On Food and Cooking

substances called “wax esters,” which are
an oil-like combination of a long-chain
fatty acid and a long-chain alcohol.
Humans lack the digestive enzymes
necessary to break these molecules into
their smaller, absorbable parts. The wax
esters therefore pass intact and oily from
the small intestine into the colon, where a
sufficient quantity will cause diarrhea.
Restaurants are the best place to
experience these luscious fish — the flesh
is as much as 20% calorie-free “oil” —
because they usually limit the serving size
to a tolerable amount.
The paleness of fish flesh results from
water’s buoyancy and its resistance to
movement. Continuous cruising requires long-
term stamina and is therefore performed by
slow-twitch red fibers, well supplied with the
oxygen-storing pigment myoglobin and fat for
fuel (p. 132). Since cruising in buoyant water
is relatively effortless, fish devote between a