Gagh are worms literally eaten alive, in the fictional Star Trek universe at least. And while some might find this distasteful, it makes me wonder. Are there any modern human cultures that eat their food alive and moving?
I know oysters on the half shell are often split in half, and thus killed just before they’re eaten. But I assume this hypothetical delicacy I’m talking about is found in a non-Western culture.
:):)
Octopus can still be moving when served. The term “alive” may not be totally accurate, but they’re moving!
My first night in Korea, my boss took me to a restaurant where the sushi was so fresh, the octopus tentacles wriggled as I ate them. Baby octopi are eaten alive and whole, but I took a pass on those.
I’ve seen a lobster have it’s tail cut off and the meat inside quickly sliced and eaten. This iss all done tableside as part of the presentation. Unless lobster die within a minute or two of having their tail cut off then they’re alive and sitting on the table while their tail is being consumed.
Fresh Mirugai (horse-neck clam) sushi will retreat from your teeth. Quite an unusual sensation.
Although the organism as a whole is technically dead in that it could not be returned to its ecosystem and breed more baby clams, I believe that the argument could be made that it is still in a very real way alive if it still has cellular activity to the point where it tries to escape being eaten.
Casa marzu. While the cheese is not alive, the maggots are.
I have heard about sushi sliced table-side from a live fish. I heard this from a credible source, but does anyone know if it is really true?
Davr Barry wrote about it in his book Dave Barry Does Japan, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t try it. I doubt if he actually saw it.
This page claims it’s for real:
http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/pc/sushi_living.html
Ikizukuri
Note, at the end of the latter, other references:
Partially deep-fried fish eaten alive. This has to win some sort of award for Cruelest Possible Food. It’s on a par with Hannibal Lector’s eating Ray Liotta’s parts.
Wow, thanks. My brother was my source. He ws correct, it seems.
Pesonally, I’ve broiled lobster that moved for the initial cooking period. The lobster is clevered in half sagittaly, then placed (cut surface facing the flame) under the broiler. The lobster has to be watched and repositioned initially as it squirms for a bit.
It’s true, it’s called Ikizukuri. The fished is sliced on the table and continues to move as the diners eat. Supposedly there’s a similar practice in China done with donkeys called huo jia lu. Where the donkey is secured and sliced while alive and screaming and then immediately served raw. I say supposedly since the earliest link I can find is to Cracked and they don’t link to anything really reputable in that article. Still I wouldn’t consider these to be “eaten live and moving” since the flesh is separated from the animal, cruel yes but technically alive for the eater.
ETA: Ninja’d
Here are videos of these foods, including Yin-Yang Fish!!
http://holidays--travel.com/2011/01/extreme-food-casu-marzu-ikizukuri-sannakji-ying-yang-fish/
This seems unbelievably nasty to me – “not only are we going to serve this fish to you alive, but first we’re gonna deep fry it! And not kill it!”
Goes way beyond “the fish can’t even feel the hook in its mouth!”
I tried looking up the Live Donkey Sushi, but couldn’t find anything under the Chinese name you give. The other links are the Cracked link and other links I don’t find fully trustworthy.
Mind, I’m not saying people wouldn’t do this. I just can’t find a reliable link.
Cracked link:
Interesting question, given this thread’s topic:
Ahh, here’s a referenc on the donkey sushi, along with a bit about eating live mice:
Yep that’s why I included the disclaimer. It’s something that I wouldn’t be surprised if true, but with all the “cruel cuisine” urban legends that go around about Asia and China specifically it’s impossible to tell. I’ve been searching around Snopes for something but without luck.
ETA:
That’s the link from Cracked, I didn’t notice that it’s a newspaper until now. sigh I was hoping this one wasn’t true since it’s so goddamn cruel.
I once went to a festival in the South of France with a bunch of friends, and we went to a very busy seafood restaurant. Everyone was ordering these seafood platters, which consisted of two large flat bowls, containing Oysters, Clams and various other molluscs.
It basically looked like it had all just been scooped out of a rock pool. Everything was completely raw, and much of it looked like it was still alive (not always easy to tell with shellfish). Halfway through the meal, a clam shell opened up, and a baby crab came out and walked off the plate.
Still ate it all though. When in Rome, and all that. It wasn’t completely disgusting, but at the same time, I’ve not really gone out of my way to recreate the experiece.
What? No one mentioning the live monkey brains?
Monkey secured in special table with cranium poking through centre, top of skull removed, brains eaten while monkey still alive!
Very expensive meal, served only in Hong Kong. The monkey brains reportedly have magical powers to revitalize, blah, blah, same old story.
Have never seen it. Have heard of it, and met people who swear they witnessed it.
I still think it’s more myth than reality.
Ahhh! Doctor Jones! Fresh monkey brains!
I note that in Indians Jones and the Temple of Doom the monkey heads are severed, and thus not alive.
I’ve heard of the live monkey brains, thing, too, although I haven’t met anyone who said they saw it. Thomas Berger includes the story as a throwaway in his book Arthur Rex. I’ve extremely skeptical myself. But the mere fact that the legend exists can, I suspect, tempt someone into trying it.
Can you get Mad Monkey Disease or some kind of kuru from eating uncooked monkey brains?
I’ve been to fraternity parties where small live goldfish were provided and swallowed whole by adventurous partygoers.