Monday, April 11, 2011

I is for Irony

Ever picked up a crayfish or lobster and had it flip its tail? Yep, it's trying to get away.

source
In the wild, they avoid predators by scooting backwards into some kind of small space. This escape behavior is so important, they (shrimp, lobsters, and crayfish) have a nice large muscle that evolved for just that purpose.

I'm sure you're familiar with it. But when you see it, it looks like this:

source

We eat the very thing the shrimp (and lobsters and crayfish) have evolved to avoid being eaten.  Talk about irony.

What's your favorite dish? Is there anything ironic about it?
Posted by Alison Pearce Stevens at 2:00 AM
Labels:

16 comments:

  1. GrandpaApril 11, 2011 at 2:08 AM

    I didn't know you are a biologist too!

    My favorite dish is grilled kipper for breakfast. The irony is back home salted fish is poor man's diet (does that count as an irony?)

    Grandpa
    Life on The Farm

    ReplyDelete
  2. Samantha VérantApril 11, 2011 at 2:47 AM

    Nom, nom, nom!

    ReplyDelete
  3. PK HREZOApril 11, 2011 at 4:50 AM

    Funny stuff. Life is full of irony, and it always amuses me. Like when motherhood drives me to pull my hair out and I want some personal time sooo bad. Then I get time to myself and I miss my kids. Ay yi yi ....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andrea MackApril 11, 2011 at 5:07 AM

    Neat observation!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alison Pearce StevensApril 11, 2011 at 5:26 AM

    Grandpa: Yep, I took an 18-year hiatus from writing to focus on biology.

    Her highness: My thoughts exactly.

    Pk: I'm the same way. In fact, I'll have a poem to that effect when we get to P...

    Andrea: thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Brooke RousseauApril 11, 2011 at 11:05 AM

    I'm sure nature is filled with irony. Shrimp is my favorite protein! I couldn't name a favorite dish, though.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Luana KrauseApril 11, 2011 at 11:07 AM

    I like tacos, but there's no irony. Just yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Talli RolandApril 11, 2011 at 11:43 AM

    I do love me some lobster. I grew up on the coast, and I miss it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Alison Pearce StevensApril 11, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    Brooke, I think this one takes the cake, though. :)

    Luana: Mmmm, tacos.

    Talli: The largest of the escape muscles. Claws are good too!

    Deirdra: Wow, thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. nutschellApril 11, 2011 at 3:24 PM

    what a fun post! glad to meet you through the a-z. i will be lurking around to see what other ironic meals you come up with. :)
    nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. FilmMatticApril 11, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    What a clever post. I'm such a big fan of irony.

    Also, great blog!

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Words CrafterApril 11, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    Wow, I didn't know that! My favorite dish is anything pasta. I don't know if there's anything ironic, though....

    But a clever post!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyApril 11, 2011 at 6:50 PM

    I love seafood...all kinds (well, most kinds).

    ReplyDelete
  14. KM NalleApril 11, 2011 at 7:22 PM

    That is ironic isn't it? Thanks for teaching me something new today. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownApril 11, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    I love seafood more than any other food group...wait, is chocolate a food group? Is seafood?

    I eat a can of kippered herring everyday. I have frozen scallops, shrimp, crab lets, cod tongues and cheeks, and lots of salmon in my freezer.

    Loving your blog...I'm now a follower.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Alison Pearce StevensApril 12, 2011 at 2:44 AM

    nutschell: thanks for stopping by!

    Matthew: Thank you!

    Becky: Nothing ironic there. Just yummy.

    Lynda: Me too.

    Kari: You're welcome. :)

    Kelly: Every day? wow! Thanks for the follow!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)