Be a conch

This is a conch:

It’s a sea snail.  And if I were a scientist I would tell you that there are many different species. That technically the conch belongs to the marine gastropod mollusks  in the family Strombidae.  Specifically in the genus Stombus family….etc etc etc.   You get the picture.

But for anyone born north of Miami, A conch does not refer to this slow moving creature that lives in a shell. It really an attitude. That, is what I wanted to talk about: the conch attitude.  You see this creature spends it’s life creating beauty.  It doesn’t have a easy life but that doesn’t keep it from doing what it does, to the best of it’s ability. For example:  It creates a hard durable shell that has been given many uses:  such as a musical instrument. 

 A Hindu priest blowing a Shankha (A shell of Turbinella pryrum) during a religious ceremony.

People create all kinds of food from it.  

 

Conch Fritters

From start to finish this dish takes 35 minutes.

2 cups freshly bruised conch, cleaned and diced
3 teaspoons tomato paste
1-1/2 Tablespoons flour
2 onions, diced
1 Bahamian sweet pepper, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Tablespoons baking powder
3-4 cups vegetable oil
Hot Peppers and salt to taste

Combine all ingredients (except oil) in a large bowl. Blend well.

Heat oil in deep frying pan or pot until water dropped into oil sizzles.

Drop batter by the Tablespoonful into hot oil. Fry until brown.

Drain on paper towels and serve.  Makes 40 fritters.

This creature is undaunted in it's quest for a life of beauty .  If it gets irritated by a grit or piece of sand….and it does live on the ocean bottom so that is likely to happen, the creature makes itself comfortable by secreting a mucus over and over again and in the process creates a pearl.  I like pearls!

The point is no matter what happens in the life cycle of this creature it creates beauty from adversity. And then it leaves a legacy long after its own life span for the people to use.  I like that attitude!  I choose to be a conch.