In an upscale Sardinian restaurant (an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea), a tourist made a rather unconventional choice. She ordered a $200 lobster, specifically requesting that it be delivered to her table alive, only to release it back into the sea, according to a report in The Telegraph. A video of her act has gone viral on social media where it has sparked a debate. Some people praised her for the good gesture, while others said she did this just to gain attention.
Typically, at the Gente di Mare restaurant, lobsters are prepared in dishes like spaghetti or "alla Catalana", which involves boiling the crustaceans and then dressing them with a sauce made of tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, black pepper, and salt. However, in this particular instance, a Swiss tourist noticed the lobster in a water-filled tank near the restaurant's entrance. She decided to pay $200 to have it brought to her without any cooking or harm.
"The lady came into our restaurant and was straightaway struck by the aquarium that we have at the entrance," the restaurant's owner Antonio Fasolino, told The Telegraph.
"She asked me if she could free the lobster and release it into the sea. At first I thought she was joking, but then I saw she was serious. I said, 'for me that's no problem!'" he further said.
The lobster was presented to her in a bucket. With her husband, she went outside onto a quay, gently removed the lobster from the container, and seemed to tenderly stroke it while uttering a few words. Finally, she gently placed it into the calm waters of Golfo Aranci, a bay located in the northern part of Sardinia, near the island's exclusive Costa Smeralda coast. As soon as it touched the water, the lobster swam away.
The tourist insisted that she perform the act of liberation herself, rather than leave it to the restaurant staff.
