6 But It Tastes Good

East coast, west coast, and inland, one of the most popular and more costly items on menus in America’s restaurants is the lobster. What is this creature that is served so often steamed or stuffed, in spite of its rather odd appearance?

It is the ever-popular lobster. Looking strange and hostile, it’s surprising that anyone first had the nerve to try to eat it. It has spindly legs covered with tiny hairs that detect sounds and smells. It looks like a large insect; the lobster is actually a cousin of the spider.

When the lobster senses danger, it turns backward. As it can’t avoid food or approaching danger with its antennae, the lobster wields its two large claws in self-defense. In many respects, the lobster is quite effective; handlers have painfully discovered that its pinchers can be quite dangerous. When the lobster is cooked, its shell, which is usually blotchy greenish-black, turns bright red. This hard shell serves as a barrier to the lobster-eater, but the tender lobster meat is a delicious meal. The shell takes time and effort to crack, but the lobster meat is worth the work.

In spite of its lack of outward appeal and the difficulty of catching and eating it, the lobster was almost too popular. For a time, the species was in danger of becoming extinct. But strict laws now require fishermen to release small lobsters and egg-bearing females. So it is less likely that this strange-looking meal will soon be disappearing from our tables.

6 但它味道不错

在美国东海岸、西海岸和内陆地区的餐厅菜单上，最受欢迎且价格较高的菜品之一就是龙虾。这种外形相当怪异的生物，为何经常被清蒸或填馅端上餐桌呢？

这就是广受欢迎的龙虾。它看起来怪异又凶巴巴的，真让人惊讶居然有人敢第一个尝试吃它。它有着细长的腿，腿上覆盖着能感知声音和气味的细毛。它看起来像一只大昆虫；实际上，龙虾是蜘蛛的近亲。

当龙虾察觉到危险时，会向后退。由于它无法用触角避开食物或逼近的危险，就会用两只大钳子进行自卫。在很多方面，龙虾的自卫相当有效；处理龙虾的人痛苦地发现，它的钳子相当危险。龙虾煮熟后，原本斑驳的绿黑色外壳会变成鲜红色。这个坚硬的外壳对吃龙虾的人来说是个障碍，但龙虾肉鲜嫩美味，值得花时间和力气去剥开外壳。

尽管龙虾缺乏外在吸引力，捕捉和食用也很麻烦，但它曾一度太受欢迎，以至于这个物种濒临灭绝。不过现在有严格的法律要求渔民放生小龙虾和带卵的雌龙虾。所以这种外形怪异的美食不太可能很快从我们的餐桌上消失。