I will try to be there, but let's hope the crab season is open by then!

Crabs are sentient creatures who can feel pain, joy, fear, and most importantly they can suffer. Crabs are boiled alive to become meal for humans. They scream in boiling water before they die. Is the suffering of a sentient creature justifiable to satisfy human taste buds? The answer should be no for any human who has evolved from cave men mentality to a higher level of compassion and intelligence to know that no suffering is justifiable. If humans continue eating marine animals at the rate that they do, there will be no marine life left in the oceans by 2048 eliminating the capacity of the oceans to clean the atmosphere. We are destroying the only planet we have to live to satisfy our taste buds and to fill our filthy stomachs with the flesh of sentient creatures.

Food Party! readers are smart! Thank you Sarah and John

OK someone made the "You people are terrible" post, complete with reference to filling our our "filthy stomachs"(hahaha, good grief).

The soap box is available now to anyone who thinks they know better than everyone else.

Sarah can you provide a source that says that all marine life will be gone in 33 years? That seems absurd, and also you forgot to add that crab taste delicious with butter. Have you seen the Simpsons episode where homer had a pet lobster? He gave it a warm bath one day and accidentally killed it, then he cried (while eating it and dipping it in butter) . Get over yourself lady. Your not that important

Everyone has their right to speak up with differing opinions at a party - makes for good conversation. Insults don't fit in well though. Debate, not disrespect - The Food Party! way.

Signed, The Management

To Sean, yes if we continue eating fish and other marine life at the rate that we do, oceans will be empty within our lifetime
Web Link

Crustaceans like crabs clean the Carbon Monoxide in the oceans. Increasing level of Carbon Monoxide (CO) in the atmosphere is raising Earth's temperature aka Global Warming. The Warmer the Earth's temperature, the warmer the Oceans get, and this endangers crustaceans' capacity to breathe and to clean CO from the Oceans.

One of the major contributors to global warming is cattle farming (51%according to United Nations. UN recently called for reduction of meat consumption which is unsustainable) . Cows produce a lot of methane which is worse than Carbon Monoxide. 80% of the destruction of the rain forest is for opening land to raise cattle to respond to increasing demand for meat in countries like China.(There is a documentary 'Cowspiracy' that documents the impact of meat and dairy industries on global warming).

You have told me "you're not that important". I see myself and my taste buds unimportant this is why I give a lot of value to all life forms and appreciate the important job crabs do to clean our air. I hope You and humans who live on this planet do the same, appreciate the extraordinary connection between crabs, other marine and land animals and the echo system and stop destroying crabs for the sake of taste buds. Why to kill land and marine animals and ultimately destroy the only planet we have to live when we can get all the nutrition we need from vegetables, fruits and seeds?

A well thought out response. Differing, not dis-ing. There's also a great book that documents the impact of meat and dairy industries on global warming, both the good and the bad. Cool Cuisine - Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming. :)

Some people have lots of advice for OTHER people and how OTHER people needs to change their ways. I prefer to quietly lead by example and not TELL other people what they should or should not do. It works better and I find I'm invited to more parties when I act that way.

Sarah,
I am in favor of the protection of marine life, but the claim is from an article written in 2010 and has some useful facts, but the facts quoted are not tied to the conclusion. In other words, a study would need to be done that would have verified data and updates to said data validating the facts and supporting the conclusion.
In the interim, I do eat fish and I do eat crab and I do eat both based on reports and studies from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Here are the facts: Web Link

Robert D.:

Excellent link. From there regarding crab: Web Link

Robert D., I provided the link to 2010 article because it is very easy to read. If you google 'marine life, oceans, global warming, acidification of oceans, crustaceans' you can see links to more scientific articles. Unfortunately we are fishing the oceans Into extinction.Web Link

To Sanctimony who has posted about not to tell others what to do. Most people do what they do because they are not informed. My only goal is to spread the information. Marine animals just like a dog or a cat or a human like ourselves are sentient. They can suffer. Scientists around the world have demonstrated that fish not only feel pain but are aware of it and capable of suffering. Fish are even able to feel pleasure in ways similar to dogs, cats, and other animals. Vox.com detailed a multitude of fish abilities, including their abilities to "learn from each other, recognize other fish they've spent time with previously, know their place within fish social hierarchies, and remember complex spatial maps of their surroundings."
Web Link

Fish Farming treats these sentient creatures like machines. In 2010, Mercy For Animals conducted an undercover investigation inside Catfish Corner, a fish slaughter facility where fish are treated horribly..

