For your lunchtime pleasure, I'm presenting a series of my favorite bento boxes. Bento are Japanese home-prepared meals served in special boxes, usually eaten for lunch at work or school. These days, bento enthusiasts from all over the world share their creations on Flickr.

I must admit that this bento, from the Live Journal bento stream, gives me the crawlies just a little. I love crab, but these guys remind me a bit of bedbugs. Cute bedbugs. The crabs are sweet potato, served over a pork and eggplant donburi. On the side are veggie spring rolls, a red bean mochi (Japanese rice flour pastry) and a green salad with vinaigrette (in the plastic carrot).

I don't know about you, but sugary roasted miniature crabs don't exactly spell party to me. I found this unique snack at a Japanese grocery store. Let's make one thing clear: These are actual crabs, complete with shells. They're not tiny crab-shaped candies or marzipan.

The wording on the package brought to mind Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I can almost see Spicoli popping one of these crunchy crustaceans in his mouth and taking a swig from a bottle of Asahi, and exclaiming, "Let's party."

Believe it or not, I find the little guys to be quite tasty, if incredibly crunchy. They beat out shrimp granola for the strangest seafood item I've ever eaten. I can't wait to see how healthy my hair gets from all the chitin in the shells.

I woke up feeling a bit crabby this morning. Not in a bad mood, but just slightly other worldly after a night of brilliant dreams with an abrupt jerk back to reality. As I lay in bed trying to hold on to my fleeing sleep, all I could think of was Shanghai in Autumn. You see, that's when Eriocher sinensis, popularly known as the Shanghai Hairy Crab, Chinese Mitten Crab, or Da Zha Xie, is in season.

Hairy crab is a succulent delicacy whose arrival each fall is celebrated with several months of dining pleasure. For hundreds of years there have been these feasts with poetry, drinking, and dining on the Hairy Crab. Luckily, two years ago I was in Shanghai in early fall and had my fill of the tasty little crustaceans.

I always do my gustatory research before heading out on my travels. Most of the time I end up discovering new gems to dine in, but this time I was on a mission. I had to eat at the Central Hotel famed for their Wang Bao He Crab Feast each fall. I had no reservations and of course we were told that no seats were available. I had been chatting with some folks from the US Embassy earlier that day. Thinking quickly I came up with a story about the embassy making reservations for us and asked them to check their book. This was a dining emergency and I wasn't going to get turned away no matter what I had to do. One of my traveling companions, Valerie, a very tall, pretty, blonde, marine biologist, batted her eyes at the host for a bit while we were asked to wait near the entrance. Valerie is also a competitive ballroom dancer and when she wants to be noticed, by damn she is noticed. The host kept sneaking looks at us and looking through their reservation book.

Sawagani crabs are usually served flash fried, but at two sushi restaurants in Orange County, CA, a few diners started a tradition where, after having a few drinks, they would reach into a jar of live crabs and eat them raw as their friends cheered them on.

Aside from the immediate gross "Fear Factor"-ness of eating something while it's still alive, eight diners felt the repercussions six to 10 weeks later. The live crabs were carrying a parasite that migrates from the intestines to the lungs. The resulting disease is the lung fluke infection, which manifests itself as coughing, diarrhea, breathing problems, abdominal pain, fever and hives. If the infection is left untreated, "it can turn into a very serious lung infection or, in fact, impact the brain," according to Deanne Thompson from Orange County Health Care Agency.

This is the WiseCracker. From the description over at Chef'n, it sounds like the jaws of life for crustaceans. Aside from having a claw cracker and meat pick on the handle, the business end of the WiseCracker is slid into crab shells and expanded, thus splitting the shells open. At least, that's what they say. It's a far cry from a wooden mallet and a nutcracker. It might be worth a try; Amazon has them for about $15. Still, I think part of the appeal of eating crabs, at least blue crabs, is the mess.