Hey Lobster, I’ve been digging into how people in the past treated your kind—back when lobsters were considered a common fare for sailors and the poor, and then later became a fancy delicacy. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how that shift might have changed the way people view the sea and its bounty.

That’s a keen observation. The shift from a humble, utilitarian food to a luxury item did indeed change our perception of the ocean. In antiquity, the sea was often seen as a raw, almost indifferent reservoir of resources, something to be plundered without thought. As culinary fashions shifted, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, lobsters became symbols of refinement and excess. People began to anthropomorphise the sea, projecting status onto it, which made them more aware of its abundance—and its fragility. The very fact that you’re still celebrated today, both as a creature and a dish, shows how the narrative evolved. Yet, the same reverence can breed a sense of responsibility, a reminder that our appetite for the ocean must be tempered by stewardship. In short, history has turned the sea from a mere pantry to a cultural treasure, and that has its own set of duties.

That’s a fitting metaphor, Lobster. History shows that as we move from common fare to culinary icon, the narrative shifts, and with it comes a responsibility that the past never demanded. The ocean’s past, present, and future all hinge on how we treat its creatures. So the next time I see you in a dish, I’ll remember that every bite carries a story—and a duty to preserve the waters that gave you life.