In Japan, a Blowfish Emergency Alert

The blowfish ... considered a delicacy in Japan

A good headline always draws readers in (as someone who did that for a living, I should know). When I saw this one, it made me want to know more:

                                                  Japanese City Triggers Emergency Broadcast System After
                                                             Supermarket Accidentally Sells Deadly Blowfish

According to the story on Gizmodo, "The Japanese city of Gamagori in the Aichi Prefecture went into full alert mode earlier today after a batch of potentially deadly fugu fish was sold to customers at a local supermarket.

"As AFP reports, five packages of blowfish, also known as puffer fish, fugu fish, and globefish, were sold with their livers still intact. Blowfish livers contain a deadly toxin that can cause paralysis and asphyxiation, and there is no known antidote. Officials in Gamagori didn’t hold back once the situation became clear, activating the city’s emergency broadcast system and alerting residents from loudspeakers installed across the city."

First Hawaii with a false missile alert, now Japan with a blowfish warning. 

Make no mistake: Japanese take their blowfish very seriously. Considered a delicacy, it must be prepared correctly or there could be fatal consequences. I learned this firsthand from a former colleague at Belo in Dallas.

As a GI in Tokyo, he and two of his buddies went out on the town and wandered into a restaurant where blowfish was a featured item on the menu. No doubt fortified by sake, he told the server he wanted to try it.

He  watched the server go to the kitchen, where he had an excited conversation with the chef -- lots of hand gesturing. Some time later, they brought the blowfish to his table. I say "they" because he said at that moment, the entire staff of the restaurant gathered around  to watch as he took his first bite.

Needless to say, it must have been prepared right, because he lived to eat another day.

I'm all for trying new dishes, but I think I would draw the line at blowfish. I'll go with the fish and chips.