Yellow River knifefish ‖ Cheng Zhaoqiang
"The wheat is slightly yellow, the knifefish is long" is a folk saying along the Yellow Region, which says that when the wheat is ripe, it is when the Yellow River knifefish is fattest. To be honest, although my home is less than 20 miles away from the Yellow River, I have never seen the Yellow River knifefish, let alone eaten it, and for a long time, I even doubted whether there was such a fish in the Yellow River.
Years ago, two of my colleagues debated whether there were knifefish in the Yellow River. I remember that the two were arguing fiercely at that time, one was red-faced, the other was spitting stars flying around, if not for everyone present, the two would not have lost control of their emotions and moved their fists and feet. The colleague who insisted that there were knifefish in the Yellow River, surnamed Lu, lived in a village not far from the Luokou Dam, and was in his fifties at the time, and people called him Mr. Lu. He said that in addition to carp, there is also a kind of knife fish in the Yellow River, which looks like the knife fish caught in the sea, and he has not only seen it in the Luokou market, but also eaten it in a restaurant in Luokou. Another colleague, surnamed Jia, lives in a village near Niujiao (pronounced jia by locals) on the Yellow River. He said that knifefish are fish that grow in the sea, and he has never heard of knifefish in the Yellow River. He is a second-level chef, and when he studied cooking and took the chef's certificate, he did not hear from the master or his peers. The two colleagues asked whether there was a knife fish in the Yellow River, you and I said a word, tongue and sword, tongue and sword, blushing and thick neck, fortunately a colleague with considerable prestige stopped it in time, so that this gunpowder controversy was put to rest.
The debate over whether there is a knife fish in the Yellow River has passed for many years, but every time I walk on the Yellow River Dam or visit the Yellow River Park, I think about it. I remember once going to Luokou to see the Yellow River, and seeing that there were people fishing with nets on the shore, I specially stepped forward to watch and asked him if he had caught the Yellow River knifefish. The fisherman simply replied that he had been fishing in the river for many years, and he had caught carp, silver carp, and crucian carp of various sizes, and he had never caught the Yellow River knifefish. When he said this, he also looked at me suspiciously, as if to see that I was mentally normal. In order to ease the awkward atmosphere, I bought the half fish he caught, 3 yuan a pound, large and small pots. Of course, there are no knifefish among these fish.
Are there knifefish in the Yellow River? When two colleagues argued about it, neither of us could interject, let alone judge who was right and who was wrong. Their families all live on the banks of the Yellow River, one is an elderly man, the other is a restaurant chef, they have their own experiences and experiences, and there are good reasons, it is difficult for onlookers to draw conclusions and make judgments. Seriously, I'm a bit of a chef because he cooks all day and knows a lot about ingredients. Besides, I also doubt that the fish in the sea will run into the Yellow River, such a long waterway, such a muddy yellow river, or go upstream, can it survive? Whether there is a knife fish in the Yellow River has become a question, which has always been in my heart, and I will think of it when I see the Yellow River and talk about it. Last Sunday, I wandered through the used book market and came across a copy of "Medicine Mountain Spring and Autumn", which had an article dedicated to the Yellow River knifefish. The text says that the Yellow River knifefish got its name because of its shape that resembles a single-sided sharp knife. From early April until the wheat is ripe, the knifefish swim upstream from the mouth of the Yellow River, spawn and hatch, and when the eggs hatch as juveniles, the swordfish will swim back to the estuary along the Yellow River, grow and winter in the Bohai Sea, because of its upstream migration along the Yellow River, also known as "inverted fish". The Yellow River knifefish continues to swim back and forth, and it takes two or three years to grow into an adult fish, and its sex is exciting, like a shuttle, and because it dies out of the water, it is "expensive and rare". The Yellow River knife fish has a thick back and a thin belly, the meat is tender, and the umami taste after cooking is very good, and the rich aroma is abnormal, which not only has the umami of seafood, but also has the unique aroma of the Yellow River fish, which is a unique style delicacy. The usual cooking method of Yellow River knifefish is "dry fried knife fish", "fried knife fish with fresh leeks with spring onions", and another way to eat it is "baked fish with cake rolls". In addition, the Yellow River knifefish is not only a delicacy, but also has a "food therapy" effect, and is called "a delicacy" and "a unique delicacy" by the locals.
After reading the introduction of the Yellow River knifefish in "Medicine Mountain Spring and Autumn", I solved my doubts for many years, and the argument between the two colleagues back then finally had an authoritative judgment. Unfortunately, I have long since left the unit, my former colleagues are no longer in contact, and if I tell them this conclusion, there is no way to pass it on. Alas, in fact, there is no need to tell them, let them know who is right and who is wrong, who wins and who loses, so that the winner is ecstatic and the loser is sad, contrary to my principle of doing things for people.
When writing this little article, I accidentally read an article on the Internet about the Yangtze River knifefish. There are actually knifefish in the Yangtze River, which not only surprises me, but on the other hand, it further proves the reliability of the swordfish in the Yellow River. According to the article, knifefish usually live in shallow seas, but in spring, they swim up the Yangtze River against the water, and the juveniles swim back to the sea after autumn. These knife fish forage for small fish, shrimp, shells all the way, grow in the river, swim to the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River, develop just right, and after being salvaged, they become a delicacy on the table. Similarly, the Yangtze River knifefish can not bask in the sun, the sunburned knifefish will be yellow, fortunately, the taste is good, but the sale is not good. The Yangtze swordfish, like the Yellow River swordfish, has disappeared from the market for many years, and no one has heard of catching it again. Perhaps, they have disappeared from this world, leaving only a legend; If it takes a long time, maybe even this legend will not be known.
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