Rare Good Phil Jackson Idea: Mandatory Octopus Tasting During Job Interviews
By Kyle Koster
Then-New York Knicks president Phil Jackson shared a meal with Dennis Smith Jr. before last year’s NBA draft. While they dined a major red flag arose, which might explain why the Knicks passed on the point guard in favor of Frank Ntilikina.
"“We went out to some restaurant and they had me eat some octopus, like an actual octopus tentacle,” Smith Jr. told the Daily News. “First time ever. I wasn’t going to try it, honestly. They kind of put the pressure on me to do it.” "
Even though Smith (14.0 pts, 4.0 rebs, 4.5 assists) has been far more productive than Ntilikina (5.7 pts, 2.3 reb, 3.4 assists) during their rookie years, the Knicks should feel just fine about the decision.
Octopus is delicious and people just don’t understand until they try it. Any trepidation over seafood texture is rendered meaningless when the animal is cooked properly. It’s light but not too light and is a perfectly blank canvas for other flavors in the dish.
Smith Jr. should be thanking the heavens he was introduced to this heavenly cuisine, not decrying the peer pressure.
Octopus is a low-calorie conduit for serious, results-oriented protein. Some call it the Whey Protein of the Sea. More than that, eating octopus is not a surface-level experience like stuffing your face with potato chips. It’s much deeper. The highly intelligence prehistoric invertebrate is itself a work of art, a formless shape-shifter exploring brave new worlds.
Anyway, next time you have the opportunity, try the octopus. It’s good. Very good.