Nicely written my friend.
Oddly I think I would be more inclined to eat a live octopus over a rat. That's not to say I wouldn't try both, but rodents I find more aversion to. Not because of the cleanliness implications, but rather their competitive nature with human space and food, and them knowing fully well that they are an intruder. It creates a disharmonious relationship between human and rodent, in most cases.