Eating live seafood

{{short description|Human consumption of live aquatic organisms}}

The practice of eating live seafood, such as fish, crab, oysters, baby shrimp, or baby octopus, is widespread.

Oysters are typically eaten live.Kurlansky, Mark (2009) [https://books.google.com/books?id=eErU7IdGoIwC&dq=oysters+are+usually+eaten+alive&pg=PR15 The Big Oyster: A Molluscular History of New York] Random House. {{ISBN|9781409077930}}. The view that oysters are acceptable to eat, even by strict ethical criteria, has notably been propounded in the seminal 1975 text Animal Liberation, by philosopher Peter Singer. However, subsequent editions have reversed this position (advocating against eating oysters). Singer has stated that he has "gone back and forth on this over the years", and as of 2010 states that "while you could give them the benefit of the doubt, you could also say that unless some new evidence of a capacity for pain emerges, the doubt is so slight that there is no good reason for avoiding eating sustainably produced oysters".{{Cite journal

|title = Consider the Oyster: Why even strict vegans should feel comfortable eating oysters by the boatload

|first = Christopher

|last = Cox

|date = April 7, 2010

|journal = Slate

|access-date = 2010-04-12

|url = http://www.slate.com/id/2248998/

|url-status = live

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100410184450/http://www.slate.com/id/2248998

