“You can tell from the flavour when a fish comes from a lake. And you can also see it.” In what way? “You can tell how fresh a fish is by the red colour around its gills and its clear eyes; the same goes for most fish. But we can also tell the quality by its fins.” He pulls the next specimen out of the net, frees the snagged fish from the green yarn and kills it with two brief and skilled blows on the boat’s rail. Then he points to the fins. “If a fish comes from a farm, it has stubby fins, because it has little room to swim about in the pool. A real wild fish has strong, beautiful fins, like this one here.” They were caught, cured, and delivered to the court in Vienna. Grilled, smoked, or pickled in vinegar. Today, everyone is able to eat a fresh lake char. You just have to turn up at the fish market at the right time.