Really odd conch question

[WOODMAN]

Okay, here goes. I have a really strange question about conch, which has been burning at me for about 2 years, and although I probably am not gonna like the answer:shakehead , I guess I have to know.
Two years ago my wife and I were on a small liveaboard in the Bahamas, and one of the more experienced guests decided to treat us all to fresh conch salad. He free dove and harvested about 6 nice conch, and then laboriously pried the critters out of the shells and proceeded to clean and prepare them for the feast. Now comes the weird part. In the process of cleaning the beasties, he came up with a tiny clear tubular organ which he actually convinced several of us (myself included:11: ) to eat raw. I forget the exact sales pitch he used, but it was on the order of traditional rite of passage for those not initiated, etc., etc. I guess you had to be there. So, I guess my question has to be, what did we eat? Now, after you guys get up off the floor , I would appreciate any information you might have on this arcane little business. The answer can't possibly be as bad as my imagination. Ideas? Woody

 

[mikerault]

It was probably the penis, they can regrow them you know...

Mike

 

[REII]

ewwww!

I have seen it so I know what you are talking about. But, I don't know what it is.

TOM

 

[WOODMAN]

Yeah, I figured it was something like that. I seem to recall something in the sales pitch about "enhancing virility", yadda yadda. Organic viagra? Oh well, I guess I have done weirder things:shakehead (but not many)

 

[archman]

It's the "crystalline style", found in both sexes. I once ate eight of them at once, on a dare from my students. Taste like seawater.

 

[knotical]

If you read this:
http://www.environmentdivision.info/features/queen_conch.pdf
you’ll find out how they use it.

 

[DennisS]

"Ya man, it put lead in your pencil" was the way it was described to me.

 

[archman]

It absolutely horrifies me as to how little Bahamian fishermen know about the anatomy of one of their key commercial species.

 

[WOODMAN]

'Crystalline style', which is part of the digestive tract, huh? And highly regarded in the Caribbean as an aphrodisiac? Well, that answers that, I suppose. I guess I will file that away with all the other arcane knowledge I have absorbed, and at least I can stop wondering about it now. As I said, the truth couldn't possibly be worse than my imagination, and it just shows once again that you can always depend on someone in this group to have the answers you need, no matter what the question. Many thanks for all of your help. Woody

 

[mdmbike to scuba]

It was probably the penis, they can regrow them you know...

Mike

Nice