Shrimp Wiggle

The ocean is a bountiful feast if you don't mind picking at rocks, digging in mud and sand, or sifting through various detritus that washes up on shore after a sea storm. That is what makes this pamphlet so amusing. I found Edible? Incredible! at a local vintage shop and could not pass up the opportunity to purchase this 70s era book about wild forgeable foods. And as a lover of the ocean and seafood, it was a double bonus.

Most of the information was quite practical. Geoducks look like giant phalluses, kelp looks like kelp, crabs look like crab. You should cook these things before eating them, but sometimes raw oysters are good. See, practical information.

Less practical are the recipes. Or, I should say, the names of the recipes. While overall, they don't seem bad in principle, I think naming something "Shrimp Wiggle" just sounds odd, and well, a little off-putting.

Also of note-- If you plan to cook octopus, don't get one that looks like the one on the cover of the book. Try to find a live one, kill it, and then cook it. Seriously, that thing looks like it has been through a couple of dehydrators and mad scientist movies.

While cookbooks are great, there is something to be said for the cooking pamphlet. It just seems a bit more authentic and down-home in nature. Maybe because they were the give-aways with the blender, mixer, or microwave oven. The recipes in these pamphlets are completely impractical and often quite terrible, but someone must have really tried to highlight their new marvelous invention. If you can find these, they are often only a dollar a piece at most antique stores or junk shops, give them a glance. You will be amazed.