Friday, April 20, 2007

Fugu me!

As Homer Simpson said in the One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish episode of the Simpsons:

"Come on, pal. Fugu me!
"

Fugu is a Japanese dish prepared from the meat of pufferfish (normally species of Takifugu, Lagocephalus, or Sphoeroides) or porcupinefish of the genus Diodon. Because pufferfish is lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly, fugu has become one of the most celebrated and notorious dishes in Japanese cuisine.

My dinner swimming around in the tank before it hit my plate...raw.

I had my meal prepared by an apprentice chef (Not to worry, he was an able chef as well.). You will find that funny, if you understand the One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish Simpsons episode.

Perhaps the best-known fugu story in America is that of the fictional character Homer Simpson of the TV show The Simpsons, who eats fugu served by an apprentice chef. Because of the chef's lack of knowledge of fugu preparation, Homer is given 24 hours to live (before his "heart would explode"), during which he vows to do all the things he has always meant to do but had never got round to. However, most of the time is spent either asleep, with his senile father, or in jail. He survives the 24 hours in the end, to the joy of his family and friends. See "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish".

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