How to Stun an Octopus in Greece

If you read my blog, you’ll be aware that my trip to Greece in 2004, to attend a friend’s wedding, has been one of my all time favorite vacations. One of the reasons for that was the food. I fell in love with Greek food, and as I am a true foodie at heart and love trying new things (except for maybe creepy crawlies), there was a whole array of local vegetarian and non-vegetarian food to try and enjoy.
Out of everything, what really stood out was Octopus. I hadn't watched Oldboy (the Korean cult classic) till then, so was completely clueless about the whole “eating live octopus” scene something that runs through my mind every time I even think of an octopus now. When cooked right, Octopus is simply delicious and so much so did I love it that I brought home some canned octopus from my trip.
What I didn't know, till roughly the very end of the trip was how is it that that the locals caught an Octopus. I always imagined that it was similar to fishing and catching them in nets. Imagine my surprise when I did finally see a local catch an Octopus from the water, since they can be found near rocks and then go on to stun it in the most interesting fashion. What is not visible in the view is a bucket next to the man wherein he had a few more of the sea creatures who ended up with a similar fate.
Those of you from India or who have visited the famous Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai would easily be able to see the uncanny similarity between washing clothes and stunning an octopus. I’m not going to lie, but at the time, this similarity made the scene seem amusing and even funny, but after a little introspection the act seemed a tad sad and cruel. You can watch the really short video and be the judge.