by Nicholas Bostick
In the wake of sharknados and this year’s controversial shark week, It might be safe to say that summer 2013, was the summer we all stopped giving a shit about sharks. They’re big, they’re scary, they make perfect source material for ‘80’s type businessman analogies, we get it. It’s easy to feel insignificant after watching hours of T.V. gold like “Voodoo Sharks,” “Alien Sharks” or the ambiguously titled (and possible sequel to ‘The Great White Hope’?) “Great White Serial Killer.” Let us not forget brothers and sisters, we’re the tippy-top of the food chain.
So we’ll clean our mental palates with a look at a few local delicacies’, staring our forward minded fish friends. You’re gonna’ need a bigger plate.
Hákarl: The Republic of Iceland is responsible for more than just Björk. Hákarl isn’t for the weak stomached however. The shark is cleaned and fileted before being dumped in a sandy hole, buried and covered with heavy rocks. Six to 12 weeks later (weeks!) the meat gets dug up and hung to dry for months. Hákarl is generally served with a toothpick, and first-timers are advised to plug their noses and hum the Jaws theme before eating.
Shark-Fin Soup: This dish has been served up to China’s upper crust since the Ming Dynasty. The taste has been described as… well… shark fin is virtually tasteless. The texture is fantastic however. Acquiring these chewy little fins has become somewhat of an issue in recent days. Just this Tuesday New York State passed a law banning shark fins, as have California, Illinois, Oregon and Washington.
Fish and Chips: Ever look at a fish stick and wonder “What the hell are you?” Well if you’re ordering up a batch of fish and chips in Australia, it’s probably shark. Marketed simply as “flake,” gummy sharks are common around Australia’s coast. While not as cheap and plentiful as they once were, Gummy sharks can still be found in fish and chip shops around the nation.
