Opinion: Live octopus as cuisine isn’t a delicacy — it’s an outrage

To the editor: Of course an octopus is capable of suffering. And of course, as biologist and psychologist Jennifer Mather points out, “this suffering is almost certainly prolonged when the animal is deliberately kept alive” during such butchery. (“Live octopus? Animal activists want it off the menu,” Nov. 14)

What is most revealing in this article, however, is the use of the term “seafood” to describe these living and tortured sentient beings. This is clearly a matter of sea life made to suffer and die because we choose to see those beings only as items on a menu.

Robb C. Curtis, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I was so saddened to learn of the obscenity of restaurants serving live, writhing animals such as octopuses to their self-indulgent patrons.

When left alone by people, these shy, intelligent animals live short (three to five years), interesting lives. They can unscrew jar tops to make a home or find a coconut shell for a mobile home. They also have been known to escape from captivity to a nearby water source and ultimate freedom.

When will the human race ever give animals a break?

Rita Burton, Pacific Palisades

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