Flummoxing legumes

A couple years ago, I was out at a Japanese restaurant with some friends. They proposed ordering edamame as a shared appetizer, and I said something like 'I've never really understood the appeal of edamame; they're so fuzzy going down.'

This remark was, of course, greeted with blank stares, followed by (totally deserved) laughter.

This evening I discovered another legume-covering initial complete misapprehension. The CSA-esque thing I patronize has recently been providing fava beans. Now, having learned from the edamame confusion, I immediately understood that it was appropriate to remove the large outer pod. I did so, and ate them over pasta, with an arugula pesto, to which I added way too much garlic, so I didn't really notice the fava beans, except to think that they were maybe a little chewy.

This evening I de-podded the next batch, blanched them, set them aside to deal with some beets, grew restive, and naturally started grazing. The fava beans struck me as having a nice soft interior and an oddly waxy exterior. A sudden suspicion struck me and I turned to the internet.

OH MY GOD PEOPLE IS THERE NO END TO THE DECEPTIVENESS OF LEGUME CASINGS? You're supposed to de-pod and then shell the wretched things! Let this be a cautionary tale, and approach new members of the bean/pea family with circumspection. I bet the next one I encounter has THREE layers.