Wednesday, March 28, 2007

The Lobster Pot

You are forgiven if, like us, you first misread the ribbon running through the lobster's head (?) as "Scott / Cyanide." Cyanide poisoning would have offered a convenient explanation for this poor crustacean's demeanor. (WebMD offers confusion and bizarre behavior as symptoms of cyanide poisoning. Other sources mention giddiness. And finally, let us not forget the cyanide victm's "unusually pink or cherry-red" skin!) But enough! This lobster, though giddy and behaving bizarrely—not only boiling himself alive, but doing so in a pot of smiling lozenges?—is suffering from that malady so familiar among "food" animals. This is that same suicidal ideation we have tirelessly catalogued these past 14 weeks. Assuredly, our potted lobster here demonstrates a florid case of it, but we may in good conscience leave aside our suspicions of murder-by-poison.

Our lobster, defined as he is by his final resting place, is emblematic of this particular perversion. But even after so many posts detailing the many manifestations of the disorder, it continues to baffle and depress. It is understandable that the dead animal connoisseur might prefer his pangs assuaged, but can't the soon-to-be-poached-and-consumed creatures simply be left alone, to die in peace? Must they be paraded through the dining room in full, death-defying chipperness, assuring one and all that the pleasure is all theirs?

Speaking of parades, here is a merry little pageant of suicidal animals, all drawn from the same web site that features the Cyanide (sic) Lobster:









Taken in turn, we have

1. A chorus line of skinned shrimp, happy to perform a delightful little number before leaping into your mouth,
2. A bowl of coy clams, each with a smile on its "face,"
3. Two lobster chums, friends to the end, and
4. A final lobster bidding the world a spirited cheerio from his two-handled grave.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the shrimp are shelled not skinned

Anonymous said...

it says "cyndie" not "cyanide". my sister in law gets that all the time.

Rachel said...

At first site for me, the banner looked like two enormous spliffs, leading to a quite different interpretation of the restaurant name and perhaps explaining the expression on the lobster's face...

Here via BoingBoing, by the way. Neat blog!

Anonymous said...

The lobster's head is shaped like a lobster's tail. If you imagine it without the smile and sunglasses, then the lobster is actually submerged headfirst in that pot of smiling somethings.

Unknown said...

Doesn't the "ribbon" make more sense as a lobster cracker, the implement one would use in such a restaurant to crack open the lobster's carapace and get at his steaming flesh?
That was the first thing I thought of, especially looking at the picture in the context of this site. You don't mention it though. Did you really miss it?
The lobster is literally putting its own head in a vise and offering you the handles, saying "Could it be any more easy to kill me?"
4 nooses at least.