Shrimp(s) and prawns

[Joel S. Berson]

At 3/10/2009 08:20 PM, Bill Palmer wrote:
>On the east coast of the US they are all "shrimp", regardless of size.  As
>far as I know, the word "prawn" is unknown.

I, raised and still living east of the Hudson, disagree.  I see both
words on menus, and understand "prawns" as larger.  "Prawn"
particularly appears on menus of East Asian restaurants.  (They might
all be "shrimp" in the supermarket bags, regardless of count; I
haven't examined that aspect closely, preferring to have others cook for me.)

Joel


>In California, and maybe the rest of the west coast, small, salad-size
>shrimp are "shrimp", larger varieties, such as might go on the barbie or
>into a cocktail are "prawns. Altho during my years there I never heard of a
>"prawn cocktail"

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