When ordering octopus in a restaurant you will often be served the tentacles, which are tasty, but quite chewy. Preparing and eating octopus at home gives you the advantage of selecting the freshest meat and allows you to try other parts of the octopus so that you might prepare to your meet your particular tastes.

Purchase the freshest octopus that you can find. Most good seafood markets will display the entire octopus, cutting off the parts you select. While tentacles make common appetizers, the head parts, such as the mantle and siphon, are the most tender and easiest to prepare. Don't shy away from the eyes, many people believe fried octopus eyes to be the best part of the meat.

Classic scene from the movie Oldboy.