Imagine 213 bottles of milkfish.
Imagine 139 bottles of crab paste.
Imagine 67 bottles of fermented mudfish.
Imagine 61 bottles of fermented shrimp.

On December 28, 2007 arrived 480 8oz bottles
Of milkfish and mudfish and crab and shrimp,
Leftovers from the Hong Kong Food Expo,
Left for Fair-and-Healthy, FMIR, to devour.

Our guestroom has long been filled
By Panay & Preda & Southern Partners cases.
So milkfish and mudfish and crab and shrimp
Took shelter in our dining-living spaces.

Two tall columns against the wall!
When will we be able to finish them all?
We are only two dogs and two humans.
Will be taking us a year or more …

Our only outlet is Sunday Farmers’ Market.
I approached churches. I went to clubs.
I checked Yahoo!. I looked up eBay.
I appealed, in vain, to a Filipino store.

Don’t ask me how the bottles slowly went.
Some changed hands at the Farmers’ Market,
Some were sold at fairs, others to stores of friends.
We four consumed 120, for us a joy without end!

Having now accomplished my mission,
I started to ponder, ponder, and ponder:
Elegant and yummy and organic,
K & J Milkfish may stand a chance.

So I looked around and around and around …
And behold! A chance for Milkfish I finally found.
If the supermarket meeting should go well,
My milkfish would land on a Hong Kong super shelf.

FM:)

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