|archive-date = April 10, 2010

}}

Live seafood dishes

class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;" ! style="width:10%;"\|Location ! style="width:10%;"\|Name ! style="width:10%;"\|Image ! style="width:60%;"\|Description ! style="width:10%;"\|Video
rowspan=1 align="center" \| China \| align="center" \| Drunken shrimp \| 120px \| Drunken shrimp is a popular dish in parts of China. It is based on fresh-water shrimp that are placed in a strong liquor, baijiu, and then eaten, often while they are alive. Modified recipes are used in different parts of China. For example, the drunken shrimp can be cooked in boiling water instead of serving them while they are still live. In other recipes, the shrimp are boiled first and then marinated in alcohol.[http://hk.lady.nextmedia.com/articles/art_main.cfm?sec_id=3840163&subsec_id=6748448&art_id=11221716&showdate=20080612&av=NO 醉蝦] {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817230524/http://hk.lady.nextmedia.com/articles/art_main.cfm?sec_id=3840163&subsec_id=6748448&art_id=11221716&showdate=20080612&av=NO \|date=August 17, 2011 }} \| {{YouTube\|tHTJ4xdljlc\|Drunken Shrimp}}
rowspan=2 align="center" \| Japan \| align="center" \| Ikizukuri \| 120px \| Ikizukuri, lit. "prepared alive", also called Ikezukuri is the preparation of sashimi made from live seafood. Fish such as tuna, mackerel, bream and salmon is usually used, but sometimes inkfish like octopus or shellfish like shrimp and lobster are used instead.{{cite web\|url=https://www.thetimes.com/\|title=The Times & The Sunday Times\|website=The Times\|access-date=27 April 2018}} The practice is controversial, and ikizukuri is outlawed in Australia and Germany.
align="center" \| Odori ebi \| 120px \| Odori ebi, lit. "dancing shrimp", is a sashimi delicacy in Japan. It includes live baby pink shrimp, usually dunked in Japanese rice wine, wriggling their legs and waving their antenna as they are eaten. The meal is prepared rapidly and quickly served to ensure the shrimp are still alive. Dancing shrimp are also eaten in Thailand, where they are known as Goong Ten, กุ้งเต้น. \| {{YouTube\|2PX3NNmtRyI\|Eating live "dancing shrimp" in Thailand}}
rowspan=1 align="center" \| Korea \| align="center" \| San-nakji \| 120px \| Sannakji is a type of hoe, or raw dish, in Korea. It consists of usually dead but seemingly alive Octopus minor (nakji, sometimes translated as "baby octopus" due to the species' small size), cut into small pieces and immediately served, with a light sesame oil seasoning. The dish is eaten while the pieces are still squirming on the plate.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-oct-29-la-fg-korea-octopus-20101029-story.html South Korean fishermen, health officials tangle over octopus] Loa Angeles Times, 29 October 2010. \| {{YouTube\|72oU9XYxcbY\|Eating Live Octopus in Korea – Sannakji}}
rowspan=1 align="center" \| Taiwan \| align="center" \| Yin Yang fish \| \| Yin Yang fish, or dead-and-alive fish, originated in Taiwan. It is a dish which consists of a deep-fried whole fish (usually carp) that remains alive after cooking. The fish's body is cooked while its head is wrapped in a wet cloth to keep it breathing. The fish is then covered in sauce and served live on a plate.{{cite web\|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6595481/Chinese-diners-eat-live-fish-in-YouTube-video.html\|title=Chinese diners eat live fish in YouTube video\|date=18 November 2009\|work=Telegraph.co.uk\|access-date=26 July 2015\|url-status=live\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710021108/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6595481/Chinese-diners-eat-live-fish-in-YouTube-video.html\|archive-date=10 July 2015}} Some chefs say they prepare the fish this way to demonstrate its freshness to the customer.{{cite web\|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/eating-a-deep-fried-fish_n_360576.html\|title=Eating A Deep Fried Fish That's Still Alive (VIDEO)\|first=ThienVinh\|last=Nguyen\|date=18 March 2010\|access-date=27 April 2018\|via=Huff Post\|url-status=live\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904192538/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/eating-a-deep-fried-fish_n_360576.html\|archive-date=4 September 2017}}{{cite news \| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6595481/Chinese-diners-eat-live-fish-in-YouTube-video.html \| location=London \| work=The Daily Telegraph \| first=Ben \| last=Leach \| title=Chinese diners eat live fish in YouTube video \| date=18 November 2009 \| url-status=live \| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109063916/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6595481/Chinese-diners-eat-live-fish-in-YouTube-video.html \| archive-date=9 January 2018 }}[http://www.islandcrisis.net/2009/11/fried-living-fish/ http://www.islandcrisis.net/2009/11/fried-living-fish/] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220091031/http://www.islandcrisis.net/2009/11/fried-living-fish/ \|date=2012-02-20 }} (defunct 28 June 2015) Preparation of this dish is now banned in Taiwan, Australia and Germany. \| [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/eating-a-deep-fried-fish_n_360576.html Eating A Deep Fried Fish That's Still Alive] – Huffington Post
rowspan=2 align="center" \| Widespread \| align="center" \| Live oyster \| 120px \| Oysters are often eaten live.Kurlansky, Mark (2009) [https://books.google.com/books?id=eErU7IdGoIwC&dq=oysters+are+usually+eaten+alive&pg=PR15 The Big Oyster: A Molluscular History of New York] {{webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519215827/https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=eErU7IdGoIwC&pg=PR15&dq=oysters+are+usually+eaten+alive&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0C1UVZLiEofM8gXm6oDgCw&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw \|date=2015-05-19 }} Random House. {{ISBN\|9781409077930}}.
align="center" \| Live lobster \| 120px \| Restaurants in New York City serve live lobster, advertising that they allow customers the opportunity to "pick belly sashimi out of its still moving body".{{cite web\|url=http://animalblawg.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/eating-live-lobsters-painful-or-delicious/\|title=Eating live lobsters: Painful or delicious?\|author=Corn, L.\|year=2011\|access-date=January 5, 2012\|url-status=live\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310020400/http://animalblawg.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/eating-live-lobsters-painful-or-delicious/ \|archive-date=March 10, 2011}} \| {{YouTube\|A4aqRRUDg5s\|I eat a live lobster in Japan}}

class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"

! style="width:10%;"|Location

! style="width:10%;"|Name

! style="width:10%;"|Image

! style="width:60%;"|Description

! style="width:10%;"|Video

rowspan=1 align="center" | China

| align="center" | Drunken shrimp

| 120px

| Drunken shrimp is a popular dish in parts of China. It is based on fresh-water shrimp that are placed in a strong liquor, baijiu, and then eaten, often while they are alive. Modified recipes are used in different parts of China. For example, the drunken shrimp can be cooked in boiling water instead of serving them while they are still live. In other recipes, the shrimp are boiled first and then marinated in alcohol.[http://hk.lady.nextmedia.com/articles/art_main.cfm?sec_id=3840163&subsec_id=6748448&art_id=11221716&showdate=20080612&av=NO 醉蝦] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817230524/http://hk.lady.nextmedia.com/articles/art_main.cfm?sec_id=3840163&subsec_id=6748448&art_id=11221716&showdate=20080612&av=NO |date=August 17, 2011 }}

| {{YouTube|tHTJ4xdljlc|Drunken Shrimp}}

rowspan=2 align="center" | Japan

| align="center" | Ikizukuri

| 120px

| Ikizukuri, lit. "prepared alive", also called Ikezukuri is the preparation of sashimi made from live seafood. Fish such as tuna, mackerel, bream and salmon is usually used, but sometimes inkfish like octopus or shellfish like shrimp and lobster are used instead.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/|title=The Times & The Sunday Times|website=The Times|access-date=27 April 2018}} The practice is controversial, and ikizukuri is outlawed in Australia and Germany.

