Knowing about Myself with Squids
This week, a boring Press Meet about an existing hotel in Electronics City in Bangalore getting a new management became interesting for me.
For lunch, the hotel hosted for us its best -- Italian cuisine. For starters, they served us a platter of some assorted snacks. I ate a squid mistaking it for an onion ring. It tasted like cheese first but later it tasted very different and unusual. I asked a colleague who had no clue what it was. Then I asked the waiter and he told me they were squids.
Because I think I must not eat animals, it was difficult for me to continue eating the squid. I had not swallowed it and was able to spit it out in the washroom. More than the taste, simply thinking that I had eaten something that had eyes and a nose led me to throw up. How much the mind influences us! So I forced myself to stop thinking about that. That shift in thoughts and a strong mint toffee from a public relations girl quickly blocked the squiddish taste and I was fine.
Anyway, I got curious about the creature and as soon as I had filed the story about the hotel for my paper, I Googled for 'squid'. I found the squid is a ten-armed cephalopod with a long, tapered body, and a caudal (whatever that is) fin on each side. It is cooked differently in different countries. I was particularly interested in how the Italians ate their squids. They make "calamari" -- breaded, deep fried squids.
Squids also have sacs with ink that is "harvested" and used in pastas and risottos for its flavour. The ink is also used in printing. There is even a restaurant somewhere called the "Squid Ink".
Geography shapes diets and squids, I learnt, are eaten all over the world -- in India, Japan, Europe.
Squids also high in selenium, Vitamin B12, and riboflavin.
I read that a squid is also a device that is able to measures minute changes in magnetic fields.
The word "squiddish" reminds me of "Quidditch".
For lunch, the hotel hosted for us its best -- Italian cuisine. For starters, they served us a platter of some assorted snacks. I ate a squid mistaking it for an onion ring. It tasted like cheese first but later it tasted very different and unusual. I asked a colleague who had no clue what it was. Then I asked the waiter and he told me they were squids.
Because I think I must not eat animals, it was difficult for me to continue eating the squid. I had not swallowed it and was able to spit it out in the washroom. More than the taste, simply thinking that I had eaten something that had eyes and a nose led me to throw up. How much the mind influences us! So I forced myself to stop thinking about that. That shift in thoughts and a strong mint toffee from a public relations girl quickly blocked the squiddish taste and I was fine.
Anyway, I got curious about the creature and as soon as I had filed the story about the hotel for my paper, I Googled for 'squid'. I found the squid is a ten-armed cephalopod with a long, tapered body, and a caudal (whatever that is) fin on each side. It is cooked differently in different countries. I was particularly interested in how the Italians ate their squids. They make "calamari" -- breaded, deep fried squids.
Squids also have sacs with ink that is "harvested" and used in pastas and risottos for its flavour. The ink is also used in printing. There is even a restaurant somewhere called the "Squid Ink".
Geography shapes diets and squids, I learnt, are eaten all over the world -- in India, Japan, Europe.
Squids also high in selenium, Vitamin B12, and riboflavin.
I read that a squid is also a device that is able to measures minute changes in magnetic fields.
The word "squiddish" reminds me of "Quidditch".
VK Murty's article is very nice.The squid episode was a sad thing to happen but you write so well, Renu!
ReplyDeleteThank you! You are the first person to have been motivated enough to leave a Comment on my blog! :-)
ReplyDeleteAlso, my colleague later said she thought the squid was a 'chakkli'! :-))
Chakkli!!!! Dear lord!! Now Im wondering if the KodbaLe I ate the other day was an octopus!!!
ReplyDeleteGood to see you blogging in 'G' finally!
DO you know that the Giant Squid is one of the most legendary and mysterious creatures in the whole world, and it has been rumored to have sent many a ship to watery grave.
Hoping to see a lot more posts!
Yours Politely :-),
Anup
Octopus as kodbaLe! :-))
ReplyDeleteNow I know one more factoid about the giant squid. Am slowly getting used to navigating around 'G'. Thanks so much for all the encouragement, will try to write more. Am happy to see people leaving Comments, delighted that people are leaving delightful Comments.
I am President of a rights group for squids and will slap a legal case on you for eating my client.
ReplyDeleteI will get a shark lawyer!
ReplyDeleteI really thought it looked like what they call 'thenkuzhal' in Tamil Nadu! Just that the size was way too small. But your expression with that squid snack in your mouth is something I cannot forget in a long time! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Anjana, your Comment adds authenticity to the earlier observation!
ReplyDelete:-)) Anjana!
ReplyDeleteBtw, I still remember that expression... Just re-reading your blog brought back memories of that day!! :)))
ReplyDelete