Some Sacrifice

A Fish Called Avalon, the long-running seafood restaurant on Ocean Drive, has issued a press release trumpeting its boycott of all Canadian seafood products to protest the clubbing of baby seals. "Canada's fisheries sell lobster, snow crabs, cod, mackerel, scallops, shrimp, haddock, oysters, herring, perch, mussels, sole, yellow perch, sardines, flounder, trout, tuna, whitefish and swordfish" reads the statement.

It goes on to reveal that "Fortunately, though the menu at A Fish Called Avalon changes regularly, it rarely offers any of the aforementioned products." Turns out that chef Joe Monteiro uses Florida lobster, swordfish and scallops from Alaska, and flies much of the rest of the fish in from Hawaii. The only change he will make is to offer black mussels instead of "the ever-popular P.E.I.s" (Prince Edward Island mussels) he served in the past.

"We sell a hundred pounds of mussels a week", the chef explains. "I can't stop serving it. The black mussels have a different taste, and they go bad pretty quick. But I'm trying to support a cause, so I'll do what I have to do. U.S.A. has to step up to the plate."

In a related story, a consortium of Miami chefs have announced that, as a protest against the torturous treatment of ducks and geese in the production of foie gras, they will no longer be serving Brussels sprouts.-Lee Klein