In a 2009 interview with Bill Moyer, poet Nikki Giovanni declared, "I will not eat ugly food. I’m an American; I will not starve to death. So I do not have to eat ugly food."

While we wholeheartedly support the sentiment, we're banking on the notion she's not intimating that everything need be fondant and linen-napkined into oblivion in order to be enjoyable. There's much beauty in the mad, imperfect abandon of this mess of Chinatown crab claws. Most important, this photo makes us want to set up camp next to the pile - hammer in one hand, lemon wedge in the other - to smash and slurp it down to a heap of shattered shells.

See more of Rachel Been's food photography on her website.

Each weekday, Lick the Screen will showcase a food photo that sets our stomach rumbling. If you'd like your work to be featured, submit your pictures to the Eatocracy Flickr pool or leave a link in the comments. We'll get in touch if what we see makes us weak at the knees.