BOI
I grew up near the Gulf of Mexico. When I say near, I mean that I was minutes away from it for the first nineteen years of my life.
Galveston is an island off the coast of Texas. Island? Yes. It’s surrounded by water. There’s even a term the locals use for people who were born in Galveston: BOI or Born On the Island.
As an islander, it might come as a surprise that I hate seafood. Despise it. I’ll sprinkle a little humor on the situation and mention that I worked in a seafood restaurant for three years. Life serves up dishes of irony sometimes. Just put the napkin in your lap and enjoy because there’s no stopping it.
A photo is what got me thinking about this stuff:
I’ve never seen one of these on a boat, but I have seen them numerous times in seafood restaurants. I guess there is, like, a decorating kit these places buy to get you in the mood to eat fish heads and such.
Thankfully these joints usually serve chicken or steak so guys like me can still have a bite.
Back to the picture. That round thing is called a ship’s wheel, and it’s used to … wait for it … steer the ship. A steering wheel. Sadly, I had to Google that, and I’ll confess that I’m disappointed. Ship’s wheel? Lame. Whatever. Another name is boat’s wheel.
Sometimes I miss the sound of waves crashing, and the smell of salt in the air. Crowded beaches. Sunsets over the water. Maybe I even miss cheesy boat’s wheels. There are a million little pieces that fit together and make home for me. And even though I will (probably) never live in Galveston again, I’ll always be BOI.
