• BougieBirdie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 months ago

    My great grandmother grew up rough during the depression and lived near enough you could fish for lobster.

    Her family would bury the lobster shells instead of putting them in the trash because they were ashamed the trash collectors might see they were eating sea bugs.

    She still definitely enjoyed lobster. When it was in season it was tradition to have a family reunion for lobster dinner, and she boiled a mean sea bug. But she never could fathom even going to a restaurant to order a lobster - and that some people thought it was fancy would make her head explode

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I chunk many of my shells in the tiny ponds around the house (not too many though, they only range from 15 to 70 gallons). Calcium dissolves back into the water and tiny animals get a free meal, bolstering the bottom of the food chain.

        Also used to throw a shell or three in my fish tanks so the snails could pull dissolved calcium.

        • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Yes, I imagine they’re mostly calcium, like eggshells, thus alkaline and great for maintaining the ph balance of compost and worm farms (when ground).

    • ÞlubbaÐubba@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      You joke with the sea bug jokes but apparently dishes that use bug meat actually are compared to crab and lobster in taste.

    • Dasus@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      But she never could fathom even going to a restaurant to order a lobster - and that some people thought it was fancy would make her head explode

      This makes me think of how shredded tuna has become very expensive during my lifetime. It’s still not super expensive but it’s not dirt cheap either.

      I’m thinking that when I’m old, will I see fancy restaurants serving spaghetti with shredded tuna, accompanied with real parmesan.

      As it used to cost like some cents or something. Like 60 cents € or something for a can, whereas now it’s more than 2€.

      Hehe, sea bugs.