'Mignolet', the giant 7-kilogram lobster that Jo Taveirne bought to display in his brasserie is sending back to Canada. The brasserie owner had the animal flown over only last week as a stunt to promote his business. But ever since Jo has been deluged in buckets of criticism that he decided to send the creature back to its home country. ‘I’ve been getting dozens of hate mails a day. I hope it now stops’ he sighed.
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Jo sends giant 7-kilo lobster back to Canada after being deluged in hate mail
Colin Clapson
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Giant lobster ‘Mignolet’ was named after Club Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and was supposed to become the showpiece at Jo Taveirne's brasserie in Harelbeke, but the landlord hadn’t counted on the deluge of hate mail he was destined to receive.
‘Mignolet is a giant. The same goes for this lobster.’ Jo bought ‘Mignolet’ through his fishmonger and had the creature flown over from Canada.
‘I didn't intend to serve the lobster to my clients. The idea was for it to live in the 'homarium', the lobster aquarium, in my business,’ says Jo.
Damage proves too great
That’s now not going to happen, after Jo received a deluge of hate mail. ‘I hadn’t expected it, but I got an awful lot of hate messages, dozens of emails a day as well as unpleasant posts on social media,’ he says.
‘People think I'm torturing the animal and tell me they want to put me in a pot of boiling water or make goulash out of me. All because I bought a giant lobster.’
Jo says the reactions are excessive. ‘I have been preparing lobster for 20 years. During all this time, nobody ever complained. People also eat baby chickens as well lamb every day. That doesn’t attract any comment, but apparently, I am not allowed to keep this lobster.’
Jo has noticed some people are now also boycotting his business. ‘There were ‘customers’ who booked online but didn't show up. I am losing revenue because of all this.’ The damage is simply too great. ‘I have decided to send Mignolet back home,’ the landlord told VRT.
A flight for Canada leaves on Friday and 'Mignolet' will be on board. ‘It doesn't happen very often that a lobster is sent back, but I didn't hesitate when I heard it could be done.’
Meanwhile 'Mignolet' is racking up a bill. ‘It will cost me well over 1,000 euros to send the lobster back home!’
But in Canada, 'Mignolet' will be returned to the sea.