FUGU FISH PREPARATION SKIN

I lived in Japan for 7 years and have been traveling there for over 20 years.

While the outcome could be quite disastrous but I think from reading enough Japanese literature, that death is a romantic ideal too. While there is ranking outside but at the table, everyone is an equal, partaking an equal amount of risks and of their own choice.Īlso, since everything has a rigid sort of outcome, the risks of eating Fugu provides a romantic notion of something different. I think the act of eating Fugu equalizes everyone. There is also so much protocol to follow for everything one undertakes- from traveling (Japanese guidebooks tell you specifically what to do, what to eat etc) to the trivial (there is a shocking number of guidelines available). Notwithstanding, being with the Japanese people and having studied your culture, I think everything Japanese is set in rigid rules and regulations. There are so many fantastic food and simple delights at every corner in Japan that cost very little so why commit your life to something so expensive and possibly fatal. Fugu is so expensive, I certainly did not feel at all nice if we ate this dangerous dish and something happened- somehow the locals never felt it was dangerous, it probably was a Gaijin thingy. I have been to Japan on 2 separate occasions and was offered by my gracious Japanese friends a chance at eating Fugu, and I had refused both times. If you want to make stupid comments about other people's eating preferences, please do so elsewhere.) After a few years they've deteriorated into name calling and silliness. So go ahead - now's your chance to tell Japanese people what you really think! This post was in fact inspired by a comment left there, and used with the owner Michiru-san's blessing. The comments are quite interesting to say the least. This is a fun blog where various discussions around the interweb on all kinds of topics are translated into Japanese, for people who are curious about what 'the world' thinks, especially about Japan and Japanese people. Now as I said in the Note at top, your comments/answers to this question may be translated for the Japanese blog MHK - Maou Housou Kyoukai. to serve fugu there are a dozen or so other restaurants in the city that serve it now. Would you try fugu yourself? Have you tried it - and if so, what did you think? Was it worth it? (Note: Nippon Restaurant in New York was the first restaurant in the U.S. So.what do you think about Japanese people (and others) who eat a highly poisonous food willingly? Does it say anything to you about Japanese culture or society? Fugu: Would you? Have you? What do you think of people who do? I've had fugu sashi, and while fresh fugu is indeed delicious, I am not sure if the risk of a very uncomfortable death, or an even more uncomfortable recovery time in the hospital, is worth it. (This was in fact how a famous kabuki theater actor died of fugu poisoning, many years ago - he put a bit of the poisonous live on his fugu pieces.) In case you are wondering just how you die, it's not a very nice way to go. I wonder if they liked to stick their tongues on batteries when they were kids. A few die-hards even like to put a tiny bit of the poison on their fugu, for that numbing/tingling sensation on the lips. Non-lethal fugu may be on its way to our tables, but fugu fans often cite the thrill of possible poisoning/death as part of the appeal of fugu. ( Link to news story in Japanese - this hasn't made the news in any English online media outlets as far as I can find out.) Recently there was a case in Toyama prefecture, where nine people who partook of fugu at a sushi restaurant were taken ill of the 2 people who lost consciousness, one is still in a coma. Despite all regulatory precautions, every year there are reports of people getting sick or even dying from fugu poisoning. If an unskilled or careless person accidentally pierces the organs or otherwise contaminates the edible flesh of the fish, then the diner may find that meal to be his last. In order to serve fugu, a chef has to go through a strict certification process. It's now fugu season in fact, so many people are tucking in to fugu sashi (fugu sashimi), fugu nabe (fugu hotpot), and so on. Nevertheless, it's considered to be a great delicacy in Japan.

FUGU FISH PREPARATION SKIN

Fugu's main claim to fame, besides its extraordinary appearance (it puffs itself up to make itself look a lot bigger to predators), is that its skin and organs are highly poisonous. One of them is the infamous fugu, or puffer fish. (Note: Your responses to the question posed below may be translated for a Japanese blog! Read on.)Įven though I'm Japanese, I do think that we eat an awful lot of food that could be considered to be odd.

Fugu fish preparation