Fakin' It

[mags]

Actually, there are certain salads in which I really like iceberg lettuce -- nothing else has that crunchy chomp. And I don't really care if the shrimp are deveined, so long as the vein doesn't look revolting.

[foodobsessed]

What is the difference between a revolting and non-revolting vein in a shrimp? I think they all look revolting!!

[mags]

What is the difference between a revolting and non-revolting vein in a shrimp? I think they all look revolting!!

Most of the time I find them barely noticable. And a number of blind-tests have suggested that they don't have any impact on taste. Your taste my differ, of course, but "un-deveined shrimp" certainly aren't one of my restaurant pet peeves.

[KatieLoeb]

What is the difference between a revolting and non-revolting vein in a shrimp?  I think they all look revolting!!

Most of the time I find them barely noticable. And a number of blind-tests have suggested that they don't have any impact on taste. Your taste my differ, of course, but "un-deveined shrimp" certainly aren't one of my restaurant pet peeves.

I got violently ill eating un-deveined "all-you-could-eat" steamed shrimp at a buffet when I was a teenager. Now I can't even look at them unless they're deveined. :shudder:

Let's face it, a shrimp is basically an underwater insect. An arthropod is an arthropod. It's a simple creature with a one way digestive tract. Add to that that shrimp are "bottom feeders" (they're eating other creature's shit) and that wraps it up for me. The "vein" is shrimp shit, plain and simple. Not yet redigested other fish shit. It skeeves me fiercely.

[mags]

How do you feel about the various evil kinds of goo inside a lobster shell?

[mongo_jones]

further in this vein:

what happens if someone who is revolted by un-deveined shrimp/fish with the head on/pork uterus/bombay-duck/durian/insert-food-that-puts-you-off here at someone else's home. say the food has been cooked really well but is just not something that is definitionally palatable to you. fake it? not eat it? discover religion/dysentery? (see above)

[KatieLoeb]

How do you feel about the various evil kinds of goo inside a lobster shell?

The tomalley (the green goo) is like caviar. I can take it or leave it. That doesn't bother me as much as absolutely knowing that I'm eating something that should be defecated. Blech!

I realize that I'm completely neurotic about this. But I was so sick for about three days afer eating those uncleaned and "unclean" shrimp that I just have no other controllable reaction. Even if it wasn't the shrimp (maybe I'd just gone out for shrimp right before coming down with a stomach virus. Who knows?) and I understand that intellectually, there's nothing that will ever make my wretching reflex get over un-deveined shrimp emotionally.

[mongo_jones]

i think once you've thrown a particular food up violently it is difficult to re-establish a relationship with it--even if it wasn't what caused you to throw up. i once caught the stomach flu from a friend and had it hit me hard right after i ate some milk chocolate. i haven't been able to eat milk chocolate since--this was 5 years ago. not a biggie since i am a fan of dark chocolate anyway.

but katie what would you do if you were invited to dinner to a chinese family's home, and they'd prepared whole shrimp, with the head on and the works (not de-veined)?

[KatieLoeb]

i think once you've thrown a particular food up violently it is difficult to re-establish a relationship with it--even if it wasn't what caused you to throw up. i once caught the stomach flu from a friend and had it hit me hard right after i ate some milk chocolate. i haven't been able to eat milk chocolate since--this was 5 years ago. not a biggie since i am a fan of dark chocolate anyway.

but katie what would you do if you were invited to dinner to a chinese family's home, and they'd prepared whole shrimp, with the head on and the works (not de-veined)?

I'd probably have to discreetly try to devein them myself on my plate. If anyone asked what I was doing I'd have to be honest and tell the same tale I just told all of you.

Funny thing is, I really like head-on shrimp, but I always run a paring knife down their backs first and rinse the vein out under running water. Then I put them into the paella or whatever...

You're so right about the "relationship" with the offending food. And we're talking violent projectile vomiting with agonizing stomach cramps in my case. I really thought I was going to die there for a day or so. Man was that nasty. Never, ever want to go there again.

[Human Bean]

i think once you've thrown a particular food up violently it is difficult to re-establish a relationship with it-- [...]

...what would you do if you were invited to dinner to a chinese family's home, and they'd prepared whole shrimp, with the head on and the works (not de-veined)?

Although not completely relevant, I find the vomiting = never again thing to occur quite often with liquor overdoses. For a lot of people it seems to be tequila for some reason; for me, I still can't drink Southern Comfort, even though I was quite young at the time, and it was a long time ago.

