PETA is now focusing their gaze on the city's octopus community... which some find quite delicious! The organization's David Perle tells us they're addressing disturbing practices they've found in Manhattan and Queens restaurants, and aim to stop the "chopping up or slowly steaming live octopuses and serving them while they're still conscious."
They've penned some letters to the district attorneys of each jurisdiction, pointing out that octopuses can feel pain and the restaurants' practices violate the state's anti-cruelty statute. Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman noted that in some of these establishments, "the chef uses scissors to cut off an octopus's tentacles and then serves them on a dish—the octopus's heart keeps beating as the animal writhes and slowly die." In this National Geographic video, some take it a step further:
We've obtained the letters sent to the district attorneys, which name Sushi Uo at 151 Rivington Street, and Flushing's Sik Gaek and East Seafood Restaurant as the main culprits. The latter is allegedly the meeting spot for a Gastronauts club that dines on "macho" cuisine—their website shows photos of the live octopus (and a menu promising "live lobster" as well). What do you say: Bon Appetit or The Great Barf-O-Rama?
