Extreme Dining: Live Octopus? Yum!

LA Times has a neat (or gross, your pick) article spotlighting four extreme eateries in Los Angeles, including a restaurant where the food is served in complete darkness, a restaurant that serves seafood so fresh it’s still alive, and one that specializes in serving insects as gourmet entrées!

Arriving on the scene ignorant of Korean, and finding no English-speaking servers, I might have had problems cornering my prey. But I came prepared, armed with the magic words "san nag-jik": live octopus.

The name is a bit of a misnomer — since the preparation involves relieving the poor ‘pus of his bulbous head, it should probably be called "dying octopus" — but there’s no mistaking the lively tentacles the waitress politely delivers. They’re moving, pulsing, writhing.

Fortified by a few shots of soju cocktail, I attempt to pick a segment up, but even with the chopsticks provided, it’s difficult. The suction cups are still working furiously, forming a tight vacuum against the plate. With a little elbow grease, however, I wrestle it free, dip it in the obligatory sauce — sesame oil and salt — and pop it into my mouth.

Link (with video) – Thanks Tiffany!