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Contradiction City
Jan. 19th, 2005 08:02 pmI hate bugs. Insects, that is. Hate 'em, hate 'em. Most of them ick me right the heck out.
On the other hand, I think that crabs, specifically blue crabs but several other varieties as well, are adorable.
And really, crabs are just really big, sea-going beetles that taste good.
This was brought home to me tonight because I was watching an episode of "Good Eats" entitled "Crustacean Nation III", and the theme was (you guessed it) crabs, and a subplot for the night involved an "escaped" live crab being hunted in the background all over the set by the "crab wrangler", and occasionally Alton Brown would, like, pull open a drawer or turn around, and there tucked into a serving dish or perched on a hanging pot, without him noticing, would be the live blue crab -- waving its little claws as if to say, "you'll never catch me! ha hah hah hah!"
And every time they showed it, I went, "AWWWWWWW!"
The odd thing is -- I often say that I don't like insects because they are small and fast-moving and they get out of my sight and out of my control. But tiny crabs? Even cuter than adult crabs. Would I let a cockroach run all over my hand? EXCUSE ME? Hell, no! Not unless you gave me a substantial sum of money, anyway. But teeny little fast-moving baby crabs? Yes, have gone to great lengths just to find them and catch them in tidal pools for the sole purpose of letting them run around on my hand until.... oh LOOK, it tried to PINCH me, isn't that CUUUUUUUUTE?????
I don't get this.
Maybe it has to do with the way I was raised, or something. Some of my earliest memories involve being taken out crabbing (yeah, that's odd, too -- I see absolutely no contradiction between thinking they are adorable, and not only finding them good to eat, but being willing to catch them live myself, cook them, and dismember them), and my parents allowing undersized ones that we couldn't keep run around on the boat for a few seconds before tossing them back; or of taking the bushel back to the house and putting on the pot (with the Old Bay Seasoning and all), and the inevitable part of the process that involved at least one crab making a break for freedom, and dancing around the kitchen with upraised claws, scaring the cat, until being captured by tongs.
Still, really -- why this should have translated into Crab Tolerance and even Fondness, I don't know. And it inspires other philosophical thoughts, such as -- if I had grown up in a place that had palmetto bugs (i.e. Jumbo Cockroaches), would I be inclined to find them cute as well, instead of being inclined to throw a giant hissy-fit when I see even the FEELERS of one? I dunno.
I think... I might look into getting a little land-crab as a pet. I used to have hermit-crabs when I was a kid (of course), but they're not the same.
On the other hand, I think that crabs, specifically blue crabs but several other varieties as well, are adorable.
And really, crabs are just really big, sea-going beetles that taste good.
This was brought home to me tonight because I was watching an episode of "Good Eats" entitled "Crustacean Nation III", and the theme was (you guessed it) crabs, and a subplot for the night involved an "escaped" live crab being hunted in the background all over the set by the "crab wrangler", and occasionally Alton Brown would, like, pull open a drawer or turn around, and there tucked into a serving dish or perched on a hanging pot, without him noticing, would be the live blue crab -- waving its little claws as if to say, "you'll never catch me! ha hah hah hah!"
And every time they showed it, I went, "AWWWWWWW!"
The odd thing is -- I often say that I don't like insects because they are small and fast-moving and they get out of my sight and out of my control. But tiny crabs? Even cuter than adult crabs. Would I let a cockroach run all over my hand? EXCUSE ME? Hell, no! Not unless you gave me a substantial sum of money, anyway. But teeny little fast-moving baby crabs? Yes, have gone to great lengths just to find them and catch them in tidal pools for the sole purpose of letting them run around on my hand until.... oh LOOK, it tried to PINCH me, isn't that CUUUUUUUUTE?????
I don't get this.
Maybe it has to do with the way I was raised, or something. Some of my earliest memories involve being taken out crabbing (yeah, that's odd, too -- I see absolutely no contradiction between thinking they are adorable, and not only finding them good to eat, but being willing to catch them live myself, cook them, and dismember them), and my parents allowing undersized ones that we couldn't keep run around on the boat for a few seconds before tossing them back; or of taking the bushel back to the house and putting on the pot (with the Old Bay Seasoning and all), and the inevitable part of the process that involved at least one crab making a break for freedom, and dancing around the kitchen with upraised claws, scaring the cat, until being captured by tongs.
Still, really -- why this should have translated into Crab Tolerance and even Fondness, I don't know. And it inspires other philosophical thoughts, such as -- if I had grown up in a place that had palmetto bugs (i.e. Jumbo Cockroaches), would I be inclined to find them cute as well, instead of being inclined to throw a giant hissy-fit when I see even the FEELERS of one? I dunno.
I think... I might look into getting a little land-crab as a pet. I used to have hermit-crabs when I was a kid (of course), but they're not the same.
