Squeamish At The Fish Market.

[Richb2004v2]

After living in Thailand a while, and visiting a while longer, I find I myself still getting a little squeamish at the fish stales in the markets. It's really illogical why I feel this way but I just feel a bit distressed at the sight of all the fish laid out still breathing and jumping around. The worst is when they are scaling a fish whilst it is alive, although I don't see that so often. Today a guy was clubbing catfish in a container. I know that they have to die and it's hypocritical because I will eat them but I just can't get used to it. I don't feel bothered by pig heads and other dead things, it's just the living things that are soon to be dead. Is it just me?

[jdinasia]

It is just you.

Do you think the pigs and chickens were not killed? (Often by cutting the throats of the pigs to let them bleed out so the blood can be collected and cooked)

[TexasRanger]

It isn't just you, I am ex military and have seen plenty of sqeamish stuff but the way food is treated in some countries before it is dead gets to me too, I am all for a quick and painless kill. Weird but true.

[TEFLMike]

I read this message whilst eating my dinner. I feel sick now.

[mogoso]

After living in Thailand a while, and by pig heads and other dead things, it's just the living things that are soon to be dead. Is it just me?

I wonder how many people have lived (live) on a farm. Ya gotta kill your food before you eat it.

Do you just go to a grocery, buy a package of meat, take it home and eat it with no thought for the cow pig lamb who gave it's life for your nourishment. Did you ever go fishing? how do you handle your catch? keep it alive and freeze it when you get home or pack it in ice

I never liked the killing of anything to eat it, but if my chore, I did it and moved on.

Funny thing the day of my discharge from the service so many yearts past I gave up eating mammals, drinking coffee, and cigarettes.

My wife eats most anything that moves or grows

[vagabond48]

I wonder how many people have lived (live) on a farm. Ya gotta kill your food before you eat it.

You are missing the OP's point. It's not that the animal is killed but how the animal is killed.

[toybits]

Welcome to the real world - far from filleted, de-headed and packaged food. Bear Griles would be so proud.

[Roadman]

After living in Thailand a while, and visiting a while longer, I find I myself still getting a little squeamish at the fish stales in the markets. It's really illogical why I feel this way but I just feel a bit distressed at the sight of all the fish laid out still breathing and jumping around. The worst is when they are scaling a fish whilst it is alive, although I don't see that so often. Today a guy was clubbing catfish in a container. I know that they have to die and it's hypocritical because I will eat them but I just can't get used to it. I don't feel bothered by pig heads and other dead things, it's just the living things that are soon to be dead. Is it just me?

It's not just you and its very logic. I have been a hunter and fisherman all my life. You kill humanely whenever possible and scaing fish live and leaving them laid out to die is not acceptable. Clubbing Catfish to death is fine - a well aimed blow to the head is a good solution, although it would depend on the skill involved.

Shop around. There are markets that do things correctly. When at our home town in Udon Thani all our fish is brought from the one lady. She has live fish beside her in deep water tubs happily swimming away. It's all over for them in the space of about 30 seconds - she grabs them from underneath with one hand, on the block and a belt on the head with the flat of the cleaver to stun them, gut run with the blade, spoons out there gut, then runs them up both sides with the back of the cleaver to de gill. She's one of the most skilled fish processors I ever seen and for the fish its as quick as you could make it.

[Crushdepth]

The worst is when they are scaling a fish whilst it is alive, although I don't see that so often

Don't worry - sooner or later they'll get a catfish spine through their hand and then they'll take an interest in making sure its dead before they go hacking it up.

[dingdongrb]

It is just you.

Do you think the pigs and chickens were not killed? (Often by cutting the throats of the pigs to let them bleed out so the blood can be collected and cooked)

My first time ever seeing the locals in my in-law's village kill a pig was about 4 years ago.... They did exactly that, slit the throat of the live pig and let it bleed out into a bucket where the guys that did the killing took the blood as part of their kill earnings. Now I know where the term 'squeal like a pig' comes from.

....and you've never seen a live lobster be placed in a pan of boiling water?

Edited November 25, 2008 by dingdongrb

[0Mix1up]

i did see chooks running around with no heads in my grandmas back yard many moons ago

[Old Croc]

The best way to kill a fish is to spike it by inserting a knife or spike in the centre of the fish’s head immediately behind the eyes – this kills it instantly, minimises stress and the fish will yield better quality flesh which keeps longer.

The method is known as Ikijima

[Mosha]

What annoys me the most is the size of the fish on offer. The 12 inch long Baramundi, although a friend thinks these are farmed fish, and 12 inch long hammerhead sharks.

[kmart]

Fish / shellfish don't bother me; but the killing of mammals isn't something I enjoy watching. If you want to see how your meat gets to your plate, there are many images on the internet that might upset you. Production beef killing lines, for example.

Then there is the wanton slaughter of seals; dolphins; 'finning' of sharks; live skinning of fur animals, etc. - Nah, fish clubbing isn't a biggie, imo.

