I used to anchor here before there was a marina. One night found me, a friend and a new puppy, anchored in this then peaceful anchorage. I made Tuna Sushi Rolls for dinner. We were dining on deck. We both loved Wasabi, that spicy green Japanese horseradish that offers up a sharp tasty bite (as well as known to instantly clear the sinuses.) Some soy sauce and pickled ginger complimented our tuna-seaweed-rice dinner.

At each meal, we tried to teach the puppy not to bother our food, and not to hang around and beg. We usually fed her at the same time so she would ignore our food, but she was a puppy, and would wolf her food down hurriedly, so she could stand by our table and beg. We were trying to stop this behavior, and thus far we had been careful to guard our food and make sure she didn't steal any.

We had just got comfy and maybe tasted one or two tuna sushi rolls, dipped in soy sauce and smeared with a bit of Wasabi, chased down by pickled ginger, when we heard the call for help. A fisherman, in a dinghy, had somehow become entangled on something, and his little boat was stuck out in the harbor. The engine wouldn't start and paddling was getting him nowhere.

We jumped in the dinghy and ran over to assist. His engine had tangled with a frayed hidden mooring line, we used a knife to set it free again. We returned to our boat, looking forward to eating the rest of our dinner. But alas, the young puppy had beat us to it! All the sushi was gone including the huge blob of bright green Wasabi.

Puppy stood there with her eyes as big as saucers, her bright green tongue hanging out, her nose running, her eyes watery and she had drank her water bowl dry and still looked to be in shock. We couldn't stop laughing, the look on her face was hilarious! That amount of Wasabi must have burned her tongue and throat and made the poor thing wonder what on earth had hit her. Water doesn't cure the Wasabi heat, as most folks eat Wasabi in tiny amounts, not huge globs like this puppy had. Something starchy, like the rice in sushi tempers the burn.

We fetched her water and more dry kibble, to try to ease the burn. I will never forget those huge glassy eyes of horror on that little puppy's face, when we returned to the boat. And that was the First and the Last time, that puppy ever stole people food. Talk about a lesson learned!!!

Written by Miss Mermaid.