I couldn't keep quiet anymore. After learning who octopuses really are, I realized something that changed everything: I can't eat them. And I won't support restaurants that do.
This is my story. And it could be the beginning of something bigger.
I've spent my life in the ocean. As a scuba diver and nature lover, I've witnessed things most people never see. The coral reefs. The migrations. The intricate relationships that keep our oceans alive.
But nothing—nothing—prepared me for what I learned about octopuses.
These aren't just animals. They're conscious beings with intelligence that rivals mammals. They solve puzzles. They use tools. They play. They grieve. They feel pain. They express emotion through color changes in real-time.
Watch this. It will change how you see these creatures.
Watch "My Octopus Teacher"A filmmaker's year-long journey with a wild octopus. It's not just a documentary—it's a love story.
Most people don't know what octopuses really are. They're not just eight arms and alien intelligence. They're survivors. They're artists. They're brave beyond measure.
One central brain and a mini-brain in each arm. They can multitask in ways we're still trying to understand. They solve mazes. They remember individual humans. They plan. They deceive. They dream.
Most octopus mothers die immediately after their eggs hatch. They never meet their babies. Yet these young octopuses survive alone in a vast, dangerous ocean. They are brave beyond measure—growing up entirely self-sufficient, learning to hunt and hide without ever being taught. And they do it with hearts full of intelligence and curiosity.
An octopus can squeeze through any opening its beak can fit through. Imagine that flexibility, that adaptability. They fit through spaces you'd think impossible. They're literally built to survive against the odds.
They change color and texture in milliseconds—not just to hide, but to communicate emotion. Angry. Curious. Scared. They show you how they feel. They exist. They matter.
Knowing what I know now, I cannot eat octopus. How could I?
But the problem goes much deeper. The practice of eating octopus is fundamentally cruel.
Octopuses are eaten alive in dishes like nakichi and sannakji—their arms still moving as diners eat them. The octopus experiences every moment of it. Full consciousness. Full awareness. Full suffering.
Tiny, intelligent babies are thrown directly onto grills while their nervous systems are still firing. They feel everything. No mercy. No way to escape.
Thousands of restaurants serve octopus globally—treating these sentient beings as if they were no different from vegetables. Most diners have no idea what they're supporting.
Every restaurant choice you make sends a message. When you eat where your values are respected, you're telling business owners: "This is who I am. This is what I believe in. This is what I'm willing to support."
That's why OffLimitsFood exists.
We start with octopus. But this is about something bigger than one animal. It's about building community with people who believe that ethical dining is possible. It's about showing restaurants that there's a market for compassion. It's about voting for a world that matches your values, three meals a day.
You have power. Use it.
Join us. Find restaurants that match your values. Support a future you believe in.