Korean Job Discussion Forums

beachbumNC · Joined: 30 May 2007 Location: Gumi

i was told that one of the most prized Korean delicacies is live octopus.

this can be a larger octopus that you cut up and eat the parts while they are still wiggling, or an octopus small enough to wrap around a chopstick and eat whole.

the latter can open itself up and kill you by choking you to death from the inside of your throat.

the whole idea is insane to me. it is a strong animal with more intelligence than a cat and a broad array of defensive weapons.

so, has anybody here eaten live octopus? what's it like?

MissSeoul · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: Somewhere in America

enns · Joined: 02 May 2006

Live octopus is good but overrated. I've eaten it chopped up, it moves a lot but isn't difficult to eat.

swetepete · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Location: a limp little burg

Yeah, I'm against it in principle. But when I go for fish sometimes they bust out the dancing squid, for free, just to see what I do.
I eat it.
It's good!
If you don't chop it up small, it might be big enough to choke you I suppose. I guess there's an element of a macho soul-eating trip that goes on at some level, and guys do try to out-do each other by eating a bigger, wierder, alive-er thing than their pal just ate. But really--it's just rubbery salty nothing, same as regular squid. Chew, swallow, repeat if necessary.

Trick is, you dip it in the sesame oil, and it'll be too lubed to throttle you, no matter how big it is, and no matter how drunk you are.

in_seoul_2003 · Joined: 24 Nov 2003

Captain Courageous · Joined: 16 Jul 2006 Location: Bundang and loving it

Had it this weekend. It's really quite a boring meal. Trying to pry it off the plate is a gas, though.

doggyji · Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:02 am Post subject:

Among long-time posters, is there still someone who doesn't know what MissSeoul is? The character's first language is even in veil. Interesting. Laughing

The Perfect Cup of Coffee · Joined: 17 Jun 2007

Yeah I found it fairly overrated as well. I remember having it as a free side dish after ordering hae-mul-t'ang (seafood soup) out near Ganghwa-do. Pretty much just dunked it in gochujang and chewed it down. Once you get over the psychological part that your food is still squirming, it really has no taste other than the spicy dipping sauce or sesame oil.

everydavid · Joined: 26 Aug 2004 Location: dans la lune

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

jaganath69 · Joined: 17 Jul 2003

I love to wrestle with my food, therefor I am in favor of this dish.

faster · Joined: 03 Sep 2006

I love it. It's not only a meal--it's also a show.

(tip: to prevent it from grabbing your teeth, dip it in sesame oil)

(very glad octopus can't scream)

PeterDragon · Joined: 15 Feb 2007

Ate it. Hate it. It crosses a line from being slimy to being mucusy. I was coughing up octopus flavored phlegm for a day. It makes for a good story to tell when I get back home though, and was indded a hell of a show. Seems to be a drinking activity.

I agree with Miss Seoul, though--- cooked octopus is damn good. Also boiled cold octopus in salad or as a standalone finger food.

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

Who the fuck believes an octopus is smarter than a cat?

PeterDragon · Joined: 15 Feb 2007

Well, they do suprisingly well in intelligence tests.

Octopuses, for instance, learn very quickly, as much or moreso than some higher mammals. Through observation alone (no conditioning or training), an octopus can learn how to unscrew the lid of a jar, as demonstrated in this experiment: http://www.szn.it/actrep92/aqua_203.htm

Smarter than a cat? As an octopus eating cat lover, I hope not.