Kitchen

Q: The obligatory question first: How many crustaceans died during the making of this film? At the afterparty? Do you eat meat? ALICE WINOCOUR: We used thirty lobsters in the making of this film. They were usually resting in their “caravan,” which was a huge aquarium where we fed them. None died, but one committed suicide on camera. We buried him with a lot of respect. Acting is a tough job. Another one was nicknamed Leonardo, like DiCaprio. He was the best. The afterparty was very calm. I do eat meat, but I don’t eat actors. Q: Did you know that Whole Foods—a conscientious and very expensive U.S. grocery store—has stopped selling live lobsters on the grounds that it’s inhumane, and instead have overseen the development of a giant, supposedly close-to-painless lobster-killing machine that immediately pressurizes the little fellas right out of their shells? Other companies sell a little lobster electric chair called the Crustastun. Which would you choose? AW: Had I been a Texan lobster, I would have had no choice: the electric chair. But being a French lobster, I think I would prefer the “killing machine” by Whole Foods. As Françoise Sagan said, “It’s better to cry in a limousine than on the subway.” Q: I read that Caribbean spiny lobsters can detect the disease PaV1 in passing lobsters, even if the other lobster shows no detectable signs of sickness. What was the most vicious illness you’ve endured? AW: I’m a hypochondriac, so I have a lot of vicious illnesses: imaginary and real ones. The worst illness was a chagrin d’amour, which was the break-up that inspired Kitchen. Q: Have you heard of the Robo-Lobster? It’s a two-foot-long, seven-pound crustacean made out of industrial-strength plastic, which the U.S. Navy plans to employ to detect and destroy mines buried under the surf zone. What is your favorite possession? AW: My favorite possession is my boyfriend’s body. I’ve never heard of the Robo-Lobster. Q: