Whew I am not a cold-hearted mean, cruel, evil, amoral individual. Anyone who knows me knows I love seafood. Yummy! Being fathers day guess who gets to pick dinner. Woo hoo!
One draw back about seafood that haunted me in the back of my mind. To cook shellfish they take the crab or lobster, and throw it in a pot of boiling water alive. Some claim to hear it go EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Being the overtly macho guy I am, I think that is terrible I can’t do that to a living thing! You can hit it between the eyes with an ice pick before boiling, but I doubt many go to the trouble.
Hurrrray for research, and the evidence. A meta-study of literature, EKG & brainwave studies show that they do not suffer. Crustaceans are relatively unchanged for over a billion years, they survive as is and had no reason to change. They are in no way direct ancestors. More importantly they are nothing more than bugs we are not grossed out eating.
Their nervous system is primitive and it has a nerve bundle not a brain. It can do very very simple learning, but most of its reaction is instinct not thought. So when it thrashes for a few seconds it is reflex not suffering, the nerves and brain cannot register pain, just a rapid temperature change. The screaming sound is steam going through the shell. Where a higher animal would be terrified, a lobster can’t be, it is not equipped to be.
Yes much of this research was to investigate PETA claims. PETA claims that dropping a pig or a dog into boiling water is the same as a lobster. No it is not, a dog or a pig will suffer and be terrified as they are highly evolved animals with excellent brains and nervous systems. So PETA’s full-page ad is essentially bunk. Say straw man!
I support not being cruel to animals, but when we can eat with no more guilt than squishing a spider, that is different. A cabbage feels no more suffering being picked, than a lobster being cooked. Crabs are essentially spiders, actually less evolved than spiders. Spiders are much more intelligent tests have shown, some scientists wonder why they never became sentient, they are predatory and can grasp like our early ancestors did, and they do think strategically. (Cold bloodedness and un-evolved respiratory system is probably the answer to no higher evolution)
So pass the plate and some drink, I am not an evil bastard for enjoying my seafood.
The Original 
I'll continue avoiding boiling living creatures alive if you don't mind. But I hope you enjoy your Father's Day in any case. 
