We were assuming someone famous was hiding out behind the lowered window shades. “What the hell is that all about?” I said.
FUGU DEATHS 2016 FULL
We barely had time to register what it said when a canary yellow bullet train rolled in, and every single person on the platform - with the exception of me and my wife - dropped their luggage, whipped out a mobile phone or full SLR camera, and started snapping photos like paparazzi at the back door of a boy band concert. Of course the announcement was in Japanese, and that’s my rough translation. I had my introduction to this bloated killer at a tiny fugu restaurant in the city of Higashi-Hiroshima, about 30 minutes by local train from Hiroshima’s main station.īoarding the Tokaido Shinkansen for Hiroshima… Was I wrong in assuming my in-laws liked me? We had been invited for dinner by a friend of my wife’s parents, and she was planning to serve us Slow Death by Suffocation. The liver is said to be especially tasty, and so poisonous that Japan banned the serving of it entirely in 1984.
FUGU DEATHS 2016 LICENSE
Specially trained fugu chefs undergo at least 3 years of vigorous training before qualifying for a license which enables them to prepare it.
It’s 1,200 times stronger than cyanide, and causes paralysis of the diaphragm and eventual respiratory failure, all while the victim is fully conscious. The organs of the fugu contain a deadly poison called tetrodotoxin. It is the only food the Emperor of Japan is forbidden to eat, for his safety. Not in the water, but on the dinner plate. In case you haven’t heard of this fish, it kills on average 6 people every year in Japan and poisons 20 to 44. “An entire dinner based around fugu,” Tomoko replied. “We’re going to be eating what?” I asked as we rocketed towards Hiroshima at 300 kph.
And we were up early the next morning for a long train ride to Western Japan, and the start of what would be a week of exploring some previously untouched travel territory. We landed at Tokyo Narita after a pleasant 12 hour flight via Istanbul. The tone was set on our very first day of travel. And it was all I could do to encourage my digestive piping to keep up. All talk is of regional delicacies: a particular sort of tiny river fish here, or a type of red bean and mochi dessert there. Where you or I might plan a trip around historical sites, or art collections, or adventures, the Japanese dot their map with dishes. You see, travel in Japan is all about food. And all this from letting my wife plan the trip. And the day after that, I resigned myself to a bleak future of dieting, possibly culminating in liposuction. It can lead to tingling on the taste buds, but that’s just the start.Three days into this journey, I began to grow seriously concerned about the structural integrity of my waistband. Some diners consider it thrilling to eat a poisonous fish. Last year a group of Japanese fishermen fell ill after eating puffer fish liver, one of the most toxic parts of the fish. The toxins of a puffer fish are said to be 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide and capable of killing 30 adults with no known antidote. Parts of leftover fish, which was reportedly served as part of their dinner, was taken to a lab for testing. Another boy experiencing similar symptoms was taken to the hospital and was recovering, according to the Bicol Standard. The boys were said to have suffered from stomach aches and vomiting before dying. In the Phillipines they call it butete or tikong. In Japan the fish is a delicacy called fugu. Mainly that’s because chefs that prepare the fish must be well trained and extremely careful. While the fish is known to contain toxins more poisonous than cyanide, deaths from eating pufferfish are still rare.
News of the death of two children and another who had fallen ill from eating the dangerous puffer fish spread throughout the world this week.
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