align="center" | Odori ebi

| 120px

| Odori ebi, lit. "dancing shrimp", is a sashimi delicacy in Japan. It includes live baby pink shrimp, usually dunked in Japanese rice wine, wriggling their legs and waving their antenna as they are eaten. The meal is prepared rapidly and quickly served to ensure the shrimp are still alive. Dancing shrimp are also eaten in Thailand, where they are known as Goong Ten, กุ้งเต้น.

| {{YouTube|2PX3NNmtRyI|Eating live "dancing shrimp" in Thailand}}

rowspan=1 align="center" | Korea

| align="center" | San-nakji

| 120px

| Sannakji is a type of hoe, or raw dish, in Korea. It consists of usually dead but seemingly alive Octopus minor (nakji, sometimes translated as "baby octopus" due to the species' small size), cut into small pieces and immediately served, with a light sesame oil seasoning. The dish is eaten while the pieces are still squirming on the plate.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-oct-29-la-fg-korea-octopus-20101029-story.html South Korean fishermen, health officials tangle over octopus] Loa Angeles Times, 29 October 2010.

| {{YouTube|72oU9XYxcbY|Eating Live Octopus in Korea – Sannakji}}

rowspan=1 align="center" | Taiwan

| align="center" | Yin Yang fish

| Yin Yang fish, or dead-and-alive fish, originated in Taiwan. It is a dish which consists of a deep-fried whole fish (usually carp) that remains alive after cooking. The fish's body is cooked while its head is wrapped in a wet cloth to keep it breathing. The fish is then covered in sauce and served live on a plate.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6595481/Chinese-diners-eat-live-fish-in-YouTube-video.html|title=Chinese diners eat live fish in YouTube video|date=18 November 2009|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=26 July 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710021108/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6595481/Chinese-diners-eat-live-fish-in-YouTube-video.html|archive-date=10 July 2015}} Some chefs say they prepare the fish this way to demonstrate its freshness to the customer.{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/eating-a-deep-fried-fish_n_360576.html|title=Eating A Deep Fried Fish That's Still Alive (VIDEO)|first=ThienVinh|last=Nguyen|date=18 March 2010|access-date=27 April 2018|via=Huff Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904192538/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/eating-a-deep-fried-fish_n_360576.html|archive-date=4 September 2017}}{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6595481/Chinese-diners-eat-live-fish-in-YouTube-video.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Ben | last=Leach | title=Chinese diners eat live fish in YouTube video | date=18 November 2009 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109063916/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6595481/Chinese-diners-eat-live-fish-in-YouTube-video.html | archive-date=9 January 2018 }}[http://www.islandcrisis.net/2009/11/fried-living-fish/ http://www.islandcrisis.net/2009/11/fried-living-fish/] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220091031/http://www.islandcrisis.net/2009/11/fried-living-fish/ |date=2012-02-20 }} (defunct 28 June 2015) Preparation of this dish is now banned in Taiwan, Australia and Germany.

| [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/17/eating-a-deep-fried-fish_n_360576.html Eating A Deep Fried Fish That's Still Alive] – Huffington Post

rowspan=2 align="center" | Widespread

| align="center" | Live oyster

| 120px

| Oysters are often eaten live.Kurlansky, Mark (2009) [https://books.google.com/books?id=eErU7IdGoIwC&dq=oysters+are+usually+eaten+alive&pg=PR15 The Big Oyster: A Molluscular History of New York] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519215827/https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=eErU7IdGoIwC&pg=PR15&dq=oysters+are+usually+eaten+alive&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0C1UVZLiEofM8gXm6oDgCw&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw |date=2015-05-19 }} Random House. {{ISBN|9781409077930}}.

