Comments on: Living Sushi

By: naulage

naulage — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:40:30 +0000

To hell with cultural relativism, thats the same excuse I hear for dog fighting or bull fighting. I supose the suffering is relative too; it’s not like a fuzzy panda is being needlessly masticated alive. If you like the taste of pain just admit it and don’t pretend your worldly, classy, or sophisticated because it is expensive. If you’re wealthy enough to afford these dishes you should buy yourself a conscience instead.

By: zichi

zichi — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:06:10 +0000

I came across this post today. Shortly after I arrived in Japan in 1994 a very important art client friend took my Japanese wife and I to a very special Sushi restaurant in Hakone, located on one of the five lakes of Mount Fuji.
The owner of the restaurant is considered to be the number one Master of sushi. It’s very difficult to have a reservation because it’s very popular and also very expensive. Many rich and famous Japanese have vacation homes in this area.
The restaurant is very nice with a small river flowing through it. When we arrived the Master was present and greeted us in the normal Japanese fashion.
My art client friend spoke with the Master at some length and finally came over to me to again deeply thank me for visiting his restaurant. Instead of sitting us in the common area he showed us to a private Japanese room overlooking both the common area and Hakone Lake. At this point I knew something was going down.
The Master didn’t work in the kitchen anymore, the restaurant was well staffed with people he had trained. We were served beer and then the Master came to the opening of the room and announced to us, and all his other clients that tonight I was his very special guest and that he, the Master would make the meal.
He hadn’t preformed this in more than five years, the staff were very shocked and also the other clients. I didn’t understand at the time why this was happening. This was followed by me having to go and do some more very deep Japan bowing, my nose almost touching the floor.
I asked my Japanese art client friend if knew why this was happening. He replied that the Master knew that I was a famous English painter?
He was agreed that we have sashimi. I have no problem eating sashimi or sushi.
He arrived quite some time later, we had already been there for two hours since our arrival.
He carried in a plate with a largest fish on it, I don’t remember the kind. It was placed in front of me. When I looked down the fish had been prepared whole but the flesh of the fish had been cut sashimi style but some of it still attached. The fish was still alive and moving, both it’s head and tail were going up and down.
A deep feeling of horror came over me because I knew immediately that if I refused this would create a massive insult both to the Master and my art client friend, which would mean he could never return to that restaurant.
Wow man! I just had to deal with it. I just wanted to hit the fish over the head with my beer glass but instead I had to express great delight and more bowing.
The fish was good, it lasted more than half a hour even though we had removed it’s flesh. It would have tasted just as good if it had been killed first.
After the meal the Master came to join and entertain us with his stories. He was also a Master of the Japanese sword which he practiced everyday.
We have been back again several times but we had sushi, no more live sashimi.
So there you have it! A case of live sashimi.
Still, it wasn’t as bad as when I went to Morocco, being the guest of honor a sheep was killed and served. The guest of honor, me! was served a small covered plate which when I removed I discovered a pair of raw sheep eyes looking at me. I just shallowed the damn things whole.

By: war3rd

war3rd — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:22:58 +0000

While I agree with your statements about the humane dispatching of an animal for food, you need to define your context. When a fish is filleted or deep fried, it is no longer alive after a few moments. Without oxygen (delivered by a working circulatory system), the brain cannot function, and subsequent motion is due to nerves firing as they die locally, not a conscious act of a living brain (ganglia). Some animals are so hardy that they continue to twitch for exceptional periods of time. My post was not about whether or not these acts are humane, but to clear up a misconception that these animals are still alive when you are eating them. But thank you for your comments nevertheless, it *is* important to understand that much of our food is from animals that deserve a degree of respect from those who eat them.

By: yehadut

yehadut — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:12:41 +0000

This stuff about lobsters’ unconscious twitching is simply biologically false. Experts who study humane slaughter agree that chopping off the tail is not a humane method of killing a lobster. The only humane cutting method is to split the lobster down the center, destroying all their ganglia (although electric stunning is more humane still if you have the equipment). Even fish, who die pretty soon after their heads are chopped off, do not die instantly. And the claim that the fish with its head still on and gasping for air was unconscious is completely without scientific basis.This is just something to tell yourself to assuage your conscience. But an ethical person will eschew eating any animals that were subjected to such brutality.

By: Born Again Bird Watcher

Born Again Bird Watcher — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:11:46 +0000

A very well written explanation. I have tried to explain some of these “illusions” to my friends who watch too much television (where they see many of these stories sensationally presented) but to little avail. It’s good to see someone with understanding presenting the reality of the illusion in such a clear and easy to understand, but still complete manner.