Crayfish, crawfish, and crawdads

A discussion of word histories and origins.
eberntson
Lexiterian
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:48 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass
Contact:

Crayfish, crawfish, and crawdads

Postby eberntson » Wed Aug 22, 2007 10:13 am

So I was up in Maine and thought “what the heck I’ll try to trap some crayfish!” 8) Of course you need a license and a trap. Apparently various states name these critters differently and so do the folks that sell the traps. I thought you folks would love to discuss the history and sources of these words. I have found that the Acadians & the Swedish seem to have the biggest appetite for the critters. Any idea where the words come from and how they are related? And why are there no “craydads”? I have heard a lot of different “folk” definitions for the words but they seem quite regional. Even the scientists seem a little confused. BTW: There are no crayfish in the lake I was at, DRATS foiled again! :evil:
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns

Perry
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2306
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:50 am
Location: Asheville, NC

Re: Crayfish, crawfish, and crawdads

Postby Perry » Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:57 pm

And why are there no “craydads”?

Robert Cray may not agree.
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
Anonymous

melissa
Junior Lexiterian
Posts: 74
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:30 am

Craydaddy

Postby melissa » Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:22 pm

Yep, to me Robert is the craydaddy. hey, Steakface is up there with the best band names too. But we called them crawdads when they crawled up out of the culverts into the yard. Almost as if they were begging to be eaten. Also called them 'mudbugs' but that's more a Cajun thing maybe. But mmm they are tasty

eberntson
Lexiterian
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:48 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass
Contact:

Postby eberntson » Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:09 am

Yes I have heard "muddroach" too, but I don't think the craw & cray words are related.
Last edited by eberntson on Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns

sluggo
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1476
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:58 pm
Location: Carolinia Agrestícia: The Forest Primeval

Postby sluggo » Sun Oct 14, 2007 1:34 am

Mudbug is very common in Louisiana. I have never heard mudroach, but I have heard crawfish called "the cockroach of the sea".

-still hungry?
Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots! Knife no one, fink!

eberntson
Lexiterian
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:48 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass
Contact:

What can I say...

Postby eberntson » Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:13 am

What can I say "Sorry Charlie!" Wasn't there a lobster in the background of the tuna ad? Perhaps it was a crawdad.
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns

Bailey
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2114
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:51 pm

Postby Bailey » Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:39 am

While I love the Lobsters we have here in the US, I have never developed an appitite for the lowly craw, or cray thingie found in the streams and creeks around the south. I don't know why, except I've never seen them served and oh, are they red when cooked? or that Lovely shade of puke green still?

mark roaches?-indeed Bailey

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb









melissa
Junior Lexiterian
Posts: 74
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:30 am

waterbugs

Postby melissa » Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:52 am

They are definitely more appetizing after being cooked, red or pink, don't eat the green ones. And the only 'bug' I will eat aside from lobsters and their ilk. Or is it kin, never sure. In New York we have waterbugs almost the size of crawdads, but would never think of scooping them out of the sewers and frying them up in a little butter, garlic and filé powder. Chacun ... it's the legs that bother me, I've eaten grubs.

eberntson
Lexiterian
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:48 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass
Contact:

Do's & Don'ts

Postby eberntson » Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:31 am

Don't eat the green ones that’s for sure, it has been my observation that most crustaceans such as lobsters, crabs, crawdads turn reddish when cooked. ("dish", get it! :-) ) I agree that eating things out of the sewer is to be avoided, I think that is above the rule don't eat the yellow snow. Yup, I don't even need to call my mother on that one...

