How Anthony Bourdain Inspired Me to Write

Would you rather be cleaning squid?

Read this on my website

I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. Personally, keeping journals throughout my life, scribbling lines of poetry in 7th-grade biology when I was supposed to be listening to the lecture. Then I wrote and edited for my college newspaper and, finally, professionally as an editor at a literary magazine and as an author.

That doesn’t mean I like to write. Instead, I enjoy having written. I quote Dorothy Parker often: “I hate writing, I love having written.”

I am just as prone to procrastination as the next person. But when I saw this quote from an AMA with Anthony Bourdain, it’s stuck with me ever since.

“Writing is a privilege and a luxury.”

Would I rather be cleaning squid all day?

As I’m not a cook, I had no idea what cleaning squid entailed, although it sounded gross enough to make me want to write instead. (Just as I love having written but hate to write, I love to eat, but I hate to cook.)

To solidify this idea into my brain, I looked up how to clean squid, and this is what Google said:

Step 1: Remove the Head and Guts

Lay the squid flat on a cutting board. Firmly grip the body tube with one hand and the tentacles/head with the other.

Gently but steadily pull the tentacles. The head and the attached innards (guts) should slide right out of the body cavity along with it.

Step 2: Extract the Cartilage (Quill)

Look inside the transparent or white body tube to locate the thin, clear, plastic-like strip running down its length.

Grab the exposed end of this cartilage, gently wiggle it, and pull it straight out. Discard it. Rinse the inside of the tube with cold water to wash away any remaining insides.

Step 3: Prepare the Tentacles

Lay the tentacles flat on your cutting board. Right where the tentacles meet the head, use a knife to slice just below the eyes. Discard the head and eyes. Locate the hard, round “beak” right in the center of the tentacles. Pinch the base of the tentacles firmly and the beak will pop out. Discard it.

Step 4: Peel the Skin and Remove Fins (Optional)

The purple or mottled outer skin is edible, but many cooks peel it off for a more tender bite and a clean, pearly white appearance. Simply use your fingers to peel the skin away from the body tube and the fins. The “fins” (or wings) on the side of the body tube are completely edible. You can either slice them off or just peel the skin off them and leave them attached.

Step 5: Final Wash and Cut

Give the body tube and the tentacles a final, thorough rinse under cold running water. If you are making calamari rings, lay the tube flat and slice it crosswise into rings. If you are stuffing the squid, leave the tube whole.

Count me out at step 1 with the head and the guts. No thanks. You’ll find me writing instead.

Much love,

Mindie

P.S. Penguin Random House just announced my forthcoming book, which is both exciting and also, “Holy sh*t, this is really happening.” 😳

P.P.S. What have you been avoiding that your soul is nudging you to do? Would you rather be cleaning squid? 🦑