Geoducks Are Delicious

You're looking at a geoduck clam (pronounced 'gooey duck'). I've got lots of experience with these, having gone clamming for them for years now off the coast of Northern California. I use the old-fashoned method of syphoning the slurried mud with a pump made from PVC piping, a steel rod, and a tennis ball, then diving to my belly in an eager grab for the elusive clam's retreating neck. The big ones usually survive an encounter with me, because their necks are long enough that their bodies are more than six feet down, enabling them to get just beyond my six-foot reach. At least it's sporting, and few things are as humbling as being outwitted by a creature with a negligable nervous system.

These suckers are the second-longest living creature on the planet, second only to the giant tortoise. Oh, and wouldn't you know it: they're considered to be aphrodisiacs in Asia. Having eaten my share of them, I can say that there are few Western foods less sexy than a bowl of salty goop filled with mollusk bits, but maybe I'm missing something. After all, raw fish eggs seem to do the trick.

Thanks for the geoduck, Annica.

Photo source: Dark Roasted Blend