Sorry Musick, I completely misread your post (gotta be the cold medicine, the Benylin or the NeoCitran) I read just "crosswise" and didn't see "ring"

Actually, the rings are the head and body of the squid, emptied out and cut. If you look at a squid, you'll see that the head & body look a little bit like a missle (bomb) and the tentacles stick out the flat bottom into a point when they swim. They are quite cute in the water.