Let's just cut to the chase. I shoved a moving octopus tentacle into my mouth, felt its suckers adhere to my gums and teeth and chewed as hastily as possible -- all in an effort to make it stop.

It was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever done. It's also probably one of the most awesome.

Before you get too upset, let me assure you that the octopus was dead. It's not like I went all Ozzy at the dinner table and bit off the eight-armed creature's squishy head.

It was a proper meal, and actually a pretty common one in the setting: Seoul, South Korea.

Keep reading for video of the squirming tentacles.

You see, I followed in the footsteps of many 20-somethings and moved to Northeast Asia to teach English for a year. The whole time I lived in South Korea, I was very familiar with this octopus meal, technically referred to a sannakji -- san meaning live, and nakji meaning octopus.

Let's just say that Koreans value fresh food.


I asked my Korean co-workers about it and listened, eyes wide, to the experiences a few of my friends had with the awful-sounding "delicacy." After much consideration, I reluctantly added "try sannakji" to my list of things to do that year. So, literally two days before my departure, I gathered three others and walked five minutes from my apartment to the local raw fish restaurant.

That leads us back to my squirmy dinner. After grabbing the menu (all in Korean, mind you), I pointed haphazardly at my selection and said in a very thick accent: "san nak geee." The waiter looked at me strangely, confused by some little white girl ordering something she was sure to send back. I stood my ground and nodded.

I kept my eye on the back of the restaurant where I could see the chefs working away. I can only imagine the look of horror on my face when I saw the chef lift up a live octopus and chop its ferociously moving tentacles right off. Three minutes later the plate was set before me and my brave friends.

It took a few tries to pick up a piece of tentacle with our chopsticks, because the tentacles were literally gripping the plate. After a few tries though, we were able to lift one up and eat it.

The verdict? Surprisingly tasty, but only if you can get past that feeling of little suction cups moving down your throat.

Wendy Rose Gould is an Asylum Contributor who normally eats non-moving things.