Live octopus is somewhat of a delicacy in Korea. The freshness of those flapping tentacles as they slide down your throat is a uniquely Korean experience, though definitely not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, when a friend of mine from Seoul offered to take me to try live octopus, that was the image in my mind; giant tentacles flailing about in my mouth, sticking to the insides of my cheeks, struggling to prevent being swallowed to the pits of my stomach hell.
What the hell was I getting myself into
I’d read a little bit about eating live octopus in Seoul before, none of them were positive. I had heard one story of a guy who suffocated due to the tentacles suctioning to the walls of his throat, choking him. I read another story about a woman who attempted to eat an octopus live, only for it to ejaculate in her mouth (this turned out to be a squid not octopus). Needless to say, I had my reservations. I also thought about the cruelty of it all (something which I’m still conflicted on). Was it cruel to eat something alive or is that just the ultimate in natural behaviour? And while I would definitely object to eating any land animal alive, it seemed okay for an octopus somehow.
In any case, my friend explained to me that the octopus would be sort of dead. She told me that you don’t actually eat the octopus alive in its entirety, rather they chop it up for you and serve it to you on a plate still wriggling. Brilliant! It’ll be dead and in bite size chunks!
In any case, my friend explained to me that the octopus would be sort of dead. She told me that you don’t actually eat the octopus alive in its entirety, rather they chop it up for you and serve it to you on a plate still wriggling. Brilliant! It’ll be dead and in bite size chunks!
The man I met at a fish market in Seoul
So there we were, at a fish market in Seoul, walking through the stalls selling every kind of sea food imaginable. Most of the fish I couldn’t name, there were shapes of shell fish I’d never seen before, phallic-shaped pulsing organisms and of course, the octopus, slithering away in its temporary watery abode. My friend selected an octopus that she thought was the freshest and before long, we were taken to a partnership restaurant where we sat down for a feast.
A few anxious moments later, it came out. There, in front of me, was an octopus, expertly cut up into small pieces. The tentacles had been separated from the main body and cut up into 3cm long chunks. They wriggled and wreathed on the plate, sticking to every surface they could attach themselves to. I looked at it and immediately, began freaking out. The slime, the liveliness of it all and those strangulation/ejaculation stories I’d read about previously were all right in front of my mind. But I decided, that I was here and I needed to go for it.
A few anxious moments later, it came out. There, in front of me, was an octopus, expertly cut up into small pieces. The tentacles had been separated from the main body and cut up into 3cm long chunks. They wriggled and wreathed on the plate, sticking to every surface they could attach themselves to. I looked at it and immediately, began freaking out. The slime, the liveliness of it all and those strangulation/ejaculation stories I’d read about previously were all right in front of my mind. But I decided, that I was here and I needed to go for it.
It's like a dozen worms wriggling together, trying to free themselves
The first thing I noticed when I went to pick a tentacle with my chopsticks was how difficult it was. The tentacle stuck to the plate with such a force that I had really had to give a good tug to remove it. Tentacle on chopstick, I dipped it into some sauce. As I lowered it into the sauce, it almost seemed to coat itself as it wriggled through the mixture of chilli and oil. Self-saucing suddenly took on a whole new meaning.
Then the moment of truth, the plunge. I looked at it for a few moments and just tried not to think about it too much. I had a game plan. First, I had to yank it off the chopstick with my teeth as it seemed to be stuck to the wood. Then, I just had to chew, chew, chew. The more I chewed, the less likelihood of any flailing about in my mouth. The more I chewed, the less likely I would choke to death. And off I went…the result?
Not too bad!
The first few chews were not fun, mostly from the visual factor and the sliminess. But once I got going, I realized it was actually the most tender piece of octopus I had ever eaten. It had the freshness of the ocean and unlike a lot of octopus I’d eaten in the past, it was not chewy. I at more, the grossness of it all diminishing every time. But, I grew to ‘appreciate’ it. While I can say that I didn’t ‘love’ it, the taste itself was quite enjoyable. And what’s better, I didn’t choke to death and it didn’t ejaculate in my mouth.
Then the moment of truth, the plunge. I looked at it for a few moments and just tried not to think about it too much. I had a game plan. First, I had to yank it off the chopstick with my teeth as it seemed to be stuck to the wood. Then, I just had to chew, chew, chew. The more I chewed, the less likelihood of any flailing about in my mouth. The more I chewed, the less likely I would choke to death. And off I went…the result?
Not too bad!
The first few chews were not fun, mostly from the visual factor and the sliminess. But once I got going, I realized it was actually the most tender piece of octopus I had ever eaten. It had the freshness of the ocean and unlike a lot of octopus I’d eaten in the past, it was not chewy. I at more, the grossness of it all diminishing every time. But, I grew to ‘appreciate’ it. While I can say that I didn’t ‘love’ it, the taste itself was quite enjoyable. And what’s better, I didn’t choke to death and it didn’t ejaculate in my mouth.
For the record, there's more than just live octopus on offer
Meanwhile though, one of my traveling companions decided to eat the head of the octopus. This was something I definitely wasn’t game for and I’m glad I didn’t do it. The eating of the head took about 5minutes of constant chewing, which, half way through, involved an unpleasant crunch when the eye was bitten and broken into….pleasant.
I will say this though, I probably wouldn’t do it again. Before going to the restaurant, my friend said that it would be cut up, which I took to mean that it would be essentially dead, and the wriggling of the detached tentacles would be a result of post-death reflexes. After thinking about it some more, it seemed to me that it really was ‘live’ octopus.
Even though they did cut it, the head/body remained in tact, which pretty much meant that I had just paid to have an octopus limbs ripped off while it watched me eat them. Having said that, I have seen a few places that chop up the head as well so that’s good I guess. Hmm, clearly something that I need to think about more.
For more on the live octopus, including how to actually go about ordering it, check out the South Korea Food section
I will say this though, I probably wouldn’t do it again. Before going to the restaurant, my friend said that it would be cut up, which I took to mean that it would be essentially dead, and the wriggling of the detached tentacles would be a result of post-death reflexes. After thinking about it some more, it seemed to me that it really was ‘live’ octopus.
Even though they did cut it, the head/body remained in tact, which pretty much meant that I had just paid to have an octopus limbs ripped off while it watched me eat them. Having said that, I have seen a few places that chop up the head as well so that’s good I guess. Hmm, clearly something that I need to think about more.
For more on the live octopus, including how to actually go about ordering it, check out the South Korea Food section
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