From Roaches to Riches

Did you ever wonder about the first person who ate a lobster? Don't get me wrong – I love lobster. But who was the first person to look at a lobster (something that is in effect a giant sea cockroach with massive claws) and say “I'm going to put this in my mouth?” I suppose that's a question that could also be applied to a number of other foods – oysters, sea urchins, SPAM. And I also suppose that the answer is always the same – hunger drives a man to eat just about anything. (Well... except for the SPAM, maybe.)

But what does amaze me is how lobster went from a dirty sea cockroach to a luxury food. Talk about changing a product's image. There was a time that it was considered cruel and unusual punishment to feed prison inmates lobster more than once a week. And now it's considered a final meal standby on death row.

I wonder if such an image change could also be applied to other seemingly low-quality foods. Who knows, perhaps one day we'll all be getting dressed up in our Sunday finest to sample top chef's reinterpretations of vampire bat and gopher liver. And though I do consider myself to be an adventurous eater, I have to admit – I hope that day is a long way off.