Fish, Fish, Everywhere

Summary

The author recounts their transformative culinary journey with fish, particularly in Japan, where they experienced a variety of fish dishes, including the potentially lethal Fugu.

Abstract

The author, who grew up in a vegetarian household in India, initially had a lukewarm relationship with fish due to the labor-intensive process of preparing fish with many bones. Their appreciation for fish grew after moving to the United States and discovering sushi. However, it was their time in Tokyo that truly ignited their passion for fish cuisine. They describe visiting the Tsukiji Fish Market, indulging in sushi for breakfast, and trying various forms of sushi, including high-end options like Uni and Unagi. The highlight was an adventurous meal of Fugu, a poisonous blowfish that can only be prepared by licensed chefs. The author reflects on these experiences with fondness, noting the impact of Japanese cuisine on their current culinary habits and expressing a desire to revisit these experiences.

Opinions

The author was not initially enthusiastic about eating fish due to the effort required to prepare it in India.
Their interest in fish increased with exposure to sushi, particularly after moving to the United States.
The author holds the Japanese sushi experience in high regard, especially the freshness and variety available in Tokyo.
They consider the Fugu experience a memorable highlight, despite the risks associated with the fish's poison.
The author values the influence of Japanese cuisine on their life, as they continue to cook Japanese food at home and share these experiences with their children.
They express gratitude towards prompts that allow them to reminisce and write about their culinary and travel experiences.

No place better than Japan

Growing up in a vegetarian household, I wasn’t particularly gung-ho about eating fish. Most of the river water fish available in India have small bones and it was just too much work picking the scales and bones apart for very little meat.

I did better once I moved to the United States and started eating fish that was in fillet form. And then came the era of sushi. I mostly enjoyed a basic tuna/ avocado, a salmon/ avocado roll, and the Philadelphia roll with cream cheese.

Can you be Sushied-out?

My love for fish started when we moved to Tokyo for a couple of years. A trip to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, was definitely on the agenda for any guest visiting us.

The trip entailed waking up at 5 am, taking the train to the market, walking around the hustle and bustle of the outer market and the retail shops, and ending the morning with sushi for breakfast (to die for!). You can’t get fresher fish than that! I am salivating just thinking about those mornings.

When a cousin of mine (also a fellow foodie) visited me, I stepped it up a notch in my fish-eating experience. I probably ate more fish that one week he was visiting than I had my entire life prior. It was one experience after another, one better than the previous one.

First, was my official upgrade from eating sushi rolls to actual sushi. The maguro (tuna) and kampachi (yellowtail) were too delicious. Then it was our lunch at one of the KaitenZushi (かいてんずし) joints on Omotesando Dori where plates of different types of sushi are placed on a conveyor belt and you get to choose whatever you like. You reach the quintessential peak of sushi dining when you eat the uni (sea urchin) and the unagi (eel). Have you ever tried the fatty tuna also called toro? You should! You will not be disappointed.

Fugu, not Fubu!

Then came the Fugu experience. To cut a long story short, Fugu (a.k.a the puffered blowfish) is a delicacy in Japanese cuisine and known for carrying one of the most lethal poisons (tetrodotoxin) with no antidote. Only licensed chefs can prepare this fish and it is priced much higher than many other types of fish.

We went to a restaurant that specialized in Fugu dishes. While my cousin ordered and ate an entire meal that consisted of Fugu served in various forms: sushi, sashimi, tempura, and a few more, I had the chance to pick from his plate and try the fish. I could feel my lips tingling after the small amount I ate, and he said his tongue went numb for a while. The fish was delicious! Needless to say, we both survived the experience.

Here is a video on Youtube where they show a chef cutting a Fugu. The poison is supposed to be in its internal organs (e.g., liver, ovaries) and needs to be cut and cooked with care.

The experiences I described above took place in 2007, the same year that Steve Jobs launched the iPhone. Some of us were walking around with flip phones back then. The research to find these food places came from the good old Frommer’s Guide for Japan. I was breastfeeding at that time so I had to watch what I was eating and drinking, but (most) fish seemed relatively safe. That’s why I only sampled the Fugu. If I visit again, I will be sure to polish off the whole meal.

I cook Japanese food on a regular basis at home. My kids absolutely love it. They are too young to remember many things about Japan, but their taste buds have retained much more.

A big thanks to Sharing Randomly for coming up with prompts that are close to my heart (food and travel). It allows me to take a break to write something fun in the midst of some of the heavy writing I embarked on. It also allowed me to revisit some of the fun things I did while I was in Japan.

Aleister Kelman does a fantastic job of capturing the spirit and life in Tokyo in his 50 pictures. Maybe I should collate some of mine one day too!

Travel Series

Fish, Fish, Everywhere

No place better than Japan

Can you be Sushied-out?

Fugu, not Fubu!

Tokyo Landscape

50 Views of Tokyo