You can watch the investigation here.http://fish.mercyforanimals.org

You have to ask yourself if your existence and eating should be a contributor to the immense cruelty and suffering of sentient creatures ?

If suffering is not enough, there are health reasons not to eat marine animals or any other farmed animal. Fish Is Loaded With Salmonella, Mercury, and Other Contaminants. Some seafood imports are contaminated with salmonella and other microbes as a result of feeding fish a diet of feces.Seafood imports from China which constitute around 27 percent of the seafood consumed by Americans, are frequently contaminated according to the FDA..

Contrary to what the food industry wants us to believe, fish is NOT a health food. Touted for its omega-3 fats, fish is widely considered the “healthy” meat. But seafood is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol, and is completely devoid of fiber.

You don’t need to eat fish to obtain omega-3 fats. Instead, you can get them where the fish do—from plants and seeds.

Nice discussion. Think of it as prep for Thanksgiving dinner with the family!

Sarah, I read your other post on another blog. Thanks for spreading the information. Most people don't know that animals including marine animals such as crabs are sentient. Even worse, most people do not want to know how the animal on their plate suffered and if you tell them they get offensive or they make fun of you. I became vegan overnight when I watched the documentary Earthlings purely because I did not want to be a participant in the suffering of animals. I have never been healthier and happier in my life since becoming vegan. My diabetes is gone, and I stopped taking pills to control my cholesterol and high blood pressure.

I witnessed the preparation of crabs for diners over at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco. They take them out of a tank alive and they throw them in boiling water alive. Crabs scream with pain before they die. I asked the workers how they felt about the screaming of crabs and both of them said they hated what they were doing and they never ate crabs themselves. May be the secret is to make it mandatory for everyone to visit a slaughterhouse and witness the suffering of cows, pigs, chickens , or go to the kitchen of a seafood restaurant and witness the suffering of crabs.

Shazia and Sarah, thanks for ruining my Thanksgiving dinner.

@shazia "Even worse, most people do not want to know how the animal on their plate suffered and if you tell them they get offensive or they make fun of you." What data do you have to support this - other than your statement? I would never make fun of anyone and I encourage discussion, so I am not sure what data you have to support that statement. Please be considerate that just because someone may have a different view point does not mean that we are idiots or dismiss your statement; rather we like facts and data to support it

I cook my own crabs. I prefer gutting them on a wedge prior to boiling them.
Never heard a scream, except screams of "YUM" from my guests.

Photo Contest just announced:

Half Moon Bay’s inaugural SOS Seafood Festival in collaboration with Bradley Wittke, owner of Pacifica Gallery and official photographer for Miramar Events, is launching the SOS (Sustaining Our Seas) Photo Contest.

There are two categories: Conservation in Action (what you view as protecting the environment, helping the eco system) and Coastal Beauty (anything that makes living, eating and playing by the coast special to you).

Entries are due by December 31, 2015 and must be submitted by email to BradleyWittke@gmail.com.

The winner in each category will receive a $100 gift certificate from Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, receive their image printed on an 8 x 12, print on metal courtesy of Bradley Wittke Photography (www.PacificaGallery.com) and see their photos prominently featured on the SOS Seafood Fest website.

“There are so many talented photographers out there, professional and amateur, and so many of them are inspired by our Coastside beauty and environment,” said Wittke a highly-acclaimed photographer himself. “We hope many will join us and submit images for the contest.”

Contest details and submission requirements are available on-line at www.sosseafest.org

Robert D ."...regarding your comment "just because someone may have a different view point does not mean that we are idiots". I apologize if what I wrote made you feel like I called names like 'idiot'..

I wrote based on my own experience since becoming vegan and listening to other people's experiences about living vegan. There are numerous books that touches the aspects of living vegan such as "Why we love dogs, wear cows, eat pigs", "Eating Animals", The Animal Farm" and documentaries "Speciesm" and "Unity" come to my mind.

Keep in mind being vegan is not just a diet. Vegans keep all types of cruelty out of their lives and consider animals as beings who have a right to live on our planet without being killed by us --humans. It can become very painful for a vegan to live in a society that cherishes the eating, wearing and exploitation of animals whether for hunting, entertainment or vivisection.

