Yesterday's task, if I chose to accept it, was to put a lobster, alive and kicking, in a pot of boiling bouillon called a nage, which means swim in French. In other words, I had to take the lobster out for a swim. However, this was not just a regular pleasant dip in the pool, so this story ends badly, I'm afraid. Badly for the lobster, that is.
I was heartless. I stared into its little black eyes and creepy spider-like tentacle-looking antennae and said, "sorry, bud, this is it". In order to keep his tail straight (to make it easier to later cut up the flesh of the tail), I had to tie trussing string from his "nose" to his tail fin. After preparing the bouillon, I was ready to do the deed. In the lobster went, wailing and shrieking. Actually, it didn't shriek at all, I'm just trying to be dramatic. The creepiest part is that it kept moving even after its swim in the boiling liquid for 1.5 minutes. Its nervous system kept reacting. Creepy.
After this dip, I cracked open its shelly parts and cut up its fleshy parts and created a sauce, or bisque. My classmates presented their lobster in a more classical French way - ruthlessly displaying its dismembered limbs and head. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want is the head (including the eyes) of the thing I'm about to eat, on my plate.
As I learn to cook all kinds of animals, including fowl, rabbit, cow, veal, duck, snails, pig, and fish, I'm discovering that I'm heartless when it comes to killing my dinner. However, I draw the line with presenting my dinner's head on my presentation plate.
Wanting to give my poor boiled and dismembered lobster a bit of dignity, I asked my chef if I could present my dish as a bisque. I was the only one in my class to do this, and it turns out he liked it. He really liked it.
As I ate my lobster bisque, I asked myself whether or not I redeemed my ruthless heart by returning the lobster a bit of its dignity. Probably not, but I was satisfied with myself because (sorry, but I have to toot my own horn here) it was the best lobster I've had in my life. I shared some with my sister and brother-in-law and they concurred.
After this dip, I cracked open its shelly parts and cut up its fleshy parts and created a sauce, or bisque. My classmates presented their lobster in a more classical French way - ruthlessly displaying its dismembered limbs and head. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want is the head (including the eyes) of the thing I'm about to eat, on my plate.
As I learn to cook all kinds of animals, including fowl, rabbit, cow, veal, duck, snails, pig, and fish, I'm discovering that I'm heartless when it comes to killing my dinner. However, I draw the line with presenting my dinner's head on my presentation plate.
Wanting to give my poor boiled and dismembered lobster a bit of dignity, I asked my chef if I could present my dish as a bisque. I was the only one in my class to do this, and it turns out he liked it. He really liked it.
As I ate my lobster bisque, I asked myself whether or not I redeemed my ruthless heart by returning the lobster a bit of its dignity. Probably not, but I was satisfied with myself because (sorry, but I have to toot my own horn here) it was the best lobster I've had in my life. I shared some with my sister and brother-in-law and they concurred.
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| my lobster bisque |
No poor Pedro!!!!!
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