Does there come a day in every person’s life when they look around and says to themselves, I have to see if other continents actually exist? I can’t be alone in this, can I? And, of course, I don’t want to insult any hard-solipsists out there, even if they might solely be a product of my mind. Therefore, when I flew over Europe for the first time and planted my foot on the soil people refer to as Spain or more specifically Barcelona, I wept. The only things in life you regret are the risks you didn’t take. This was written on a coffee mug in the airport. I scoffed. People who need a mug to remind them to live life are already dead inside. Yet, days later that mug changed my life. At an outdoor market, in the heart of Barcelona, a friend offered me sardines. Even if you love sardines there is a campaign in our programming to loath them. Sardines are the black sheep of the fish world.

“Me?” for some reason I looked at my hands. “Oh, goodness no.”

My heart raced. Then, magically, like the holy grail, glowing and floating above me, that airport mug appeared. Then it spoke its words to my soul. Funny how quickly that changed my mood. I grabbed the freshly caught mini-fish and gobbled it up without hesitation. In that minute it was the best damn tasting thing I had ever had. I wanted more and more and more.

This whole experience is the opposite of how I felt reading Sedaris’ collection of short stories. But I’m glad I took the risk and read it.

2.5/10