Imitation or counterfeit?

[Victor Steinbok]

I've mentioned this previously, but the Dutch imitation shrimp have all
the identifying marks of peeled cooked shrimp, down to the "bands",
identifiable by disjoint red splotches. If one does not look closely,
they can mistake them for real shrimp. Market fish trucks sell them
deep-fried, much like many other things they sell deep-fried (on the
spot). The oddity is that these "shrimp" are referred to as "gamba",
which is decidedly not Dutch in origin--and not even French (Italian:
gambero/i and gamberetto/i for shrimp, sing/pl.--I find no other
cognates, but this doesn't mean they don't exist)--ordinary shrimp go by
"garnaal/garnalen" (sing/pl=German Garnele[n]). The distinction is
obvious in texture, if you look closely or touch, but, from a distance,
the two piles look very much alike.

     VS-)

On 10/13/2011 9:53 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> Now it would really be interesting if they came up with imitation
> lobster in the shell. Or shrimp. Then they could even lase identifying
> marks. Joel

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