This is obviously a cultural divide. This video shows how the Chinese have devised a way to keep a fish alive during frying so that it can be eaten alive.
I find the whole video perfectly disturbing and disgusting. What is striking is how our cultures differ on such subjects. I have been to China repeatedly and I am always struck by the detachment over such issues. Of course, I enjoyed eating sushi in Japan where the live fish is only seconds previously dispatched. However, watching the taunting of the living fish is a bit much for my sensibilities.
The Japanese also eat live fish on occasion:
YUCK!
Are you sure this isn’t some sort of hoax?
I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to eat an animal that was still living.
Just what is the point of that?
I have seen old film footage of special forces soldiers eating live snakes, but would assume that this is due to situations they may find themselves in where they have to eat on the move and simply do not have time to kill and prepare food.
But in a restaurant setting – pointless barbarity and I don’t particularly care if I am labelled as “racist” for my view on this.
I like meat, poultry and fish. But there is something seriously wrong with this. I have read also that they eat live baby mice and call it the “meal of 3 squeals”. Supposedly they are also starting to eat aborted human fetuses as a health tonic.
I used to think the Chinese were like us, after seeing them play with that fish I have changed my mind. That was wrong on so many levels.
But then I suppose that is what communism does to people, it is dehumanizing and does not respect the individual. What do you expect?
I am experiencing culture shock.
Although disgusting and ethically inappropriate as eating a live animal is, I would like to point out that live fish get eaten every day – by other fish. Backwards? Yes. Revolting? Certainly. Wrong? I’m pretty sure most major belief systems would frown on this and there simply is no ethical justification. But unnatural? Not at all. It is by choice that we are different from animals. Some do not make that choice well.
I put this in the eating live worms category.
I don’t eat catfish out of Professional Courtesy. So I damn sure ain’t gonna eat bait….
I see live small fish being being chuga-lugged in the video, but no half-cooked, still-alive large fish as shown on a plate in the still photo.
The former does not meet the promise of the blog item and the latter doesn’t count. Did I miss something somewhere?
Oops! I found it the half-half. Sorry about jumping to conclusions.
Cruel is too weak a word. Unnecessary doesn’t even come close.
Calling it animal cruelty would almost be putting it lightly.
In Belgium we have a ban on the eating of live fish, let alone frying them beforehand….
But hey, the Chinese are also known to eat cardbord snacks, God knows who comes up with this stuff,… probably the sick.
it’s funny to see so much ethnocentrism when probably a lot who read this blog have never seen where their food comes from or the absolute horror the animals they eat experience before being delivered to their plate.
is one horror not equal to another because of culture? i thought this clip was a bit cruel, yes… but really in the grand scheme of things when you take a step back and analyze both of our situations i would have to say factory farming is just as bad if not worse than eating a fried live fish and taunting it while in the act.
what i don’t understand is: what is the point of frying it if it’s still alive? it defeats the purpose… and i have a feeling that fish probably ‘releases’ while being picked apart/fried all over its flesh…ugh…
one would hope, anyway!
poor creatures…when will we learn to respect what nourishes us instead of treating them as if they were never a living, breathing entity? it’s one thing to eat food that is humanely raised and slaughtered– it’s a whole ‘nother ‘animal’ when we torture and taunt our food first.
p.s. even if you are not the one factory farming you are still partially responsible for the treatment of the meat you eat. you are inviting into your body the flesh of an animal which is still tarnished by the cruelty of how it died. you as a consumer (with your habits) continue this practice like it or not.
maybe next time you’re going out to eat, or purchsing food from the market consider getting the morse expenive, naturally fed cut instead of the bargain buy. your health will improve dramatically, and it is one of the most valuable investments in the future an individual can make!
Please forward to CIA torture department.
They boil live dogs and cats, what do you expect?
Also, I couldn’t agree more with donatella regarding the horror of domestic corporate farming practices, and our denial of it. AND I LOVE STEAK!!!
