Lunch Side Story: My co-workers took me yesterday to the “crab” restaurant. Guess what their specialty is? There was a huge tank as soon as you walked in filled with enormous crabs of all varieties. So when I asked the kimono-clad waitress what she would recommend for lunch, she said “unagi” which is freshwater eel?! Having been in this country for about 3 months now, I’m sort of immune to these contradictions at this point. They’re more amusing than annoying. So what did I order, the unagi, of course. Why, well there’s a general belief that you should eat eel on one of the hottest days of the summer, usually in July, and yesterday was a scorcher. High heat and high humidity. If you do this, the eel, supposedly, will provide strength and vitality for the rest of the year.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Date's Been Set
Well, after much negotiation and coordination between co-workers, the date has been set. On July 31st, I and my colleagues will be visiting a fugu (pufferfish) restaurant. For those not familiar with fugu, here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia:
Fugu contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in the organs, especially the liver and ovaries, and also the skin. The poison, a sodium channel blocker, paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious, and eventually dies from asphyxiation. Currently, there is no known antidote, and the standard medical approach is to try to support the respiratory and circulatory system until the poison wears off. Wait, say what? Yes, that’s right; the Japanese apparently have a fondness for going to restaurants where if the chef is having an off night, you die. I was discussing fugu with my co-workers at lunch yesterday (see side story below) and they’re amused that I find it disconcerting. One of my co-workers tried to assuage my concerns by saying that when I fly, I’m putting my life in the pilot’s hands. True, but I responded by saying that is a choice made due to necessity. If I need to get somewhere in a reasonable amount of time, flying is an acceptable risk, but just because I need food does not logically mean I should seek out a source that can kill me. They just laughed. This is going to be interesting.
Lunch Side Story: My co-workers took me yesterday to the “crab” restaurant. Guess what their specialty is? There was a huge tank as soon as you walked in filled with enormous crabs of all varieties. So when I asked the kimono-clad waitress what she would recommend for lunch, she said “unagi” which is freshwater eel?! Having been in this country for about 3 months now, I’m sort of immune to these contradictions at this point. They’re more amusing than annoying. So what did I order, the unagi, of course. Why, well there’s a general belief that you should eat eel on one of the hottest days of the summer, usually in July, and yesterday was a scorcher. High heat and high humidity. If you do this, the eel, supposedly, will provide strength and vitality for the rest of the year.
Lunch Side Story: My co-workers took me yesterday to the “crab” restaurant. Guess what their specialty is? There was a huge tank as soon as you walked in filled with enormous crabs of all varieties. So when I asked the kimono-clad waitress what she would recommend for lunch, she said “unagi” which is freshwater eel?! Having been in this country for about 3 months now, I’m sort of immune to these contradictions at this point. They’re more amusing than annoying. So what did I order, the unagi, of course. Why, well there’s a general belief that you should eat eel on one of the hottest days of the summer, usually in July, and yesterday was a scorcher. High heat and high humidity. If you do this, the eel, supposedly, will provide strength and vitality for the rest of the year.
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Well, I guess to need that stregnth if you're going to be tossing all those small men around ;)
ReplyDeleteFugu! Have you not been properly schooled by the exploits of the learned Homer J. Simpson? I risk my life several times a month when I go to Camden NJ for work. At least the fugu is probably delicious. I wouldn't worry about it. Even if your sushi chef has a bad day, while a bad fugu may lay waste to the average Japanese man, given your size you will probably just feel some itching on your tongue.
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