align="center" | Live lobster

| 120px

| Restaurants in New York City serve live lobster, advertising that they allow customers the opportunity to "pick belly sashimi out of its still moving body".{{cite web|url=http://animalblawg.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/eating-live-lobsters-painful-or-delicious/|title=Eating live lobsters: Painful or delicious?|author=Corn, L.|year=2011|access-date=January 5, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310020400/http://animalblawg.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/eating-live-lobsters-painful-or-delicious/ |archive-date=March 10, 2011}}

| {{YouTube|A4aqRRUDg5s|I eat a live lobster in Japan}}

Controversy

Octopuses are eaten alive in several countries around the world, including the United States.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/nov/10/live-and-let-dine|title=Live and let dine|author=Eriksen, L.|date=November 10, 2010|access-date=April 15, 2015|work=The Guardian|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906130032/http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/nov/10/live-and-let-dine|archive-date=September 6, 2015}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/eating-octopus|title=Why not eat octopus?|author=Killingsworth, S.|date=October 3, 2014|access-date=April 15, 2016|magazine=The New Yorker|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410103941/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/eating-octopus|archive-date=April 10, 2016}} Animal welfare groups have objected to this practice on the basis that octopuses can experience pain.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/may/30/food-restaurants-macho-eating-live|title=Macho foodies in New York develop a taste for notoriety|author=Ferrier, M.|date=May 30, 2010|access-date=April 15, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319172138/http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/may/30/food-restaurants-macho-eating-live|archive-date=March 19, 2016}} In support of this, since September 2010, octopuses being used for scientific purposes in the European Union are protected by EU Directive 2010/63/EU "as there is scientific evidence of their ability to experience pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm."{{cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:276:0033:0079:EN:PDF|title=Animals used for scientific purposes|publisher=European Commission|access-date=April 15, 2016}} In the United Kingdom, this means that octopuses used for scientific purposes must be killed humanely, according to prescribed methods (known as "Schedule 1 methods of euthanasia").{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/3039/schedule/1/made|title=The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 Amendment Regulations 2012|access-date=April 15, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211121110/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/3039/schedule/1/made|archive-date=February 11, 2016}}

London resident Louis Cole ran a YouTube channel in which he ate live seafood.[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/apr/17/the-man-who-eats-live-animals The man who eats live animals] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106034338/http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/apr/17/the-man-who-eats-live-animals |date=2014-01-06 }} The Guardian, 17 April 2012. The Guardian commented on the ethical issues raised by the behaviour of Coles that: "It seems objectively less cruel to kill a scorpion instantly than to rear chickens in battery cages or pigs in the most miserable pork farms".

Health issues

In India, the government provides support for an annual fish medicine festival in Hyderabad, where asthma patients are given a live sardine to eat which is supposed to cure their asthma.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8563705/Indians-eat-live-sardines-to-cure-asthma.html Indians eat live sardines to cure asthma] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925072359/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8563705/Indians-eat-live-sardines-to-cure-asthma.html |date=2015-09-25 }} The Telegraph, 20 May 2012.

Improperly handled food, uncooked food, raw fish consumption and water contamination can transmit parasitic infections. Parasitic infections are common worldwide, although they are major health concerns in tropical countries.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-12 |title=CDC - Parasites - Parasitic Transmission |url=https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/transmission/index.html |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=www.cdc.gov |language=en-us}}

Infection by the fish tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum is seen in countries where people eat raw or undercooked fish.U.S. National Library of Medicine, Medline Plus, "Fish Tapeworm," {{cite web |url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001375.htm |title=Fish tapeworm infection: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia |access-date=2012-09-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916121903/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001375.htm |archive-date=2012-09-16 }}.

References

External links

[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/may/30/food-restaurants-macho-eating-live Macho foodies in New York develop a taste for notoriety] The Observer, Sunday 30 May 2010.
[https://www.foxnews.com/story/foods-to-try-before-you-die Foods to Try Before You Die] Fox News, 19 October 2009.
[http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/03/27/crab-lobster-pain.html Lobsters and Crabs Feel Pain, Study Shows] Discovery News, 27 March 2009.
[http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/fishing/fish-conservation/responsible-fishing/fish-pain.htm Do fish feel pain?] HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 27 May 2012.

Category:Cruelty to animals

Category:Animal-based seafood

Category:Seafood dishes

Category:Dishes involving the consumption of live animals

Eating live seafood

Live seafood dishes

Controversy

Health issues

See also

References

External links