A Houston, Texan 20 something lady called today,
wanting some information how she and her husband could
“get into the salmon business”. She said her
grandparents had some friends who lived in Seattle and
came to Alaska fishing in the summer. She said that
sounded good, because she didn’t think she could
handle all the extreme cold her.
So, I asked her what she knew about salmon. She said
“I know alot about salmon”. So I asked her how many
species of Pacific Salmon there were. Dead silence.
She then said she knew more about the health benefits
of salmon. So I asked what are the health benefits of
salmon? She said “Omega-3 fatty acids”. I asked what
are Omega-3’s good for? More dead silence. Now she
was pretty mad. She went on to say people want to be
surgeons but don’t know surgery and have to learn. I
didn’t mention that most non-surgeons don’t tell
people they know alot about surgery….
She went on to say her husband loved to fish and she
wanted to “get into the business” but only in the
summer because she couldn’t handle cold weather and
the darkness. Call me crazy, but I don’t think she
was a real good candidate for making Alaska her home –
even in the summer.
Then she asked if “jets” could land at Juneau’s
airport, or just “bi-planes”. I said we get 737’s
here. She thought since jets landed here, Juneau must
be an “industrialized” and “booming” place, so this
might be a good place to start.
Finally she said she just wanted to try something new
because of all the “foreigners” in Houston. “It’s
just a melting pot with Pakistanis and Moslems” she
said. When I told her Alaska also had “foreigners” –
such as our Filipino residents who have been here for
generations and are pillars of such communities as
Juneau and Kodiak – well, I think that was the last
straw. Maybe Alaska wasn’t going to be the answer to
her desire to live in a slower place – because
sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows
your………race. Where you’re always glad you came.
I hope she doesn’t pick Juneau…………………
–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com