# Most humane way of cooking lobster? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200 "2005-11-15T19:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/21 "2005-11-16T02:52:52Z")
> [@Doug](#): > > Jevver crack open the back end of a lobster and find that green glop in there? What is that? Lobstermaggots? Does anyone EAT that shit? Yup; it’s in the thorax, btw. Tamale. Nope. Not me, but some people consider it a delicacy. Ya really want to know what Tamale is? (Spoiler box for the squeemish) organs, like liver, spleen, etc. if you’re lucky, and you like that sort of thing, eggs. In case you were wondering, my dad took _a lot_ of comparative anatomy in his college years. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/22 "2005-11-16T03:46:24Z")
> [@JustAnotherGeek](#): > > Yup; it’s in the thorax, btw. Yecch. Part of my definition of good eating is not having to crack a thorax, or even use the word “thorax.” Dry rub ribs sound appetizing. Dry rub thorax just sounds painful. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/23 "2005-11-16T15:37:25Z")
Hee. In Australia, they’re sold on restaurant menus as bugs. Not lobsters - you want a lobster in Australia, you order a bug. I hear the Moreton Bay Bugs are very good indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/24 "2005-11-16T15:42:06Z")
**Snickers** , are there other types of bugs? I’m specifically thinking of crawfish/crawdads/whatever, which are often referred to in the southern U.S. as “mud bugs”. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/25 "2005-11-16T15:44:27Z")
> [@JustAnotherGeek](#): > > Ha! Simulpost with someone else who watches Good Eats! 🆒 Everyone watches _Good Eats_. At least, all the 🆒 people do. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/26 "2005-11-16T16:05:05Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > Hasn’t it been pretty much proven that lobsters can’t feel pain? It was a University study, I think. Or a combo of Uni and gov’t studies. Can anyone clear that up for me? I’ve posted a couple of times, segments of an article in _Dive Training_ magazine called _Do Fish Feel Pain?_. Here, let me go find it… > [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > The March 2004 issue of Dive Training magazine has an article on page 85 called “Do Fish Feel Pain?” I looked, but could not find the article online. Obviously I can’t post the whole article here, but here are some highlights: > > > [@](#): > > > > [Lynne Sneddon], a professor of animal biology at the University of Liverpool, in England, published a study in which she tried to provoke pain in fish. Not just an “owwie”, mind you, but actual “pain” – a sensation of equal parts physical discomfort and emotional suffering usually reserved for creatures with big brains. > > The professor injected a group of rainbow trout in the snout with bee venom, another group with acetic acid (the article noted the irony to fish’n’chips fans that acetic acid is the acid in malt vinegar), and a third group with saline as a control group. A fourth group was handled by researchers, but not injected. This was to rule out the stress of experimentation being the cause of any reaction. > > Sensors known as nociceptors are designed to warn the organism about “noxious stimulation” and are the “front line defense against impaling oneself on sharp objects”. > > > [@](#): > > > > “Anomalous behaviours were exhibited by trout subjected to bee venom and acetic acid,” Sneddon says. "Fish demonstrated ‘rocking’ motion, stikingly similar to the kind of motion seen in stressed higher vertibrates like mammals… These do not appear to be reflex responses. > > > > That reaction fulfills a set of criteria for animal suffering, Sneddon says. To make sure, she gave fish morphine to see if they “feel better” after treatment. Sure enough, their respirations alowed and they stopped swaying. So that settles it. Fish feel pain. > > “Not so fast,” the article continues. James Rose of the University of Wyoming Department of psychology and Department of Zoology and Physiology says that “fish can’t possibly feel pain, even if they display a few suspicious-looking behaviours, because they don’t have the brains for it.” > > The article states that the medical definition of pain is “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with tissue damage… The key is the emotional component.” That is, in order to feel pain, the brain needs the “wiring” to experience both sensation and emotion. “That’s the problem,” Rose says. “In fish, there’s not a snowball’s chance because they don’t have the hardware to have consciousness.” > > The article continues: > > > [@](#): > > > > Sneddon uses a looser definition of pain that’s widely used in animal-based research. If the animal has basic neurological receptors, including nociceptors, connected to a central nervous system, the ability to naturally create painkillers called neuropeptide opiates, a proven reaction to analgesics, and humanlike reactions to pain, it’s a winner. > > Sneddon says that not all fish (e.g. sharks and rays – elasmobranchs) pass the test because they don’t have nociceptors. > > > [@](#): > > > > But just because it looks like pain, doesn’t mean it really is pain, Rose says. And he’s got a pretty good argument, grounded in the fundamental rule of neurobiology: If the apparatus isn’t there – which it’s not in fish – the sensation isn’t either. > > There are