Warning for the faint-hearted...you may find this is a cruel post!

We bought a live lobster this weekend. SD's instinctive method for boiling the lobster exactly matches what professional cooks recommend (plunge lobster head first in pot of boiling water and kill instantly to avoid burns from the trashing tail) in About.com. According to this website, "research indicates the lobster has no central nervous system or cerebral cortex to register stimuli, thus mostly likely can feel no pain". Other methods I have just learned from this website are "putting the lobster in the freezer an hour before cooking or (careful here...) plunge the tip of a sharp knife straigth down right behind the lobsters eyes. For those who do not wish to wrestle with a thrashing lobster to cut the spinal cord, place the lobster in a large pot in the sink. Begin filling with cold tap water and gradually increase the heat factor of the tap water until it is hot. This will desensitize the creature so you can cut the cord and put it into the pot or cut it in half for further cooking".

I am very much inclined for the method we used this weekend. Steam it. Head first to a pot with a couple of centimetres of boiling water and that's it. At least it's quick. However, I cannot really believe that lobster don't feel any pain because they don't have a central nervous system. I mean, really! if they were not to feel any pain, those would be Super-Lobsters, I just don't know how we would stop them if they were to decide to unite themselves and conquer the oceans. No. I think we are told lobsters don't feel pain so we don't feel guilty for plunging them into boiling water. Curiously enough, most of the people who do not have any remorse for killing clams, cockles or mussels, say they feel remorse when killing a lobster, as the lobster has a 'face'. And cockles don't, of course. Same people who don't have any remorse when eating a beef steak, as steaks don't have a 'face'!...there you are, how well put! But the best argument I heard for not eating lamb chops came like this : "When I see a lamb chop then I imagine a little white wooly lamb going baaah baaaah... and then I feel sooo sad and I cannot eat the lamb chop!" So I asked this girl what was the situation with fish. To my amazement, this girl answered she would not eat fish either. "But that's not because they are white and wooly and go baaah baaaah, is it?" I asked her. "Noooo!"- she said - "It's because when I see a fish it reminds me of Nemo and then I feel sooo saaad I cannot eat it!". No comment here.


Aviso para las 'almas sensibles'...podria ser que este post os pareciera cruel!
Este fin de semana compramos una langosta viva. El metodo empleado por SD para matarla y cocinarla fue exactamente el recomendado por los profesionales de la cocina. Es decir, sumergir la langosta de cabeza en una olla de agua hirviendo, para lograr una muerte instantanea y que los movimientos de la cola no nos salpiquen de agua hirviendo. Segun la pagina web About.com : "las investigaciones cientificas indican que la langosta no tiene sistema nervioso central o cortex cerebral que registre estimulos, por lo cual no siente dolor". Otros metodos que he leido en esta pagina son "colocar la langosta en el frigorifico durante una hora o (cuidado con esta, si sois facilmente impresionables)clavar la punta de un cuchillo afilado directamente detras de los ojos de la langosta. Para los que no deseen luchar con la langosta al realizar esta operacion, colocar la langosta en una olla grande debajo del grifo. Empezar a llenar la olla con agua fria y, gradualmente, abrir el grifo del agua caliente hasta que salga hirviendo. Este metodo desensitizara a la langosta de manera que podremos cortarle la espina dorsal y ponerla a hervir o bien cortarla por la mitada y continuar cocinando".

Yo, francamente, me inclino por el metodo que usamos este fin de semana. Al vapor. De cabeza a la olla con un par de centimetros de agua hirviendo y se acabo. Es rapido, al menos. Sin embargo, no me acabo de creer que las langostas no sientan dolor al no tener sistema nervioso central. Pues bien que estaria, serian super-langostas y no se que las detendria si decidieran unirse y conquistar los mares. No, mas bien me parece que se nos dice que no sienten dolor para que no tengamos remordimientos al matarlas. Curiosamente, la mayoria de gente que no siente ninguna pena al cocer almejas o mejillones siente pena al cocinar langosta. Porque, dicen, los mejillones no tienen 'cara' y las langostas si. Mientras tanto, no tienen ninguna pena en zamparse unos buenos bistecs de ternera, porque, claro, como el bistec no tiene 'cara'... lo que hay que oir. Pero lo mejor de lo mejor es el argumento que oi para no comer cordero. 'Es que cuando veo una costilla de cordero me imagino un corderito balando, con su lanita blanca, y me da taaaanta penaaa.." me dijo una chica. A la pregunta de si le pasaba lo mismo con el pescado, me dijo que tampoco comia pescado. "No sera porque balan y la lanita blanca, no? pregunte yo. "Nooo, que vaaaa"- dijo la chica - " es que me recuerdan a Nemo y me dan taaaanta penaaa!".... sin comentarios!.


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
28C
UV Index: 4 Moderate
Wind: From the East at 8 mph
Dew Point: 17C
Humidity: 51%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,013.9 mb