Interesting reactions. Perhaps it’s because I first experienced the “fried live fish” dish on a trip to China way back in 1997, and had time to digest the experience (bad joke, sorry) but it doesn’t bother me. It’s the way they do things. It’s not America, people.
There’s a lot of aspects of Chinese culture that I think would horrify Americans, but you know what?
It ain’t your culture. It’s theirs. Deal with it.
I am a devotee of Chinese American food, it is one of my favorite things to eat and I enjoy a wide variety of its offerings. However, I have also read and seen food shows that display how the Chinese eat in their own country and while I’d love to visit China, I think I might have trouble eating anything but rice there. This though is probably true of many human ethnic cuisines worldwide. It’s not that they’re demented, it just represents a different cuisine point of view.
Byron.
Sorry for late reply.
I am a Socialist. I do not eat live animals.
Do you think I should?
Do you think that it’s just a matter of time before I start?
If I do start, I promise to let you know.
Maaarrghk!:
So you admit that socialism and communism are the same system?
“So you admit that socialism and communism are the same system?”
Byron,
Please! You are well read enough to know that isn’t true.
Mike S:
cant a capitalist have a little fun?
Mike S:
if you read my post above I wrote about communism only, Maaarrghk! added socialism. And so I could not resist.
Here is the process used.
IMO, it is animal cruelty to gut and then fry a live fish. Watching the fish open its mouth is horrifying. In response to a comment above, in nature, predators tend not to keep the animal alive while they gut it, and they certainly don’t dip the living animal in batter, fry it, and then cover it in sauce (which I presume has salt in it).
Chinese are not human.
Just listen to them!
I want to cut open and fry that annoying woman.
“cant a capitalist have a little fun?”
Byron,
Capitalist? Fun? Have? No!
Am I Racist,
In answer to the question your pseudonym poses: Yes.
Mike S:
junk bonds, short sales, equity swaps, arbitrage, etc. gets boring after the first 100 million.
What’s a cappie to do?
“What’s a cappie to do?’
Byron,
Uh, pay off my mortgage and send me and my wife on a round the world cruise.
Mike S:
If I was worth a hundred million a check would be in the mail on Tuesday.
But then if I was worth a hundred million I would probably be a prick and tell you that it is more fun if you earn it yourself.
So I guess your SOL either way. But if I was me and worth a 100 million you would have your check, for all the fun I have had on this blog it would be cheap at twice the price.
LOL:
Folks, that fish is as dead as fried chicken. It is not alive.
Vegetarian. And I didn’t watch the video.
Is this to prove how fresh the animal is?
Why would anyone ever doubt food quality or freshness in China?
If this is ethical to do to a fish, what animals will be next?
Byron.
You can have as much fun as you like as far as I’m concerned as long as you don’t exploit others and good luck to you.
Socialism (or Commie-Lite) never forbade a good time.
Animal cruelty?! Ha ha ha ha ha ha … Once I met a man who did not know how to clean a fish. Ironically, he was from Chicago.
Eating a live animal is a “cultural difference”?
No. It’s an ethical difference. Just because a fish is simple does not mean it should suffer for our amusement. Cruelty for cruelties sake is not a cultural idée fixe. It’s a human flaw that is transcultural. Some societies express their cruelty in the kitchen, others in the ring – be it dogs or humans or bulls or whatever, but that does not change the nature of cruelty – the unnecessary infliction of suffering on others for fun and profit.
Humans do not have the market cornered on self-aware behavior, but we may have it cornered on self-indulgent behavior.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33974286/ns/technology_and_science-science/
How many redeneck fisherman clean their fish without killing them first? I’ve seen guys scale a fish while they are still alive as well as slab a fish while its mouth is still moving……this video is abhorrent too…..
catchnreleaseguy:
I can tell you know nothing about fishing, at all. LOL, “… clean their fish without killing them first.” In fact, I suspect that the only fish you have ever caught were on sale at the fish market.
catchnreleaseguy,
So whats your deal with Redneck fishermen. You gonna eat that farm bread shit? Go for it man, enjoy, get your rocks off. You deserve it. You want some bait with your soy sauce?
