My Book Ⅰ
Written by Hiroyuki Ikeda
［No.37］ The Octopus That Almost Ate Seattle
(From The New York Times Magazine) 12/3/2013
I like to eat octopus the same as many Japanese. I like to eat octopus sashimi and sushi, vinegared octopus and as one of the ingredients of oden. Although octopus is common in oden in cold winter, it's pretty expensive. But if you eat it, there is an indescribable taste. In the newspaper there was an interesting article about an octopus. It was very interesting and is very similar to the stories that appeal to protect the whale.
According to the article, one day, Dylan Mayer, a 19-year-old, came to Washington Bay Beach with his friends for diving. His aim was to catch a huge mizudako ( North Pacific Giant Octopus, Octopus dofeleini ), which is known as the world's largest octopus. There is always a crowd of people around the mizudako cistern at the aquarium in Seattle. He can open a bottle that is difficult for children very easily and he can properly recognize the keeper so people who visit marvel of its intelligence. Its habitat is the Pacific Ocean between Japan and California and its size is up to 4m, with some more than 40kg in weight. Mayer speared a huge octopus of 1.8m and 40kg even. The fight took as long as 25 minutes. When Mayer went up to the shore, some divers said they would "report" him. Although Mayer showed his fishing permit that was bought at Wal-Mart nearby, they continued to take pictures without regard and they posted photos on the web. Newspaper and local TV took up the topic of Mayer’s gang octopus fishing. One of the sight-seers who witnessed his fishing raised his voice with "Protect the mizudako.” He petitioned for outlawing octopus fishing and asked the state to begin a fact-finding survey. Mayer ate the octopus that was taken as a side dish of a delicious dinner. On the other hand, the octopus salad that up-and-coming chef Matthew Dillon makes at his restaurant Bar Saiyo in Seattle gets good reviews: the fragrance of a "faint tide, some what chewy, but tender meat. The mellow affinity with egg york is good and it is not at all like rubber, and the taste is wonderful.” they said. Seattle foodies face difficult challenges. “Should you protect the octopus or should you eat it?” If a crime was committed by Mayer, the trouble will be exposed to the light of day in time. At any rate, a debate has emerged in Seattle between people for and against eating octopus.
These troubles have always happened with whaling, and the first people to eat a new creature are always criticized. I recognize this fact. But octopus is delicious! I can’t stop thinking that oden just isn’t order without octopus.
Seattle : http://www.seattle.gov/defalt.aspx
私は多くの日本人と同じようにタコを食べるのが好きだ。私はタコを刺身や鮨、タコの酢の物、おでんの具として食べるのが好きである。寒い冬にはおでんで良くタコが出るが、結構高価な魚だが食べると何とも言えない旨味がある。そんなタコについて面白い記事が新聞にあった。まるでクジラの保護を訴える話と良く似ていて大変興味深かった。それによると、
19歳のディラン・メイヤーがある日友人とワシントン州の浜辺、入り江に潜水を楽しみに来た。お目当ては巨大なミズダコだ。世界最大のタコとして知られ、ワシントン州シアトルの水族館ではいつも水槽の周りに人だかりが出来ている。子供の手に負えないような瓶をいとも簡単に開けたり、飼育員をきちんと認識したり、訪れる人たちはミズダコの知性には驚嘆する。カリフォルニアから日本にかけての太平洋に生息し、大きさは4m、重さは40kgを超えるタコもいる。メイヤーは25分間にも及ぶ格闘の末1.8m、40kgもある巨大タコをしとめた。岸では何人かのダイバーが「通報する」とメイヤーに告げた。メイヤーは近くのウォルマートで買った漁業許可証を見せたが、彼らはそれに構わず写真を撮り続け、撮った写真をウェブ上に載せた。地元のテレビや新聞はメイヤーのタコ漁の話題をこぞって取り上げた。メイヤーの漁を目撃したうちの一人は「ミズダコを守れ」と声を上げ、タコ漁を禁じ州内での漁の実態調査に乗り出すよう求める請願を出した。メイヤーは採ったタコを夕食のおかずとして美味しく食べたが、一方シアトルでは新進気鋭のシェフ、マシュー・ディロンが店で作るタコのサラダがほのかな潮の香り、歯ごたえあるが、柔らかい肉、まろやかなタマゴの黄身との相性もよく、ゴムみたいな感じは全然なく」美味だ、と評判になっている。シアトルの食通たちは難しい課題に直面した。タコを守るべきか、食べるべきか。メイヤーに罪があったとすれば 「地産地消を愛するとするからといって、人々は食材となる生き物を近場で殺される生々しい姿を知りたがってはいない」という現実を白日の下にさらしたことだろう。と書いている。
何だかクジラ捕鯨にもいつもこうしたトラブルが起っているが、あらゆる未知の生き物を食べることには様々な批判が起るものだ、という事を思い知った。
でもタコは美味しい！おでんが恋しくなって来た。
☆メイヤーの一件の後、ワシントン州担当局は、タコ漁のあり方について専門家らによる委員会に諮問した。結論は意外だった。ピューゼット湾に生息するミズダコは十分に多い。寿命は短いが成長は早く、次々に繁殖するため絶滅の心配は無いーーー。つまり保護する必要はなく、単にシアトルの人々の保護したい気持ちが盛り上がっただけということだった。
After one of the cases in Mayer,authorities in charge of Washington, about the nature of octopus fishing, authorities consult with committee of experts. The conclusion was surprising. Large enough Mizudako that live in the Gulf of Pyuzetto. Life is short but growing fast. There is no fear of extinction for breeding after the other... This means that it is not necessary to protect but simply just feeling the people of Seattle want to protect the octopus only raised.