Salut/Hi sanne,

le/on 14 Jan 2005 06:23:08 -0800, tu disais/you said:-

>Hi DC,
>
>> > A sharp knife at the base of the head, crosswise, straight down.
>> > Severs the spinal cord and kills them instantly, or so it seems.
>> >
>>
>> That's what all European or Western chefs do these days, i reckon
>> if you do it quick enough, they won't suffer too much.
>
>Crab - yes, lobster - not legally. It's forbidden by law in Europe
>(afaik).

I think you're mistaken.

In any case, the "scream" of a lobster is only air expanding with the heat,
being forced out past the shell. All these crustaceans are really only large
marine insects, and they don't have a disseminated nervous system as we do.
Ony once did I try to kill a crab by "warning it gently till it fell
asleep". It struggled and struggled, trying to climb out for ages. Now, for
a crab, it's into boiling heavily salted water. For lobster, it's a knife at
the "cross" of the head. Instant death. FAR less cruel than halal (and
kosher) methods of butchery, and there we're talking about animals with well
developed nervous systems.

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
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