Fish Factory - Morningside Brisbane

Yesterday I went to the "Fish Factory" in Morningside. I didn't buy any fish myself, since I had bought Tasmanian Salmon and Australian Snapper at the West End Markets the day before. The reason for going to the Factory was to show a new friend, Satoshi, where he can find whole fresh fish in Brisbane. Satoshi is a marine biologist and has an affection for fish.
This factory is not great when compared to fish markets that can be found in Asia, America, and certainly Japan. A small variety of whole fish that is advertised as being from Australian waters, is the appeal of this Brisbane company, since most other markets (Woolworths and Coles, including markets in China Town) that sell fish are limited in the variety as well as the quality and freshness of their products. As there is an abundance or poor quality fish sold here that is sourced from fish farms in Thailand, Vietnam, and is questionable. The West-End markets in Brisbane are an exception, they have many vendors selling a much better variety then what can be found at most other markets in the Brisbane area.

I was interested to learn from Satoshi, that even at this factory which seems to be a step above the rest, the fish are not very fresh. He showed me that the tissue inside the gills are pale, a sure indicator that the fish are not fresh. He did however find a pink snapper that was in better condition and purchased it.
The Australian market, for fish, vegetables, even books or other novelty goods, is extremely limited in both variety and quality as well as being overpriced. Australia "is" a place that provides an easy life, but generally speaking, fails in providing a stimulating and interesting lifestyle.
The best of what Australia produces are the vegetables and meat, although the variety of vegetables is limited, they are of good quality. The best of Australia's fish are sent oversees to big buyers like Tsukiji in Japan, and very little is left over for Australians. It's not surprising that this is, the way it is, since Australia is closely related to England as far as heritage and traditional food. Fish and chips are still very popular here, and perhaps only within the last ten years has fresh fish become popular with white Australians. When fish is battered and deep fried, it really doesnt matter what type of fish it is, does it? Those who prefer their fish deep fried, I am guessing, don't really love or appreciate fish as it is naturally, and perhaps give little thought to where the fish is from, if it is fresh, and wether it the flesh of a fish that was raised in dirty water farms in Asia.

There are some interesting products here, but they are few and far between. Perhaps, as this country grows and more people from various cultures establish themselves here, more will be produced and sold here. I am not a big consumer, but when I do wish to spend money, to buy a gift, or enjoy some interesting food, I want it to be made with a level of effort, from thoughtfulness, craftsmanship and passion. It would be better to have less of something good, then to have a lot of something poor. If we continue living this way, producing, buying, selling then we should make it worth while. We are treating the resources of this world with little care at times. Let the people who do it well continue, and teach others, and may we learn to show our appreciation for the earth which is providing us with this life.

Since I am here now, I should buy the Australian fish that are being sold. Its terrible for their life to go to waste. They were taken from their home, which is cruel to start. It would be even worse for that life to be wasted, their body thrown to waste, because it couldn't be consumed. This topic unsettles me, there is so much I can and should do to show more appreciation for our world. This is the process of growing up, for me it is going slowely :).