Daring to cook
There they were, a whole bag full of them all tangled together in one (very) slippery bundle — or whatever you might call several fresh squid in a bowl. These were the cheaper option which means that they were gutted but still needed some work. I, newly ordained as cook-for-lack-of-a-better-one, was privileged to spend almost two hours wrestling with the things.
First I beheaded the beast. The eyes of a squid are amazingly useful, giving it a 360 degree view of its ocean surroundings, but once on the cutting board only the good-to-eat parts stand a chance. The beak-like mouth surrounded by eight arms and two tentacles — I just consider them all “legs” — also got discarded. Out came the clear, plastic-like cartilage (the backbone?) and off came the skin in all its stubborn, slimy glory — it takes patience especially around the suction cup things. If I didn’t find the creatures so fascinating I wouldn’t like the job as much. I even looked up the anatomy later. https://www.squid-world.com/squid-anatomy/
The best part of the process, of course, is eating it. There’s probably many ways to cook it but this time I put it in a deliciously flavored pork stir-fry with carrots, spring onions, onions, rice cake, and cabbage and of course a whole lot of seasoning including red pepper flakes. Pictures don’t do justice.
