Barnacles--The Food That Made Me Pause

I am not what I would call a particularly adventurous eater.  I certainly pale in comparison to members of my family, and two of them were with me on my recent trip to Andalucía.

Imagine their surprise when I ordered a plate of quite expensive barnacles and this is what arrived at our table.  My son asked "Who ordered the dinosaur feet?" I tried to look innocent, but the blushing may have given me away.  I did.  Can you  believe it?

 I am very glad that I was not on closed circuit television upon their arrival because I can assure you, my jaw dropped discernably.  I went from feeling able to eat anything to wondering just exactly how one even began to attack these critters.  And it was a sizable part of our bill that day, adding a financial dimension to the problem.

It may not be obvious from looking at them, but there is not an obvious way to eat these--the bottoms, what you would see if you are looking at them in their natural habitat, are rock hard.  The 'neck' of the barnacle, which is where they get their name 'gooseneck barnacles' from, is a tough lethery texture that you are absolutely certain that you are not meant to either chew or bite into.  So, what to do?  Thanksfully we figured it out before the waiter had to come rescue us (which would have led to eternal shame for being such barnacle rookies).  You bend them right at the juncture between the top of the shell and the bottom of the neck and they literally pop open, revealing an iside that is the texture of a large clam and the flavor of the sea.  Remarkably more delicious than they look.