Guapote

This fish is about as ugly as they come. When I first arrived in Nicaragua, a naïve young 20-something year old, I think my husband-to-be enjoyed testing me to see my reaction to some of the peculiar foods he put in front of me: tripe soup, stewed tongue, live black oysters, deep-fried pork skins, and my favorite, a fried fresh-water whole bass smothered in tomatoes and onions, called 'guapote'.

'Guapote' live in Lake Nicaragua, one of the only places in the world where fresh water sharks are found. These bass are caught the same day you eat them and served whole, usually with the eyes staring right at you. All I could think of when it was set before me for the very first time was, "My mom couldn't eat this."

Actually, this dish turned out to be my all-time favorite, one that I would travel miles for. I wouldn't think of a trip to Nicaragua without a trip to Granada for a 'super-sized' guapote and all the fixin's.

There really isn't a region or country that I have visited that I haven't enjoyed the local cuisine. I'll try pretty much anything. Some of it has been gourmet, some of it downright unusual. Once in Taiwan I discovered, after several minutes of being 'lost in translation', that I had eaten stir-fried bumblebees. (Was that tour guide just testing me??)

When God breathed life into man and woman, as recounted in the book of Genesis, He also provided everything we needed to survive and to live an abundant life. He meant for us to be 'fully satisfied' so that we would turn to Him in thankfulness.

Unfortunately, that's not exactly how the story ends...but I will start by being thankful for an ugly fresh-water bass from the waters of Lake Nicaragua.

It's going to take a little more time to be thankful for stir-fried bumblebees.

"I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You." Psalm 63:5