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Ratman · 12-11-2008, 06:37 AM

If you are living in a "Western" country, and you eat any kind of meat, seafood, or poultry, you should seriously consider your definition of animal cruelty before you go poppin' off about how blatantly cruel or sadistic this is. I live in Japan, and have been lucky enough to have had fugu on about 10 occasions. I can assure you of a couple of things: 1. This is not the standard way of preparing fugu. 2. There are no toxins in the eyes. The only toxic organ is the liver. 3. Wild fugu are bottom feeding fish, and there is something in that diet that creates the toxins. Farm-raised fugu never get to the bottom, therefore they have no toxins. Whacking one against the counter would not risk releasing any toxins in this case, as there aren't any. That being said, I think any fisherman could tell you there are quicker and better ways to kill a fish.

In my experience there are several different parts of the fugu that are prepared in different ways. The first course is usually the skin. It is a bit rubbery, but high in collagen, so the women here love it. This is usually followed by the belly meat served as sashimi. The meat is sliced so thin, it is almost transparent, and arranged in overlapping layers on a plate with a beautiful design. The sashimi is so thin, you can see the design through it. The taste is sublime. If the fish is a male, the next course is the sperm sacs, or "shirako", which are usually grilled. Next comes deep fried fugu, meat from the back. It's not battered like tempura, but breaded in a flour much like cornmeal. This is some of the most delicious fried fish I have ever had. Finally all the left over bits, basically meat left on the bones, are made into a "nabe" or soup. It is a feast that lasts about 3-4 hours, and a wide variety of textures and flavors.

One of the nice things about living in developed countries is that we have the luxury of choosing a diet that suits our nutritional needs and our personal moral standards.

12-11-2008, 06:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ratman Addict Location: Somewhere... Across the sea...	If you are living in a "Western" country, and you eat any kind of meat, seafood, or poultry, you should seriously consider your definition of animal cruelty before you go poppin' off about how blatantly cruel or sadistic this is. I live in Japan, and have been lucky enough to have had fugu on about 10 occasions. I can assure you of a couple of things: 1. This is not the standard way of preparing fugu. 2. There are no toxins in the eyes. The only toxic organ is the liver. 3. Wild fugu are bottom feeding fish, and there is something in that diet that creates the toxins. Farm-raised fugu never get to the bottom, therefore they have no toxins. Whacking one against the counter would not risk releasing any toxins in this case, as there aren't any. That being said, I think any fisherman could tell you there are quicker and better ways to kill a fish. In my experience there are several different parts of the fugu that are prepared in different ways. The first course is usually the skin. It is a bit rubbery, but high in collagen, so the women here love it. This is usually followed by the belly meat served as sashimi. The meat is sliced so thin, it is almost transparent, and arranged in overlapping layers on a plate with a beautiful design. The sashimi is so thin, you can see the design through it. The taste is sublime. If the fish is a male, the next course is the sperm sacs, or "shirako", which are usually grilled. Next comes deep fried fugu, meat from the back. It's not battered like tempura, but breaded in a flour much like cornmeal. This is some of the most delicious fried fish I have ever had. Finally all the left over bits, basically meat left on the bones, are made into a "nabe" or soup. It is a feast that lasts about 3-4 hours, and a wide variety of textures and flavors. One of the nice things about living in developed countries is that we have the luxury of choosing a diet that suits our nutritional needs and our personal moral standards. __________________ The difference between theory and reality is that in theory there is no difference. "God made man, but he used the monkey to do it." DEVO