Christmas Carp!

One of the great things about living in another country is the opportunity to experience and witness that country's traditions. Take Poland and the Christmas Carp. The Christmas celebration here (and in my family back home, since we are Polish) starts on December 24 with what is called Wigilia (Christmas Eve) and traditionally no meat is served or eaten. So, everyone gets together for the big meal and there is a whole lot of fish: herring in sour cream, salmon, fried tilapia, all of which are very good and I have eaten before. But what I am new to, although I am familiar with the tradition, is the carp.

From what I understand, back in the day before refrigerators were everywhere, people bought a carp for the Wigilia meal since it was a fish that is from the area and tasty enough for the occasion (like a Thanksgiving turkey in the States). What they did with the carp, however, is that they got it alive and kept it alive in the bathtub until it was time to eat it, thus ensuring it stayed fresh!

So now, when I go to the supermarket, there is a huge pool in the fish section that is teaming with live carp and a huge line of people waiting to get theirs. A store employee nets one out, the buyer decides if they like the specific fish or not, and then the fish is bagged, alive! The first time I noticed this, however, was when I was standing in line to make my purchases. I had been in line for some time without incident when suddenly, in the cart in front of me a bag starts wildly flailing around. I did not at first realize what was happeneing, so I thought that maybe there was a small child in the bag, or a dog. Then I remembered the carp! It sure makes going to the supermarket in December a lot more exciting.