SASHIMI FUGU FULL
SASHIMI FUGU LICENSE

Fugu are often paired with trousers made of the same material, baggy at the top and tight at the ankles, and sometimes an embroidered skullcap.

Fugu are generally worn quite loose and may have triangles of cloth sewn into the bottom of the garment to make it even looser, almost bell-shaped they can hang to the waist, the knee, or even lower. To make a fugu, the strips are cut into appropriate lengths and sewn together into a loose tunic-like garment which can be sleeveless or with half-length sleeves. The looms on which gonja and kente cloths are woven yield strips of material 5 or 6 inches (12-15 cm) in width and up to 15 or 20 feet long (5-7 m). The cloth is generally dyed blue with indigo or left its natural off-white, and so the traditional colours of the cloth, and the fugu, are blue and white, though today other colours may also be used. Gonja cloth is traditionally made from cotton hand-picked and spun by women, though the cloth itself is woven by men on horizontal hand looms. It is made from gonja cloth, woven by the Gonja of northern Ghana (Gonja used to be an independent kingdom before the Ashanti conquered them and the British in turn conquered the Ashanti) the more famous kente cloth is really just a colourful and more complex variation of gonja cloth. I was slightly startled when my lips went numb with the first taste, but I was told afterwards, that a good fugu chef prides himself on being able to leave enough of the poison to do just that.Ī fugu is also a traditional garment worn by men in Ghana. In fact, as the school secretary had said, it was delicious and I found myself finishing off portions from the other guests who remained freaked out. It was one of the nicest sashimis I've tasted and I didn't find it to be chewy or rubbery. The fugu at my birthday dinner was neither expensive nor deadly. There are certainly restaurants where you can buy a fugu plate for upwards of 400US$, but you can also buy a 400US$ steak in the west. There is no rush in eating fugu nor is it ridiculously expensive.

SASHIMI FUGU LICENSE

However it is almost impossible to get a license to prepare and sell blowfish without thorough training.

SASHIMI FUGU FULL

Yes, the fish itself it so full of toxins, that if prepared improperly, it can kill you on the spot. Isn't that attempted homicide? No one else in the staff room seemed concerned and they were more amused at my reaction than the thought of a man feeding poison to his children.Īnd this is the thing: Fugu is not nearly as dangerous as it has been portrayed. He helped me to make reservations at a restaurant, and then told me how much his wife and children love to eat fugu. I asked the school secretary about a good place to get some of the deadly sashimi and he was very excited to hear that I was willing to try this Japanese delicacy. I'd heard rumors years ago that the delicacy was incredibly expensive and terribly dangerous and for this reason I decided it was vital that I have some of it on my birthday. Upon arrival I confirmed that fugu was not only readily available but that almost everyone I was working with had tried it at least once. Great, I thought, I'll be surrounded by suicidal maniacs. In 1997, of the eight people to die of food poisoning in Japan, six died from Fugu.ġ.) Quote taken from the FDA's paper on tetrodotoxin: īefore my arrival in Japan, I read that one of the most popular specialties of the region where I am now living is fugu, the deadly poisonous blowfish. Most Fugu deaths have been attributed to amateur preparation. However, if you intend to dine on Fugu elsewhere, beware. Once they pass, they are eligible for a license.įugu chefs in Shimonoseki are strictly supervised. In Shimonoseki (Japan's Fugu Capital), Fugu chefs must apprentice under a master for at least three years, and then pass a multitude of tests. It starts with a slight numbness of the lips, and ends in total paralysis.įret not, however. Labeled as an extremely potent poison by the FDA, tetrodotoxin can ' produce rapid and violent death' 1, which sounds a lot more fun than it probably is. The ovaries, liver, and intestines of the Fugu contain tetrodotoxin. The Fugu is a type of pufferfish, most notably served as a type of Sashimi.įugu is usually served arranged in the shape of a chrysanthemum - the traditional funeral flower of Japan.

Sashimi fugu