Every year, Erika Shepard’s Marine Biology classes participate in a squid dissection. Students study the complex anatomy of squid, but also compete fiercely against peers for a coveted prize: extra credit. This past Thursday was no exception.
Teams were determined by pre-assigned table groups, which spread out class friends, sparking rivalries. In sixth period, the students’ task was to complete an accurate and thorough dissection of the provided squid as well as prepare, season, and cook the best calamari possible to present to the judge and science teacher, Brett Olsson.
Despite the restrictive dissection guidelines, the cook-off provided room for originality by allowing students to select ingredients for their calamari. Teams that brought their own ingredients were able to create high-quality sauces, breading, seasoning, and garnishes, giving them an advantage over groups limited to the standard ingredients provided.
“Normally, we just get non-safe food stuff, and then it gets thrown away,” junior G Wood said. “This is sort of a special thing. Firstly, it’s not super preserved—the squids are from a fish market. Secondly, instead of using scalpels, we’re using knives and cutting boards.”
The giddy excitement wore off quickly in some participants as the intricate dissection and focus began. “There are just so many gills and guts,” junior Bella Duran said. She moved over to the edge of her table to handle the squid, avoiding the inky sack on the other side.
“In freshman year biology class, we dissected a dead pig, and we had to take out its insides. I didn’t like it a lot. The pig smelled like chemicals and it was really bad. This just smells like seafood, so it’s bearable,” Booker said. “I’m nervous that it’s not going to turn out well, but I hope it does.”
Senior Hanna Mackey and juniors Zane Nahas and Nicola Melani worked as a team. “We kind of went in blind. We didn’t have a recipe, but we got some seasoning from some generous groups around us. We had flour and butter and mixed it together,” Mackey said. “We feel really good. Honestly, we like our odds.”
The cook-off in sixth period was judged by Olsson. He has been one of the selected judges by Shepard for a few years and has refined a specific criteria to meet his standards of tastiness. “I’m looking for good seasoning, a golden color, but not too greasy. [It needs] a nice crisp crunch to the calamari,” Olsson said.
One by one, the contestants submitted their plates for tasting, garnished with the toppings of their choice. The presentation of the plates varied from highly curated to quite disorganized. Each team stood in front of Olsson with their dishes as he took a bite of each team’s calamari.
Olsson was not a stoic judge, rather, he was uniformly positive. Many groups received similar feedback and compliments, making it hard to gauge where each team’s calamari ranked in comparison to others. Students huddled around the judging area and paid close attention to each reaction Olsson had.
His encouraging expressions did not paint the whole picture. For Olsson, one group in particular stood out amongst the rest. It was not only the calamari that set Olsson’s favorite team above the rest. Their professional demeanor made their group extra memorable. “One of the people that came up, the head person in the group, presented like he was a chef already,” Olsson said. “The way he said he presented it, I felt like I was in a fancy restaurant being presented with food.”
Tension was building in the moments leading up to Olsson’s announcement of the winning group. Students regrouped with their teams and waited in slow silence for the extra-credit champion. “The top three choices for this class were so close in presentation and flavor. It was tough,” Olsson said.
After a long-awaited reveal, Turner’s team secured both the gold and also the extra credit. Turner audibly expressed his victory with cheers. “Shout out to all the participants in the competition,” he said. “But we do this, man. We don’t come here for second. We come here for first.”
Photos courtesy of Gracie Bullard and Caleigh Jones