The second part reminds me of a story that my (Chinese) ex- told me about a time not long after she came to the US. She prepared a roast chicken, with head (and feet?) intact. Her American guests were horrified. I wasn't there, so I don't quite know the full details, but I think she hastily amputated the unexpected parts and disposed of them.

[mongo_jones]

Although not completely relevant, I find the vomiting = never again thing to occur quite often with liquor overdoses. For a lot of people it seems to be tequila for some reason; for me, I still can't drink Southern Comfort, even though I was quite young at the time, and it was a long time ago.

somehow vomitting has never prevented me from drinking the offending liquor again--perhaps because it is not the liquor but my own over-indulgence that has been to blame (related question: does anything taste worse on the way back up than cheap gin?).

as for southern comfort, i don't drink it for other reasons. mostly to do with taste.

[Human Bean]

as for southern comfort, i don't drink it for other reasons. mostly to do with taste.

Agreed on the taste part, unpleasant personal associations aside. I once had a fan of Yukon Jack suggest that I try it. Same damn stuff as far as I was concerned. No emesis from the Yukon, but it was still nasty.

[dankphishin]

In regards to faking enjoyment in food, regardless of what it is, i can usually manage to eat a small portion. I'm not really a reliable judge, since I will eat most anything. If it's something that I absolutely will not eat, I'll just feign sickness. This happens rarely though. As far as liquor goes, I can't smell tequilla without gagging (stay away from funneling it). Usually, with food I dislike, my stomach and my brain come to an agreement out of politeness though.

[plunk]

I fake it the most in work related food situations, such as when someone brings in home baked goods or there's a free lunch or birthday cake. I eat and fake so as not to seem rude and anti-social but sometimes, I just can't swallow down that last piece of dry cake with thick slickish frosting.

[bleudauvergne]

I was in a really odd position sometimes when I was working on the physical trades side of things in China. I was working on some high level deals. So sometimes, to entertain themselves, the customers (mainly smelter chiefs) would order things to attempt to get a reaction out of me. I once ate a scorpion with a poker face, claimed it was delicious, and asked for more. Try it. It's harder than it looks. Eventually I came to enjoy the game. But that first scorpion was honestly pretty dang scary. Now I can devein one with the flick of the wrist and gobble it down like a slinky pretzel.

[auntdot]

Actually, KatieLoeb, shrimp eat plankton, microscopic members of the plant and animal kingdoms.

If they had to depend upon fish poop to survive, there would be no shrimp.

Fish are far higher than shrimp on the food chain to make their, well, expulsions, an adequate energy source to sustain the population of shrimp.

But, yes, the vein is the intestine.

And, for esthetic reasons, will devein larger shrimp, as I will lobsters.

Also pull the tomalley out of lobsters before I stuff and bake them, people I make them for seem to like them better that way.

But will eagerly chomp down on clams and oysters in any form, particularly raw, and don't mind what is in their gastrointestinal tract.

In fact, in New England, the soft shell clams are prized for their yummy green bellies.

That stuff is also the remains of plankton, and is the material shrimp have in their 'veins'.

Understand why some would not wish to partake of the it.

But as for me, give me a mess of unpeeled, large shrimp, and I will take care of them with no qualm.

And will eat a good portion of the shells to boot.

[hannnah]

i think once you've thrown a particular food up violently it is difficult to re-establish a relationship with it--even if it wasn't what caused you to throw up.

Oh, most definitely. I got violent stomach flu in college after a lovely lunch of cheese (don't remember what kind, but it was pretty unremarkable and definitely nonstinky), ham, and Carr's water biscuits. The nice ladies at the infirmary confirmed that it was a bug going around and had absolutely nothing to do with what I'd eaten that day.

Unfortunately, my subconscious decided it was the water biscuits that made me ill. So I'm in the unfortunate position of wanting to retch every time I see water biscuits, possibly the most inert foodstuff known to humankind.

If they're the only option presented with cheese, I skip the crackers entirely - generally works out OK as long as the cheese isn't too squishy.

[hathor]

I've also spent a lot of time in the Far East, and was always very polite, and ate whatever was put in front of me. Duck tongues, jelly fish, snake 3 ways...whatever, thanks god I never had to down a scorpion! I'm not sure I could have pulled that off.

But I wished I had known the Mongo Jones 3-step 'get out of this' program when I had to eat birds nest soup with coconut milk. The vilest taste and texture I have EVER put in my mouth. Think slimy, warm milk of magnesia. mmmm....