I used to be scared of octopus. Really, really scared. When I was a kid, we'd shop for groceries in a Chinese market once a month (Woo Chee Chong in San Diego). Most of the aisles were meh, but as soon as we got near the fish displays, I'd hold my breath and run past it as fast as I could. They had a lot of live seafood in tanks, but I think the octopus were very much dead. It didn't matter. I think I held my breath cuz I thought the octopus could get inside my nose or mouth (but ears didn't seem to concern me) - it was a bizarre phobia.
Shoot like twenty years later, and I'm on a trip to Japan with a bunch of anime lovers. We're in Osaka, a town known for its foodie culture. My friends come across a Takoyaki stand - steaming hot balls of batter mixed with octopus, with bonito flakes wiggling and dancing as they're wilted by the heat. My friends want to share a plate of 6 with them, and I told them about my phobia. Somehow they managed to convince me to take a bite. I think part of it is that it's way easier to YOLO when you're in a place you might not return to. Some of it might be an inherent trust I had of my new friends.
Dramatically, I held my nose.. and bit into it.
And got a GIANT chunk of tentacle.
But it was good. Really good. Japanese mayo and whatever sauce they throw on there helped me overcome my fear, and enjoy some truly excellent street food. Being around people I liked, in a location that felt totally unreal helped shake the routine of running from the grocery store sea creature. The streets of Osaka don't smell like dead fish, and octopus is tender when it's cooked properly. Now I order it whenever I see it, and am perfectly okay being around our tentacled sea friends.
