Simply dining in China could make a fine episode of "Fear Factor". I must admit I never actually watched that program, but I caught short glimpses of it while channel surfing on many occasions - I couldn't help pausing for a moment or two on the sight of a woman eating live worms. Anyway, Fear Factor seemed to focus largely on making contestants eat things that were disgusting, but not necessarily dangerous - the network has lawyers after all. In China, the stakes get somewhat higher.
Yesterday at lunch, a seafood restaurant, Larry and I were walking past the tanks of live fish deciding which will live and which will die when we came upon a tank of puffer fish. Larry asked if I wanted to try this, and knowing well that he sometimes tries to get me to eat things he would not try himself, I made sure he will be having the same - he agreed.
After placing our order, something began to gnaw at me. There was something about eating puffer fish that was dangerous, but I couldn't remember what it was. I asked Larry if he knew about the dangers of eating this fish, to which he replied "Ah yes, will kill you if not prepared by expert". to which he added "Don't worry, I eat here once before and I not die". Thanks Larry, I feel much better now.
Puffer fish, or blow fish as they are also called contain a strong neurotoxin in certain organs and their skin, and they have to be prepared by an expert chef to remove the deadly parts without accidentally contaminating the meat. The toxin is powerful, and will completly paralyse a person but leave him fully conscious, at least until he stops breathing. There is no antidote, and the only chance for survival is to place the victim on life support until the toxin is metabolized. Bon appetit!
My puffer fish arrived in a bowl, complete with head, tail and all, taking his last swim as it were in a tasty, creamy seafood broth with tofu and chives. Sadly, when cooked he no longer looked puffy, but rather deflated like a flat tire. I thought about declining, but after learning that only 50 or so people die every year from eating this fish across all of Asia, I figured the odds were probably greater that I would die today from one of Shanghai's many other dangers, like Larry's driving for example. I ate it, some of it at least. The fish tasted rather like fish, unremarkable I thought, and difficult to separate the meat from whatever was holding onto it - we'll call it the innertube. And after a half hour or so, pleased that I could still feel and move my extremities, we declared lunch a success. I will live to see another day...
Yesterday at lunch, a seafood restaurant, Larry and I were walking past the tanks of live fish deciding which will live and which will die when we came upon a tank of puffer fish. Larry asked if I wanted to try this, and knowing well that he sometimes tries to get me to eat things he would not try himself, I made sure he will be having the same - he agreed.
After placing our order, something began to gnaw at me. There was something about eating puffer fish that was dangerous, but I couldn't remember what it was. I asked Larry if he knew about the dangers of eating this fish, to which he replied "Ah yes, will kill you if not prepared by expert". to which he added "Don't worry, I eat here once before and I not die". Thanks Larry, I feel much better now.
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| Say hello to lunch! |
Puffer fish, or blow fish as they are also called contain a strong neurotoxin in certain organs and their skin, and they have to be prepared by an expert chef to remove the deadly parts without accidentally contaminating the meat. The toxin is powerful, and will completly paralyse a person but leave him fully conscious, at least until he stops breathing. There is no antidote, and the only chance for survival is to place the victim on life support until the toxin is metabolized. Bon appetit!
My puffer fish arrived in a bowl, complete with head, tail and all, taking his last swim as it were in a tasty, creamy seafood broth with tofu and chives. Sadly, when cooked he no longer looked puffy, but rather deflated like a flat tire. I thought about declining, but after learning that only 50 or so people die every year from eating this fish across all of Asia, I figured the odds were probably greater that I would die today from one of Shanghai's many other dangers, like Larry's driving for example. I ate it, some of it at least. The fish tasted rather like fish, unremarkable I thought, and difficult to separate the meat from whatever was holding onto it - we'll call it the innertube. And after a half hour or so, pleased that I could still feel and move my extremities, we declared lunch a success. I will live to see another day...
Dude your wife is so pissed off that you did this ...
ReplyDeleteOh come now. She knows I have done things way dumber than this...
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