Ok, then this must be some whacko version of this riddle. Every version I've seen has his wife in it. What good is a search engine if you won't cooperate, Dakota?
Did the taste remind him of the time he was stranded on an island and he had to eat his pet parrot just to survive.
Does his occupation as a sea captain have any relevance to the reason? Does the location of the restauarant on the west coast have any relevance to the reason? Does the taste of seagull remind him of a person? Does the taste of seagull remind him of a past situation?
did the taste remind him of a person? I think I have it but I have a few minor details to figure out.
Was the seagull really an albatross? Did he think he killed a sea-faring friend which is just a bad bad naughty dastardly thing to do?