I'm trying to eat my way through the animal kingdom; I’m up to 147 critters, although I have a couple rules.
1) Don't eat things from sewers.
2) No primates or above, this includes chilled monkey brains.
3) No German shepherds
4) No octopus' unless it would be rude; squid are fair game (they are predatory bastards); cuddle fish are marginal.
5) Avoid vermin; i.e. rats, door mice, and wild caught urban rabbits.
6) Cannibalism is only allowed if the other person is dead first and there are no alternatives as grubs, ants, aunts, cats, dogs, or birds around. Don't eat random frozen corpses you find in ice.
7) Pigeons, seagulls, and squirrels count as vermin.
8 ) Don't eat clowns they taste funny. 8)
9) Don't eat the brains of ancestors they could contain sub-viral diseases similar to mad-cow-disease.
10) Always ask what exactly is in the dish if ordering in a foreign country such as France, Spain, China, Japan, or Malaysia. Although last time I was in France I added about 15 critters to the “Ate List.”
11) Never eat the "meat-on-a-stick" severed in a Korean Beer tent, or any beer tent as far as that goes. Actually, avoid meat on a stick in general especially where hygiene or meat suppliers are suspect.
12) If it doesn't smell right don't eat it.
13) Lettuce should be green; shades of olive or yellowed-green don't count. Beige is to be composted.
14) Avoid things that are described to you as "wafer thin" when you are stuffed. (ref: Meaning of Life, Monty Python)
15) If you have to choke something down request one of the following: a) it be smothers with butter or oil and garlic (snails, grubs, etc) b) it be covered in chocolate (grasshoppers, bumble bees, crunchy-frog), and/or c) a cold beer be supplied (oysters).
16) Worms are for the birds, unless you are on a morning show with a worm-do cooking expert .
17) Don’t eat the green ones, this includes Soylent Green.

There are a few other things on this list but they are mostly contextual.

18 ) Peas are a fruit not a mortar, avoid them if they are not green.

LOL! Anyone have any other rules?
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns

Bailey
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2114
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:51 pm

Postby Bailey » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:49 am

I really hope you are kidding, my tummy is feeling rather urpy right now, but perhaps a word about road-kill. I prefer mine tenderized by Michlin, thank you.

mark I-have-very-prosaic-eating-habits Bailey

I did eat some escargot while living in Germany, but never again, not after seeing them in the wild... I didn't sample the frogs legs because of my aversion to amphibians, but I hear it like everything else tastes like chicken.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb









eberntson
Lexiterian
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:48 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass
Contact:

Ha!

Postby eberntson » Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:45 am

Dear Bailey;

My comments were not sans "LOL"... although most of the rules do have some basis in true application. Is there anything you disagree with? <smirk>

As for road-kill, rule 19) Road-Kill: DON'T:!: See "meat-on-a-stick." Plus, I rarely travel with a spatula and a burlap bag. If you feel you must pick it up, feed it to your pet hawk, vulture. If I were to choose Michilin is my choice too.

Oh that is rule #20 Dont eat scavengers, this includes vultures, coyotes, wolves, badgers, flesh eating beetles, etc. :twisted:

More rules, anyone?
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns

Bailey
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2114
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:51 pm

Postby Bailey » Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:51 pm

As mentioned before, I lack the culinary experiences you have had, I don't eat road kill except for the occasional bug in teeth while on the open road on two wheels. That was just a 'rule' as per request.

I don't dine on or with amphibs, or anything producing it's own slime, nor anything with too many legs, or anything that is a carnavoire for fear we'll be shared so to speak, I eat nearly no red meat in truth so only chicken, for me thanks. </smirk> I sense a great thread following involving disgusting; but clever, even funny responses, I'm less nauseated than amused, but quietly.

mark not-adventurous-in-cuisine Bailey

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb









eberntson
Lexiterian
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:48 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass
Contact:

Those crazy Brits..

Postby eberntson » Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:03 pm

Look what I found in the news today. Hey I have a another reason to go to Britain. This doesn't have a fly-squirrels chance in Heck of catching on in Boston! To bad we have lots of grey squirrels… But I think ours are trash feed...

"Top Lakeland restaurant serves up Peking duck-style squirrel pancakes"
http://tinyurl.com/ypjg2z

Hey I'm not knocking it, I'm just raising an eyebrow and letting you know this is out there for culinary enjoyment.
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns

Bailey
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2114
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:51 pm

Postby Bailey » Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:42 pm

I will ship some of our over-populatin' reds for some of their greys. We used to have lots o' greys but are now hip-deep in reds.

mark I'm-not-kidding Bailey

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb









eberntson
Lexiterian
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:48 am
Location: Cambridge, Mass
Contact:

Wimpy Squirrel Burger

Postby eberntson » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:54 pm

Bailey- I wonder if Wimpy would give you a quarter tomorrow for a squirrel burger today.

Now there is an idea, since no one cares what is in their burgers anyway, we could grind the little blighters into burger meat. :oops:

Actually I'm sure Mc$ has thought of it already.

Wow I just went out to Google & searched for "Squirrel Burger"... ummm! Just don't do that it is too scary.
EBERNTSON
Fear less, hope more;
eat less, chew more;
whine less, breathe more;
talk less, say more,
and all good things will be yours.
--R. Burns


Return to “Etymology”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests