Octopus Frenzy

One of the most unusual items I had to eat in China was Octopus Frenzy. Picture a sweet danish topped with two fish balls stuffed with octopus sprinkled with dried fish flakes. It may sound undesirable to some, I found it edible but not something I would ever order again. Eating in China reminded me of an old Italian cookbook that I purchased. Both countries went through great periods of poverty when the population learned to eat every part of every animal. This frugality kept the poor alive and fed. While many of these traditions were dropped when the Italians came to the US a few were kept such as baccala, the salted cod, or the octopus salad that are commonly served for Christmas Eve.