The Japanese Art of Preparing Live Seafood

Food that is extremely fresh and so beautiful that it could pass as jewelry - but it comes at a price.

"Ikizukuri" literally means "prepared alive.” This Japanese culinary technique is exactly as it sounds. You pick the fish (squid, octopus, lobster, shrimp) you want to eat from a tank full of options.

The fish is then caught, filleted, and reassembled in less than 60 seconds. When it reaches your table it’s still alive and twitching. Ideally the heart should be visible and still beating – proof that it’s the freshest possible fish that’s fit to eat.

(There’s also a book, reviewed by the New York Time and translated into 8 languages.)

#Travel #Adventure #Japan

Category: Travel

[michaelcrawford]

Imagine still being alive and seeing yourself being served at the dinner table

[acash]

That's why Nature always send calamities to Japan 💀

[Fygee]

So this video is somewhat misleading.

When preparing Ikizukiri (i.e live sashimi like the video demonstrates), the fish are first killed using ikejime, which involves piercing the brain, and then sometimes running a metal rod through the spine to destroy the spinal cord.

Needless to say, this kills it instantly. This isn't shown in the video.

What you're left with are involuntary muscle contractions from a very dead fish with very alive nerve cells. Thus, the fish is not feeling any pain, but it still morbidly appears to be.

[BeardnScars]

Imagine you’re the fish showing up to the dinner table. You arrive broken in half and in agony, and the couple who has purchased you from the other humans is arguing that you’re the wrong fish.

[valoaras]

I heard somewhere killing the fish as fast as possible is the best way because fish won't get stressed much so its meat will be tastier. Idk how true it is

[nicehorn]

Sharks wouldn’t give us the courtesy of biting our heads off before eating us, so it’s fair 😂

[carpfanatic]

Shocking absolutely shocking no respect, no remorse, cold hearted, cruelty at an insane level, don't all living things have a nervous

[Skittles]

no matter how you twist it, some things will always be animal cruelty, pick the fish, kill it humanely and prepare it in front of the customer, surely thats still as fresh as it can be..
but preparing and eating that thing as it is still alive is just perversion in my book.

[mohamedekmal]

so double standard.. i still remember a chinese video about people eat and cook life fish, everybody mock and angry.. but when japan do the same, people like, waaa so beautiful, soo traditional, need respect their culture.. my ass

[bigburrito]

Oh my stomachs turning 😳
Fish in the stomach : <👁👄👁>
I am dying and I dont know where I am

[a-sheepof-christ]

This was a really brave and necessary critique of the "live-sashimi" culture that has not gone extinct eventhough it is quite barbaric.

[zetuan]

If not for laws and regulations, i suspect a lot of us would do this to each other too

[jaketga]

Fred the fish kept saying my leg so his legs were removed💀

[Pudding]

Now this is the real "fresh never frozen".

[asithaweerakkody]

Freshness is not a synonymous word for cruelty 😮

[incognibro]

THEY'RE EATING THE ADRENOCHROME IN THE FISH

[DeesonJame]

The ice to soothe the pain is a nice touch.

[kaikart]

Imagine if aliens pull you out into their ship and slice you up to be eaten, and all they said to each other is: "Don't worry bro, these are lesser beings and do not feel the same thing we felt, plus there are 7.5 billions of them anyway"

I'd still eat these tho.

[ruxp]

Good job! Best way to lock in freshness

[Mothobius]

Sometimes culture and tradition doesn't matter. This is one of those times. I don't care how special it is is lol. This isn't art it's trash.