two columns of “interpretations”. > > > [@](#): > > > > Ultimately, “if it looks like pain, it is pain” isn’t a good definition [Snow, whose credentials I didn’t see in my scan of the article, as I’m running out of time] says, "Humans born without cerebral hemispheres will still show facial signs of “pain” when exposed to noxious stimuli, even though they are permanently unconscious. Likewise, people with spinal cord injuries may reflexively pull away from a pin prick, even though they can’t feel it. Both are nociceptor reactions. > > So it appears that while fish demonstrate behaviours that we would call reaction to pain, it’s not at all clear that they actually feel “pain”. I don’t know if lobsters have nociceptors, but I’m guessing (and it’s only a guess) that they don’t. In any case, they don’t have the apparatus to feel “pain” on a level discussed in the article. As I said in the quote, fish (and presumably lobsters) feel pain or they don’t feel pain. I think they don’t, and others think they do. Whether they do or not, I think plunging them into boiling water is better than being eaten alive in the wild. If they feel pain, then it’s more merciful than being eaten alive by a predator. If they don’t feel pain, then it doesn’t matter anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/27 "2005-11-16T16:05:10Z")
This is making me feel badly about eating lobster. ☹ Then again, I don’t eat it that often because it looks so much like an insect. I prefer king crab anyway. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/28 "2005-11-16T16:17:11Z")
King crab is PEOPLE!!! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/29 "2005-11-16T16:24:30Z")
I prefer dungeness crab. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/30 "2005-11-16T16:29:51Z")
I had the chance to ask some Maine lobstermen about a lobster’s perception of its environment in general. They were of the opinion that if lobsters were any smarter, they would be able to find their way out of the lobster trap after consuming the bait. 😃 On a serious note, lobsters can lose their (tasty!) claws in the wild without appearing to be bothered (except for being more vulnerable to attacks). When compared to the trauma of a snapped-off appendage, I don’t think a pot of boiling water would bother them too much. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/31 "2005-11-16T16:33:43Z")
For confirmation and agreement, Julia Child also reccommends #4 as the most humane way to dispatch a lobster. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/32 "2005-11-16T18:29:25Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > I used to have a lobster boil for a group of friends every fall. > Upon entering the domicile, one was required to pick out their lobster. We then named our respective animals. One year we dressed them up. Every year we had the great lobster races. The winner went to the pot first. The person putting it in th pot was the one who got to eat it, so squeemishness would leave one hungry. > I always put mine in the water head first for a pragmatic reason, it didn’t try to climb out. > Yes, we were heartless and cruel, but we were also young and clueless. We used to put the pot to boil, hang crabs in pairs off the oven hood, and place bets on which one would first meet its doom. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/33 "2005-11-16T18:38:16Z")
There was a thread around here about a delicacy at a sushi restaurant in Japan…_live_ lobster. Not raw, _alive_. As in you stab it with a fork so it doesn’t wriggle off the plate while you eat it. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/34 "2005-11-16T18:51:24Z")
There was an episode of “Iron Chef” on the Food Network that featured lobster as the main ingredient. One of the chefs was chopping off the tails of the live lobsters; the camera zoomed in to show the moving front ends. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/35 "2005-11-16T20:58:23Z")
In China, my boss ate out the back of a lobster that was still wiggling in the front. I didn’t see it, but have heard it was freaky. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/36 "2005-11-16T22:07:32Z")
If you’re not swift and sure, the bisecting-the-brain method [may not be the cleanest or most humane way to go](http://www.zug.com/scrawl/lobster/). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/37 "2005-11-16T23:16:24Z")
I heart lobster and will not stop eating it, but I have to say this thread gave me the willies. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/38 "2005-11-17T04:32:48Z")
My parents just put the lobsters in a pot, weighted the lid and turned on the stove. Crabs too. You could hear them scrabbling as the water heated up. :eek: Me, I think I would stick them in boiling water at least. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/39 "2005-11-17T14:23:17Z")
Plunge 'em headfirst into a boiling pot… within ten seconds… they’re dead. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200/40 "2005-11-17T15:11:29Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Everyone watches _Good Eats_. At least, all the 🆒 people do. It is the only program on the food channel I like. I call it “Cooking with the Geek”. My wife likes Rachel Ray and several others though. Lobsters are basically a giant bug. Pretty common perception. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-humane-way-of-cooking-lobster/331200.md?page=3)