Thanks to social media and spreading of information and videos made by Animal organizations that show slaughterhouses and Farms on Youtube, Facebook and the like, number of vegans/vegetarians among millennials increased during the last 4-5 years. 12% of millennials are vegans or vegetarians and the numbers are growing. However the food industry is fighting back trying to pass Ag-Gag laws to make videotaping of farms and slaughterhouses illegal.

I put some special seasonings in the butter too...very subtle, but delicious.
Mmmm :)
Dang, hurry up toxin, FLUSH!

I am impressed by the dynamic interactions between the followers of Laura and her Food Party!
And I am impressed with Laura's skill in managing the flow in such a supportive and neutral way...
I appreciate the values tension~ especially the kinder expressions!
I've never heard a crab scream, but i'm pretty sure if I ever do, I'll stop eating them...

You rock Laura!

Crabs are "sentient?" Riiiight. They "scream" due to the steam leaving their bodies when they're boiled. Not that I've ever heard ANY of the crabs I've boiled "scream." Sentient crabs? Vegans are just another religion. There is a food chain. There are those like Hawks, Eagles, Sharks, Humans, Etc. that are at the top of that chain. Do you think Hawks, Eagles, Sharks, etc give one damn as to whether the creatures they eat are "sentient?" No they don't. They are feeding themselves, which is what we are doing.

By the way, do you wear leather shoes or belts?

I am not the type of person who posts comments but I am pleasantly surprised by interesting comments left by Almanac readers. Here it goes. I could not resist my urge to participate in the discussion.

Do lobsters, crabs, squids, prawns feel pain? Are they sentient? Our understanding of the invertebrates changed by recent research. They are sentient and they do feel pain.
Web Link

And the age old argument...animals eat each other to feed themselves, why should we not eat them? We are on top of the food chain.

It’s true that some animals eat other animals, but many animals do not. Animals who consume flesh do so in order to survive. Most importantly they do not have the luxury of reflecting on the ethics of their behaviors as we do.

And some other animals also sometimes kill members of their own species. Does this mean humans would be justified to eat each other?

Is it really appropriate to set our moral compass by the behavior of flesh-eating animals in the wild?

Human evolution is moral development. Moral development necessarily entails becoming more morally consistent by aligning our values and practices. There used to be a time slavery was morally acceptable practice. But we evolved morally and rejected slavery. If Inflicting cruelty on others is not morally acceptable, then how moral is it to eat animals who end up in our fridge after going through unimaginable suffering and cruelty inflicted on them by our species.

The healthiest community is in Southern Cal. They don't eat meat, fish, dairy because they treat their body like a 'temple'. Good for them but I would rather live a happy short life than live a long boring life. Thanksgiving without the turkey and crab is boring but I promise this thanksgiving I will shed a tear or two for hurting the feelings of turkeys and crabs to qualify as an evolved human being.

Web Link

Interesting discussion everyone - with class and respect for the most part. That's a first sign that we are "evolved" beings, no? It is time to put up a new blog, but this one still has legs (claws?). Until then, and in prep for the next blog - I am wondering if any of you are Syrian, or know someone who is. The Food Party! is searching for a delicious Syrian recipe, a dish with a story if you will. Please message me if you have one, or know of a good Syrian cook!

Just think how EPIC that first bite of succulent crab is going to taste once season opens. The extra wait will be well worth it indeed.
O-pen, O-pen, O-pen :)

I'll be honest. The discussion that ensued in this blog made me realize how detached I am from the animal whose life was taken to feed me.

I think, as one who catches his own, I can feel that connection. I'm not a hunter, but they always speak of a more reverent connection with their food due to their direct taking of the animal. For sure, I feel more reverence towards the salmon, crab and other fish I catch and eat myself than I do store bought meat, almost as I could imagine the Native American's reverence when they would take an animal. I'd love to raise my own beef cow, but I don't think I'm zoned for that ;)

I may have to give hunting a try. I've had some delicious wild pig and venison, which I imagine would be more healthy than mass produced beef or pork.

Looks like it's just a matter of time:
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I would not be able to kill an animal. There is plenty to eat without having to kill an animal. I'd rather eat broccoli --which I hate-- instead of killing an animal even a crab.

Ron - you are a self described broccoli-hater? Oh no - we need to talk. Until then - thanks for the semi really good news Fear not Crabavores

I absolutely LOVE broccoli!

There is a greater appreciation for the food if you harvest it yourself. That includes vegetables as well as animals. Great news about the crabbys!