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Sherlock Holmes regularly pooh-pooh’ed any praise of his courage, reminding our clients that it was I who was the former soldier in foreign lands. (A diversionary tactic, as my friend shews the true courage of those who do the right thing even when frightened.)
But there is one aspect of life where both of us agree that I am indeed the braver of the two – and that is at mealtime.
While we were in the Hawai’ian islands – originally for a holiday but spending most of our time aiding Honolulu Detective Chang Apana on several cases – I took advantage of our situation to sample the local cuisine. Diced raw salmon with tomato, po-kay salad with seaweed and raw tuna, pork steamed in banana leaves, chicken grilled with vinegar and soy sauce – all I happily gobbled down.
But poor Holmes, homesick for plain solid English meals, did not fare so well. He managed the steamed butterfish and rice, but didn’t care for the seasonings in kalua pork and was revolted by poi (“The texture, Watson, the texture!”). I knew better than to suggest any dishes including raw fish.
But we finally found something Holmes absolutely loved – and for the balance of our visit he subsisted on grilled Spam and coconut pudding, against the day he could once again regale himself with British beef.