”Fish is a Water Snake”

My father did not eat fish. Rather, my father never ate any seafood – in his 69 years. I’m told back in the 40’s his caring mother, warned him that any fish is indeed, a snake. Yes. Apparently, she alerted him: “tlhapi ke noga ya metsi“(fish is a water snake).

Because of this myth; because of this belief, and because of this claim:

My father missed out on the tinned pilchards his wife and his children always enjoyed in his presence: the ‘unlucky’ lucky star. My father missed out on salmon. My father missed out on tuna. My father missed out on battered cod. My father missed out on mackerel. My father missed out on prawns. My father missed out on the sea bass. My father missed out on crabmeat. My father missed out on anchovies. My father missed out on the fish sushi.

Sometimes, I wonder: what am I missing out on, as a result of a myth? A belief? Or claims?

Image: luckystar.co.za