Dining with Death
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W<br />
e have all heard that an unhealthy diet<br />
can eventually lead to an early death,<br />
but have you ever eaten anything that<br />
could kill you <strong>with</strong>in minutes? Those who have<br />
eaten fugu—and lived to tell about it—can say<br />
they have.<br />
Fugu, otherwise known as pufferfish or blowfish,<br />
is a delicacy in Japan and other places where<br />
a single meal can cost as much as $200. It is<br />
served raw, sliced paper-thin, and often arranged<br />
in beautiful patterns of animals or flowers. What<br />
makes this meal potentially deadly is that the poison<br />
contained in several internal organs of the<br />
fish is one of the deadliest known toxins—over<br />
1,000 times more potent than cyanide. If the fish<br />
is prepared improperly, and even a trace of poison<br />
is left in the meal, the eater will die 60% of the<br />
time, as there is no antidote.<br />
For this reason, fugu may only be prepared by licensed<br />
chefs who have undergone extensive training,<br />
testing, and an apprenticeship — all of which<br />
can last up to ten years. In spite of all this, each<br />
year a handful of people who “dine <strong>with</strong> death”<br />
pay the ultimate price. Fugu poisoning brings<br />
a terrible death, as the fully-conscious victim is<br />
gradually paralyzed —losing the ability to talk,<br />
losing use of his arms and legs, and eventually<br />
becoming unable to breathe. <strong>Death</strong> occurs anywhere<br />
<strong>with</strong>in twenty minutes to twenty hours.