Octopuses are fascinating creatures. They are one of the most
intelligent animals on the planet, and have a completely different brain
and nervous system to us. Their legs are even capable of directed and
independent movement even if chopped off. In South Korea, therefore, you
would be wise to take caution when eating saknakji, a live octopus
dish. A small octopus is dismembered, drizzled with soy sauce or sesame
oil, and then eaten. The octopus typically does not have time to die
before it is eaten, and each of the legs is still quite capable of
movement. They have been known to try to choke diners. It is not unusual
for the suckers on the legs to get caught in one’s throat, and on
average there are six deaths a year in South Korea due to asphyxiation
by octopus tentacles from saknakji. There have even been several cases
of tentacles climbing internally from the mouth up into the nasal
cavity. The danger and liveliness of this dish is said to improve its
taste.
No comments:
Post a Comment