Live crabs, come and get 'em!

[frapjap]

Have you ever been walking through a subway station and gotten a sudden, unavoidable desire for live crabs? China has got you covered.
Vending machine in China sells live crabs. Kick a**.

http://theweek.com/article/index/208655 ... g-machines
Video on the page, too.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
China's live-crab vending machines
In some Chinese train stations you can now purchase living crustaceans as conveniently as candy bars
posted on October 27, 2010, at 3:39 PM

"Dahza" hairy crabs are lulled into a torpor by the chilly air inside the vending machines -- but quickly become more animated once purchased. Photo: YouTube
Best Opinion: DVice, TreeHugger

The video: A curious new trend in vending-machine fare is cropping up China: Refrigerated live crabs. For as little as 15 yuan (two dollars), busy commuters in the city of Nanjing can purchase a "Dazha" hairy crab, a local delicacy prized for its flavorful roe. Inside the machines, rows of the plastic-encased crustaceans are kept dormant by chilly 41-degree air. And if you happen to get a crab that's beyond dormant? A "sign next to the machine offers three free crabs for anyone who is unlucky enough to get a dead one."
The reaction: "What a deal!" says Adam Frucci at DVice. "I don't think the demand for hairy crabs is high enough here in the States to warrant bringing it across the Pacific — but maybe a lobster vending machine could be in our future?" Instead, says Stephen Messenger at TreeHugger, maybe we could design "a vending machine that dispenses a bit of decency. After all, shouldn't consuming living things be a little less convenient?" Watch a live-crab vending machine in action:

[Zydeco]

lol, what cant you get out of a vending machine now?

[Amays U G37S]

a box full of weiners

[HashiriyaS14]

This is an awesome idea.

I'd much rather have crab than a stupid Snickers bar.

[Zydeco]

yeah at least its healthier for you.

[krimsonviper]

Sweet. I want to buy one, just to buy it.

[Mr1der]

meh, I'll be at the used panty machine if you need me.

[alms24sebring]

I dont even know what to think of this. Its kinda sick really. I mean I could understand cooked crab in a bag on the go. Id go for that haha, but live crab is I think alittle bizzare and just not right for them.

Who eats a live crab anyways!? I coulda guessed the chinese..

[Noxy]

That is probably the most bizarre thing I've seen all week. I don't even like cooked crab, can't imagine what raw ones taste like...

By the way, first glance at the title made me think you were whoring yourself out frapjap

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Cooked and raw crab taste pretty much the same. AS long as they froze the crabs as soon as they were caught they should be fine.

[themadscientist]

You can buy crabs on the street in most major U.S. cities.

[Jesda]

I'm hungry. The water's boiling.

[93coupe]

Vending machines are cool but you can get local crabs on every corner here.

...or just call Tito for some.

[frapjap]

The Chinese usually eat the roe from the crabs. I dont know if all of the crabs in the vending machines are female, but if so, theres no better way to have on-the-go fresh roe.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I wonder if this would work for fresh oysters.

[frapjap]

Shoot! You're on to something.

I can already see the big "CONSUMING RAW SHELLFISH MAY RENDER YOUR SICK, YOU HAVE BEEN INFORMED BEFORE YOU MADE YOUR SELECTION FROM THIS MACHINE" stickered on the front.

[AZhitman]

Have any of you ever smelled a dead crab (or snail or any other such creature)?

HOLY DAMN.

WORST.

SMELL.

EVAR.

[93coupe]

I wonder if this would work for fresh oysters.

Shucks! That's a great idea.

[Dattebayo]

Have any of you ever smelled a dead crab (or snail or any other such creature)?

HOLY DAMN.

WORST.

SMELL.

EVAR.

I'd put old gear oil ahead of that anyday.

Oh yeah, and the only thing MD is really good for, crabs. That and Jewish communities.

[93coupe]

Pikesville FTL.

[Dattebayo]

Pikesville FTL.

Not gonna go there.

[themadscientist]

I'd put old gear oil ahead of that anyday.

No s***! I carried a transmission in the 180 and spilled some, jeebus!
The smell lingered for months.

[LunarShroud]

The Chinese usually eat the roe from the crabs. I dont know if all of the crabs in the vending machines are female, but if so, theres no better way to have on-the-go fresh roe.

this.
i'm pretty sure it's for the roe, not the meat.

[numbnuts240]

I wonder if this would work for fresh oysters.

Shucks! That's a great idea.

a great pun, gone unnoticed