Calamari

A.K.A. "squid", a.k.a. creepy-crawly stuff in the American imagination.

The food critic for Vogue, Jeffrey Steingarten invented what he called the "Calamari Index", as in, how easy is it to get "fried calamari" in a typical American restaurant?

It was obviously tongue-in-cheek, but has turned out to be remarkably prescient.

There's scarcely a bar/pub on either coast (and a lot of in-between) that doesn't feature "fried calamari" on the menu. Note the change of name from "squid" to the much fancier Italian -- "calamari".

Anyway, I highly recommend both of Steingarten's books : The Man Who Ate Everything, and It Must've Been Something I Ate.

For the record, the CC is not getting any money off the links above, and the CC's friends will NOT be getting those books for their respective birthdays/Christmas.

For the first time, ladies and gentlemen (you know who you are!), it's time to prove your dedication to the culinary arts.

A.K.A., pony up the dough, bitches!