FROZEN FISH, A LUXURY BEYOND THE REACH OF THE AVERAGE NIGERIAN.

By:
Ajukura, Fidelis O.
19/06/2021

Back in the late 70's and 80's when we were small, frozen fish popularly known as ice fish was treated with utmost disdain. The complain of hardship had always been there: people complained about this and that but, with little money were able to put good food on the table. Despite the complaints of hardship, people were able to stock their refrigerators with assorted type of food and drinks . Drinks like eggovin was common because people could, regardless of their meagre income afford them. Fresh fish was the ideal stuff. Ice fish was almost a taboo : people recented them because they were likened to dead bodies in the mortuary - they do not have any nutritional value. Not only was frozen fish disliked; anybody seen eating them was treated with contempt. It was for this reason that people, especially those living in public buildings used to eat them in the secret. Many families then, were publicly humiliated for eating ice fish. I remember a family in my street that had to relocate to another street because children were always calling them ice fish eaters. Consumption of ice fish was considered the height of poverty such that even the poor people in the neighborhood avoided eating ice fish.

Such was the skewed understanding of frozen fish. No matter the size of the fish, they were rejected as something unfit for human consumption. Surprisingly, this attitude was never extended to frozen chicken or turkey because people patronized them without qualm.

With the current economic reality, frozen fish is for the high and mighty. It is completely out of the reach of the common man. Besides, the type of frozen fish available in the market today are few and, can at best be described as baby 'fishes'.

Nigerians are really traumatized by hardship. The type of frozen fishes we have in the market now are astonishing - they're only bones such that little children can't eat them.

But one of the good things about today is that people are more enlightened. At least, we know that frozen fish is not as bad as people had thought. Frozen fish is not the same as ice fish. Ice fish are white/colourless blooded fishes that are known for their cold habitat.

Happy Weekend!