Japan for the Uninvited

When it comes to sashimi (raw fish), freshness is key, and no sashimi is fresher than ikezukuri, which is cut from a live fish and served quivering.

Often, the fish is quickly “reassembled” after it has been carved alive, and served as a gruesome parody of its former self. Vital organs are often left intact, so the fish may still be alive by the time the diner has finished eating it.

When restaurants in the West started serving it, ikezukuri experienced an inevitable backlash from animal rights groups. After a Japanese chef demonstrated the technique on a Los Angeles television station, he received hundreds of angry calls, including death threats.

Noone’s tried it with pigs or cows yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Hold still Daisy…

• Wikipedia: Ikezukuri
• The sushi mogul
  Profile of Japanese chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, whose television ikezukuri demonstration caused uproar in the US

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