German fans want revenge grilling of oracle octopus
BERLIN (Reuters Life!) - Some Germans are calling for a public roasting of the oracle octopus who correctly picked the winner of all six of their national soccer team's World Cup matches -- including a bitter defeat to Spain on Wednesday.
Paul, a two-year-old octopus in a German aquarium, turned into a global celebrity for his uncanny ability to predict the winner of all Germany's matches -- even a group stage defeat to Serbia and an ousting by Spain in the semi-finals.
"Nothing beats grilled octopus," said Dolores Lusch, a Germany fan who works on a Berlin fish stall. "Cut him up in thin slices and grill him on all sides with a dash of lemon juice, olive oil and garlic on it. Delicious!"
Paul the octopus has made predictions for all 6 matches played by Germany. He is now 6 for 6.The octopus, considered by some to be the most intelligent of all invertebrates, gets the choice of picking food from two different transparent containers lowered into his tank -- one with a German flag on it and one with the opponent's flag. The container Paul opens first is regarded as his pick.