Hypnotized Lobster

If you stroke lobsters on the back of their shell they go into a trance, as if hypnotized. You can then stand them on their head, and they stay like that. Some people think that doing this before cooking them makes them taste better. Details from The Wicked Good Book: A Guide to Maine Living by Stephen Gleasner:

It turns out that there is a serious debate being waged as to whether lobsters can really be hypnotized. One scientist I spoke to said that a lobster can be "tonically immobilized," but not hypnotized. As far as I can tell, tonic immobilization just means that after being rubbed on the top of its shell, just behind its eyes, the lobster seems to lose any will to move and can be stood on its beak and claws in a kind of tripod arrangement. And the lobster seems content to just stay like this, balanced on its beak and claws. But I don't speak lobster, so it's really hard to say what is on the mind of a tonically immobilized lobster that has been forced to do a headstand.

Some people swear this ritual makes the meat taste better if the lobster is thrown into the boiling water while still under "hypnosis." We carried out a double-blind taste test on our back porch one evening, and I thought all the boiled lobster tasted great.

Image source: Hypnotism, by Carl Sextus



     Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 12, 2023
     Category: Food | Hypnotism, Mesmerism and Mind Control





Comments
She's right from the start - they're big bugs. You might think about that the next time you eat one.
Another thing that's debated is the screaming that's heard when one puts the lobster in the boiling water for cooking. Unfortunately I've never had the chance because the lobsters I've ever cooked were dismembered before any cooking took place.
Posted by KDP on 04/12/23 at 12:56 PM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.