To 'surf' or to 'turf?' That is the question

"The paella is thick with the sea,

Creatures of the deep,

Fresh and poised warm

On the platter of our desire." -- poem excerpt by Ronald Baytan

Long have I, too, desired to experience the taste of buttery lobster, the crack of the crab's claw and the roll of the sushi.

But is it meant to be? I fear not, for me.

For as long as I can remember, I've never exactly possessed the ability to consume seafood. Sometimes I even get the feeling there is something out there actively seeking to deprive me of this culinary category of which I've heard so much about.

Well, as it turns out, there may be good reason for that.

The history of mankind's dependence on the sea is as ancient as it is true; the very idea provokes thoughts of Poseidon, Odysseus and Captain Ahab who obviously lived off the crustaceans, fish and other invertebrates found in the ocean's depths (fictitiously or not as these stories reflect upon their period's respective practices), so what are the differences between individuals that allow some, but not all, to consume seafood?

Could it be genetic, or is it a sign of something larger? And what of the correlation between my instinctual desire and my practical inability?

I believe I have found the answer.

Throughout history, nations around the world have struggled when land-locked. In fact, nearly every country to influence the world, in one way or another, has shared a border with a large body of water -- whether it be an ocean, bay or river. Some examples include Norway (ranked second in overall coastline-length behind Canada at 51,748 miles), Russia (23,396 miles) and, of course, the United States (12,380 miles) -- arguably three of the most prominent nations to date.

Personally, my heritage comes from the British isles, ranked 14th overall with 7,723 miles of coastline and a total domestic fishing-GDP of £5.84 billion (or $6.65 billion) annually, making fishing a leading industry of Great Britain's world-wide economy (source: seavision.org/uk).

Fish pie, fish'n'chips and fish cakes lead are just a few examples of dishes consumed daily by my cousins across the pond, so what's my problem?

Is it in my genetic makeup to want fish? And, if so, am I just unlucky?

Whether a person is truly allergic to seafood or it simply doesn't agree with them, studies show some interesting statistics that may clear up this aquatic quandary:

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics, revealed in a 2010 joint-study of nearly 7,000 individuals that only 1.4 percent of children in the United States have legitimate allergies to shellfish -- the third-highest category behind peanuts (2 percent) and milk (1.7 percent).

However, this seemingly-low percentage translates to more than 4.9 million people in the U.S. alone with such an allergy. Despite the large number of afflicted, seafood services continue to flourish as they have for hundreds of years.

Therefore, in summary, I believe there is a fundamental and genetic desire in all of us (undoubtedly within myself) to consume seafood and seafood products, but some of us (the "lucky" few) are unable due to a genetic abnormality (allergy).

So, is there an ancestrally-invoked desire within myself to eat lobster? Yes. Am I unlucky? Yes. Will this knowledge prevent me from trying more in the future?

I think not.