the problem with fish.

maybe i am dumb. or just unable to handle the pressures of dining out.

but when did waiters start asking you how you want your fish cooked? um, last i checked, i just wanted to not die from food poisoning. i never realized there were more than two options: raw or cooked.

but apparently, ordering fish is more complicated.

three incidents:

1. when mandy was still pretty new to her recruiting job, she had a fancy lunch with her boss and some clients. i imagine the scene to be a lot like julia roberts at the business dinner in pretty woman. mandy had the unfortunate task of ordering first. so she goes with the tuna. because tuna is classy. the waiter asks how she wants it cooked and, panicking, she says "well-done." the waiter, surprised, asks if she's sure she wants it that way. and mandy of course has no choice but to go with it. "yes, well-done."

i don't think you're supposed to eat tuna well-done, but i don't know.

2. recently, my sister was out of town with some of her new coworkers and they all went out to dinner. jenny orders the salmon. because salmon is classy. the waiter asks how she wants it cooked. panicking, my sister recalls the story of mandy and the tuna. the only problem is that she can't really remember what fish it was. and what the correct answer to the question was. all she knew is that mandy got it wrong.

i can't remember how she ended up ordering it, but i have the feeling she picked the wrong answer too.

3. last night i had dinner with carolyn. i ordered the firecracker salmon. because i am a firecracker. the waiter asks me how i want it cooked. obviously, i should have seen this coming. i should have been prepared for this eventuality. but i wasn't prepared. i looked at carolyn and asked her how i wanted it cooked. the waiter, sensing that i am not used to dining in classy establishments, gave me the correct answer. and my fish was delicious.