Sorry mom, but I HAD to try it!!!!
FUGU aka blowfish aka globefish, is one of the most notorious and celebrated dishes of Japan.
It is a lethally poisonous fish if prepared incorrectly, and so, only licensed and specially trained chefs in Japan are allowed to serve fugu. You see, if you ingest the poison it paralyzes your muscles and you die by asphyxiation. The worst part is that the poison doesn't affect your brain and you're fully conscious as this happens. The most poisonous parts of the blowfish are its liver and ovaries, and eating these is illegal in Japan. So you can imagine that when Mike and I went in search of fugu the other night, we wanted a chef who knew EXACTLY what he was doing!This is where we found our much anticipated dinner:
There are many ways to enjoy fugu...
...grilled...
...boiled like shabu shabu...
...and the most popular:served as sashimi, sliced so thin that you can see the dish it is presented on.
And so came the moment we were waiting for. We proceeded with some caution but ate it all nonetheless!
Two questions that you may be wondering about:
Did we die? obviously not since I'm posting these pictures. Typically, you die from the fugu poison within 4-24 hours of its consumption. It has been a couple of days since our dinner, so I think we're safe now.
What does it taste like? not much. It is actually a rather bland fish, and the accompanying sauces give it some flavour. I suppose that part of what makes this dish so famous is the potential risk (although when it is preparedly properly the risk is minimal) and that if you eat enough of it, or just some of the illegal parts, you do get a prickly/numbing sensation on your lips and tongue.
Still, I was thrilled to try it! We had so much fun in the process and that alone was worth it! Besides, could I really have left Japan without adding this adventure to my experiences here?
6 comments:
Oh my god!
Coragem não faltou, não é mesmo?!
hahaha
Luuuu,
Recebemos sua foto, a vó a tia e eu, ficamos muitoooooos felizes de você ter lembrado da gente.
A vó jaá mostrou pra todas as vizinhas a neta dela linda que esta no japão...hehehehe!!
Boa sorte ai, e não esqueça de nós!
da próxima vez come algo menos esquisito ta bom..
beijos da Lú
Priceless Photos!
You have truly captured the beauty and allure of Japan in your photos of the city!
....but the most entertaining photos on your blog so far may be the ones of you and Mike eating the fugu!
You have such apprehension on your faces as you carefully prepare and place the fish into the sauces and the best is the look of "dear God, don't let me die" as you try it!! I love it!
It's so nice to see how much fun you're having!!
xo
Anna
Ha ha ha.....I loved this post. I'm glad to see that you and Mike are well and ready to hit China with a little fugu in your bellies. What an experience! What's next for you two?
O.K. The entire time I was reading the blog and looking at the latest photos...I am picturing you harassing poor Mike to take photos between every bite. I just realized I almost forgot about your photo taking problem! By the way...stop eating the poisoness fish...I have to comfort your other 2 mothers at work whenever you do anything foolish!
Oi Lu, minha linda
Estava vendo a foto que vc me mandou, tirada com as flores da cerejeira, vc esta linda, na maior das elegâncias.
Quanto lugar gostoso de dar umas caminhadas, lugares tranquilos que passa uma Paz.
Lu, curta bastante esse passeio maravilhoso que vale a pena curtir.
Beijos, fique com Deus e não esqueça amamos você.
Terezinha
Is it so wrong that I compared your whole fugu story to the similar Simpsons episode? Wow, I'm so cultured! Love the photos!
JP
Post a Comment