THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 30, 1994 TAG: 9406280047
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Ruth Fantasia
DATELINE: 940630 LENGTH: Medium
When Geraldo Andrade, chef at The Daily Catch restaurant in Boston, pulled the claws off a live lobster on NBC's ``Today'' show last week, Katie Couric winced and turned away.
{REST} Apparently, so did viewers.
The segment prompted protests in front the show's Manhattan studios, as well as hundreds of calls to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, Andrade pooh-poohed the incident on ``Entertainment Tonight,'' saying, ``The lobster didn't feel anything.''
Not so, says Ray S. Birdsong, professor of biological sciences for the marine science department at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
``I'm sure lobsters can feel just like fish can feel,'' Birdsong says. ``We like to fool ourselves and think that they can't. But I doubt seriously if it would be like ripping off your arm. Crustaceans in general lose claws rather commonly - often fighting with each other - and grow them back again,'' he adds.
Probably more painful for the lobster is being cooked in boiling water, Birdsong says. ``If you ever watch a lobster or a bunch of crabs in a pot of boiling water, that is a highly agitated state. I'd equate that with pain.''
And if you think that baked-stuffed lobster sitting on your plate was split after being steamed, think again.
If you want to eat lobster without hurting it, Birdsong suggests putting the live crustacean in the freezer for about 30 minutes before cooking it.
``In a way, it renders them unconscious. Then you can do with them what you will.''
A word of caution
Beginning Friday, Virginians will face some of the toughest penalties in the country for driving under the influence.
The new legislation lowers the blood-alcohol standard for determining intoxication from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent, and imposes a host of other restrictions. People arrested for drunken driving will lose their license for seven days.
But it's summertime and the parties are plentiful. If you're attending one, bring along a designated driver. If you're hosting one, offer at least two kinds of nonalcoholic beverages.
Mix a few ``virgin cocktails'' by simply leaving out the alcohol. Try orange juice and grenadine for a Not-So-Tequila Sunset, or cranberry and orange juice lightened with soda water.
Frozen drinks taste great in summer, too.
Combine a scoop of vanilla ice cream, half a small can of frozen lime-juice concentrate, a teaspoon of sugar and the juice of half a lime in a blender. Mix until smooth and frosty. Run a lime slice around the edge of the glass and dip the glass in salt. Pour in the frozen lime mixture and garnish with a slice of lime. You won't make it to Margaritaville, but you'll probably make it it home safely.
The same techniques can be used for frozen strawberry or peach daiquiris. Just freeze fresh fruit and combine with ice cream and sugar in a blender. The ice cream gives the drinks a smooth texture and cuts their acidity. And it can be used in drinks for those who aren't driving.
by CNB