Puffy and Potent, Delicious but Deadly

There aren't many dishes that could kill you if prepared incorrectly.

Sure, a lifetime of fast food and soda will kill you slowly, but I'm talking about something more sudden.

I'm talking about paralysis. You can't move or speak, but you're still awake, until you die from asphyxiation.

The meal is question if pufferfish (alternatively blowfish), called fugu in Japanese.

Naturally, the fact that it could be lethal only adds to its popularity.

The poison resides in the fugu's internal organs and skin. Only licensed chefs who have undergone rigorous training can prepare fugu for the general public.

Last week, at the end-of-school-year party for the English department, we dined on this potentially-deadly delicacy.


It was an all-fugu, multi-course meal, washed down with beer and a Japanese liquor called schochu.

We started off with a small bowl featuring heavily flavored fugu skin. Keep in mind the skin is poisonous. We're pretty sure there was a little poison in there, because we felt some tingling after this first course. Sure enough, Wikipedia confirms that sometimes a little poison is left in on purpose to give this tingly sensation.

Next was the raw slices (pictured above), which are clear enough to see the pattern of the plate they're laid upon. This sashimi course was excellent. Now, I've had a lot of raw meat since moving here. Some is good (I like the squid), some I can barely stomach (chicken. Yes, raw chicken). The fugu, however, was quite tasty and the best raw meat I've had to date. Each of those little slices are made into a small little roll with some small vegetable add-ons, dipped in a nice sauce and consumed.



Next came the fried course. As expected, it was good, but the bits of bone were a bit difficult to deal with and I think I preferred the raw stuff (never thought I'd say that).

Finally came fugu nabe, which is a big pot of veggies and meat that you cook right at the table. This was also very good, and what was left over was combined with rice to make a wonderful soup-like final dish for the meal.

At the end of the night and $70 later (fugu isn't cheap), we rode the train home full, a little buzzed and glad to be alive.

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