It’s a stretch to call this Fish related, but man is it cool.
Please donate to Animals Asia. http://www.animalsasia.org/
Also, please don’t make pain and suffering relative. They are not cultural values, and yes I am a strict vegan.
This is as sick as it can get. I don´t think there´s anything wrong with eating meat, I am by no means a vegetarian, but this is just animal cruelty. This fish is suffering a slow and really painfull death.
We should find a way that makes it possible to fry chinese without killing them. See if they´d like that.
Gyges:
that guy is a future Darwin Award Nominee.
Trust me it tastes much better prepared this way. The fishes meat has not gone through the physiological processes that happen after death yet. It’s A++. Although I imagine the risk of parasites is much higher as the cooked meat is fairly undercooked and next to the completely uncooked meat. Anyway my restaurant serves fish this way exclusively. Hundreds each day. Come try it sometime! You’ll change your mind when you taste it.
I’m pretty sure I won’t change my mind about your choice in barbaric behavior. I don’t give a damn how good it tastes. You enjoy your little sadistic marketing ploy all you like, china chef. You’ll earn nary a RMB from me. I’d rather have cleaner karma than a good meal.
China Chef:
why cant you just kill it right before you clean it and cook it? Have a holding tank or something and then pith it right before cooking?
Same result A++ fish but no entertainment. There must be a good many sadistic mother f . . . out there. But then we here in America like Ultimate Cage fighting. Although the cage fighters choose to participate.
It will be tough for me not to be forever racist towards these people. I find it hard to believe that China Chef is a real person, but it is quite possible that I put too much faith in humanity.
I just got back from a wedding, in Canada, the groom was Chinese Buddhist and they had a church ceremony (bride is Christian) followed by a Buddhist banquet.
There was LIVE steamed fish on the menu, served to everyone; I asked the waiter if this just meant the fish HAD been living. He assured me that the fish was actually steamed alive.
This was at Kirin’s Seafood Restaurant at the Starlight casino in New Westminster. They have 5 different restaurants all over the lower mainland and I assume they offer this at all of them, at least on special occasions. If you come to Vancouver during the Olympics this spring don’t eat at any of them.
I am still horrified and am actually ending my 10 year relationship with the bride, one of my very best friends, over this choice of wedding cuisine.
Just to add. I have a lot of Chinese friends and especially those that are Buddhist are generally even more concerned with animal welfare than our average population. I just can’t believe cultural stupidity over took sound Buddhist principals and at a wedding between 2 people who were born and raised where this kind of practice is NOT OKAY.
It might be a Chinese tradition to eat live fish (grose, vomit); but that does not make it right. It is a total disgrace to humanity and it should be stopped. I do not care that it is a normal practice in China, as one way or another I am going to do my best to see if it can be banned. I guess I am naive, but damned if I am not going to try.
People giggling at a fish thats’ body is cooked while it precious head is still gasping for breath…………just because the fish can’t talk to us, or can’t walk or a drive a car doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to live.
And I agree factory farming, it is an abomination that I am so ashamed of. And that is why I am a devoted vegan.
i understand how they did this, its fried very quickly, which means only the fishes body suffers from 3rd degree burns. Meaning that like a poor human has a strong accidental burn,the skin cells are damaged and dead, leaving the person,s limb or other body part unable to move due to the tense burns. Meaning that the person is still alive, but in a lot a lot a lot of pain!! This is abuse for the poor fish, its suffering and dieing slowly and very painful!! POOR ANIMAL!!
lol
what a bunch of bullshit from people who’s country supported many modern wars slaughtering innocent people
give it up.
they should put a piece of fish meat from itself in its mouth.