recent years, there are three. NOW those three are like giant fish! Wedged into that can like a geometric puzzle. FAT giant fish. Not long and thin like I might prefer. LOOK at them!
I would prefer my sardines to be more svelte and dainty. Not these leviathans! I swear, I almost need a scaler! I've caught fish smaller than that, and been happy with my catch. I know that a sardine is not a specific species of fish. But there should be length and girth requirements, methinks. And some sorters along the canning line, hopefully more adept than Lucy and Ethel at the chocolates factory.
I don't mean to seem ungrateful for the extra protein for the price. I just don't like my sardines to look so much like...well...FISH!
I remember when my mom used to eat sardines & it seems to me that there were six or seven WHOLE sardines in a small tin!!
ReplyDeleteThey do look rather large, are you sure they are actually sardines and not, umm, herrings? Or whatever else comes in cans and sauces? I buy herrings in tomato sauce and smoosh them onto toast. I haven't bought sardines since my first divorce; hubby used to eat them. On toast. I should buy a can and look inside, just to see, because I remember sardines being quite small.
ReplyDeletefishducky,
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think you're right. Seems like a lot more sardines were in a can back when I saw my dad eating them.
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River,
My research shows that several kinds of fish can be termed "sardines," and herring is one of them. So it's quite likely that my gigantic sardines ARE herring! If you like sardines, and aren't just buying them for research purposes, it would be interesting to know your results.
The image doesn't bother me, but the smell would initiate my gag reflex. I don't care for sardines, but HeWho does. He is also a big fan of herring in cream sauce. Like you, I thought there was a certain size for sardines. Did they taste okay?
ReplyDeleteI don't like sardines, which seems odd if herrings are a type of sardine, but there's no accounting for taste. Hubby used to buy the ones in oil, maybe that was what I didn't like about them. I'll still buy some and have a look at the size.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteThey taste fine. Just need to be swirled in that mustard sauce, since they're so thick the insides don't get the flavor.
River,
ReplyDeleteMaybe Lola would like a sardine? But not if it would cause her to have an allergy, so that might not be a good idea, if she's sensitive to different food.