Ratman

It was hoped, though apparently not realized, that my reply was to anyone "living in a Western country", and not to any one person in particular. While the death of the animal would be preferred before butchering, and as you say, it is not the usual practice to start butchering before such, it does happen that not all animals (I'm not limiting this to cows, though there is documentary evidence with bovines) are indeed dead before butchering begins. More importantly, the period of time immediately preceding slaughter can be sheer terror for the animal, if viewed in "human" terms. Are cows, pigs, and chickens aware of their impending doom any more than a fish? I don't know. I do know that an oyster is alive when shucked and swallowed. Does that stop people?

There also the assumption that the fish is alive and aware of it's situation as it's being eaten, that it's an intentional act on the part of the preparer and the eater to satisfy some sadistic urge, and that it is reveled in as though that was the point of the whole thing. If that were true, why aren't the Japanese simply spearing dogs on the side of the road and stripping their flesh as they watch, or as you suggest a cow impaled in a manner to purposely immobilize it, yet keep it alive as bits of it's flesh are cut off and barbecued before it's eyes? Why is the Western practice of throwing a live lobster in a pot of boiling water and listening to it scream any different?

It's not that I find the rejection of a culture's food, or the method of preparing or eating of that food, objectionable. Monkey brains or live grubs are not everyone's cup of tea. However, I do object to the condemnation of a culture due to a couple of minutes of video on youtube that is deemed offensive to one's taste, culture or morals.
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BTW, I am not an expert in fugu preparation, and certainly did not intend to portray myself as such. I have been present when fugu (wild and farmed) have been prepared at the main fish market in Nagahama, Fukuoka. The sellers of fugu there are all licensed. None of the organs of the fugu are consumed, with the exception of the testes, which are cooked first, and the eyes, which are usually eaten raw. The biggest risk of poisoning is if the liver is breached and the knife used to cut the fish is contaminated, or so I've been told. But, hey, the NYT is one of my favorite papers, and if they say it's all poison who am I to argue.

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