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河豚我所欲也 One of Japan's most famous fish dinners could
be a date with death. For a meal of fugu ?nbsp;the poisonous blowfish
for which the city of Shimonoseki, some 500 milessouthwest of Tokyo,
is famous throughout Japan ?nbsp;is a mild version of Russian roulette,
played with chopsticks instead of guns. A white-fleshed fish with a
delicate flavor that belies its grim reputation, fugu carries enough
poison to paralyze and kill within hours if not properly prepared. As
recently as May, two Japanese died from eating it. But it is this very
"thrill" that attracts many diners. "If it's prepared
properly, you don't have to worry at all, and it has a really good flavor,"
said Yasutaka Iida as he devoured fugu with friends at a seaside fugu
restaurant. "But the fact that you have that tiny bit of danger
is definitely part of its appeal." Its lethal power has even been
immortalized in Japan's "haiku" poetry. "I cannot see
her tonight / I have to give her up / So I will eat fugu" noted
poet Buson* wrote more than 200 years ago. The key is in the preparation
and the proper removal of internal organs containing the tetrodotoxin,
which is said to be 500 to 1,000 times stronger than the same amount
of potassium cyanide. Skilled fugu chefs are all licensed and must train
for several years to be certified, although removing the poisonous parts
?nbsp;the intestines, liver and ovaries — is relatively simple. 日本最负盛名的鱼宴之一可能会变成同死神的约会，因为吃河豚——位于东京西南500英里左右的下关因这种有毒的鱼类而闻名全日本——实际上就是俄罗斯轮盘赌的温和版本，只不过用的是筷子而不是手枪。肉为白色的河豚具有与其可怕声名不相称的美妙滋味，如果烹制不当，它身上携带的毒素足以在几小时内使人麻痹甚至死亡。就在今年5月还有两个日本人因吃河豚而丧生。然而正是这样的“刺激”吸引了许多饕餮之徒。正在海边的河豚餐馆和朋友一起大快朵颐的饭田康隆（音）说：“如果烹调得法，你根本就没什么好担心的，而且它的味道的确很好。但那一点点危险的感觉无疑增加了它的吸引力。”河豚的致命力量甚至通过日本的俳句得到了不朽，著名诗人与谢芜村在200多年前写道：“今夜无缘睹伊人/无奈绝情分/吾欲食河豚（原诗寻觅不得，前文乃自英文译出——译者）。”烹制河豚的关键是要仔细去除含有河豚毒素的内脏，河豚毒素的毒性据说要比等量的氰化钾强500到1000倍。熟练的河豚师傅都持有特别的许可证，他们需受训数年才能取得相关证书，尽管去除有毒内脏——肠、肝和卵巢——相对来说并不困难。 Remarks：中国也有“拼死吃河豚”的说法，听来可笑，其实这般行径与“拼死赚大钱”、“
拼死做大官”相比并无可鄙之处，不过是同一个“欲”字而已。 |