Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine October 2014 | Page 152

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Travel | Seattle
© Natalia Bratslavsky / Shutterstock

Pike Place Market’s neon sign at
sunset, Seattle, Washington.

It wasn’t really a war. From
the vantage point of nearly 20
years later, the skirmish was
the equivalent of siblings
arguing over who got the
larger serving of dessert.
But the fact that it happened
at all underscores how
much we care about salmon
here in Seattle.

Locals know to buy salmon in
season – and, yes, the vendors will pack
and ship for you.
It’s not just about the salmon. Vendors
know their stuff – ask them what’s fresh.

It was in Port Rupert, British Columbia. In
July 1997, an Alaskan passenger ferry was
penned in by Canadian fishing boats for four
days. After the ferry was released, marine
highway services to the Canadian port town
were suspended for five months.
The arguments went on for years.
Washington and Oregon fishermen
continued to accuse Canadian fishermen
of harvesting too many salmon, while the
Canadians lobbed the accusation right back
at their south-of-the-border neighbours.
Eventually, a treaty was signed and the
neighbours, who have so much in common
that there’s a movement to create ‘Cascadia’,
an independent nation that unites British
Columbia, Washington and Oregon, settled
down. Our passion for salmon hasn’t faded;
we’ve just learnt to share.
Why are we so devoted to this silver-scaled
beauty? It goes beyond the culinary, though
there is no denying that our affections are
at their most fevered when the season
opens. Then, Seattle’s fish markets are full
of orangey-pink fillets and steaks or entire
fish. A giant chinook salmon can top 60kg,
the smaller coho and sockeye might weigh
out at 15kg, and we will eat it all. We can’t

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