[Samuian]

After living in Thailand a while, and visiting a while longer, I find I myself still getting a little squeamish at the fish stales in the markets. It's really illogical why I feel this way but I just feel a bit distressed at the sight of all the fish laid out still breathing and jumping around. The worst is when they are scaling a fish whilst it is alive, although I don't see that so often. Today a guy was clubbing catfish in a container. I know that they have to die and it's hypocritical because I will eat them but I just can't get used to it. I don't feel bothered by pig heads and other dead things, it's just the living things that are soon to be dead. Is it just me?

I assume it's pla Duk, catfish you are talking about, you can ask the vendor to kill the fish with salt, it is the same for the fish, but NO "clubbing" involved!

Alternative: become a vegetarian!

It is just you.

Do you think the pigs and chickens were not killed? (Often by cutting the throats of the pigs to let them bleed out so the blood can be collected and cooked)

My first time ever seeing the locals in my in-law's village kill a pig was about 4 years ago.... They did exactly that, slit the throat of the live pig and let it bleed out into a bucket where the guys that did the killing took the blood as part of their kill earnings. Now I know where the term 'squeal like a pig' comes from.

....and you've never seen a live lobster be placed in a pan of boiling water?

Had a farmhouse in the upper bavarian countryside in Germany, every saturday, as many pigs as were needed, slaughtered with the cut throat technique, chicken with an axe, Halal/Kosher in the Muslim/Jewish "World"...

The noise the pigs made...made clear the knew...what is going to happen!

Some believe it's the better way....

Edited November 25, 2008 by Samuian

[Richb2004v2]

I once had to go out on a bit of an emergency job in the UK. I was working for an instrument hire company and one of the bits of kit had gone down. I don't think anyone knew where they were actually sending me. It was a local pig slaughter house. I had no idea even until I get right to the bit where the pigs were effectively queuing up to go through to be slaughtered. It was terrible. The pig obviously were aware of what awaited them. They were making a hel_l of a noise and trying to back peddle away from the front. The piece of kit was directly in front of the spot where the animals were slaughtered. It really was like the bowels of hel_l to me. I've seen nothing like it before or since, and don't want to. However it didn't stop me eating meat even for an hour. I think the fish bother me more to be honest. Even though the fish have a lower level of consciousness it still seems bad that they are all laid out waiting a couple of hours to be popped on the head.

[elkangorito]

Dear oh dear Rich.

When the megalomaniacs take over the earth & you have the choice of fleeing into the wilderness (or what's left of it) or living under extreme tyrannical rule, what will you do? There are no supermarkets or restaurants in the wilderness.

Did you not go fishing as a kid? Did you not (as a kid) kill insects just to see what happened?

The good thing is that it's never too late to learn.

I advise that you immediately go & buy some fishing tackle & then proceed to catch some fish with it. Upon catching some fish, put them in a bucket of salt water (assuming that you will be fishing in salt water) to keep them alive. When you have finished fishing, take the live fish from the bucket & proceed to cut their heads off & gut them. After this has been done, you can remove their scales.

Whilst doing this, it is important to only think of them as food. It may help you to give unspoken thanks to something (a god?) for providing such food & thus permitting your further existence.

[toptuan]

The worst I've seen was in restaurants while doing business in Japan. The Japanese take great pride in going to the greatest lengths to have their seafood "fresh."

For example, live shrimp marinating in your bowl of sauce, with you being expected to swallow them with all those legs frantically thrashing about in your throat. Or a large sea bream fish slapped on your plate, still flopping. As you pull the meat off the fish's sides with your chopsticks, it quivers in agony.

Stomach-wrenching for the unsuspecting foreign visitor. And the first time I ever felt guilt over a fish.

Edited November 25, 2008 by toptuan

[elkangorito]

The worst I've seen was in restaurants while doing business in Japan. The Japanese take great pride in going to the greatest lengths to have their seafood "fresh."

For example, live shrimp marinating in your bowl of sauce, with you being expected to swallow them with all those legs frantically thrashing about in your throat. Or a large sea bream fish slapped on your plate, still flopping. As you pull the meat off the fish's sides with your chopsticks, it quivers in agony.

Stomach-wrenching for the unsuspecting foreign visitor. And the first time I ever felt guilt over a fish.

I think that this is where I draw my line.

I'm sure that most humans understand agony & suffering well enough to realise that no other living thing needs to undergo the same.

There is obviously a sensible limit to "fresh"...& picking bits from a living fish must not only be agony for the fish but is unnecessary for a human to do in a restaurant. In the wilderness, things may be different.

Killing is a part of life & a quick kill is all the better.

[Richb2004v2]

Dear oh dear Rich.

When the megalomaniacs take over the earth & you have the choice of fleeing into the wilderness (or what's left of it) or living under extreme tyrannical rule, what will you do? There are no supermarkets or restaurants in the wilderness.

Did you not go fishing as a kid? Did you not (as a kid) kill insects just to see what happened?

The good thing is that it's never too late to learn.

I advise that you immediately go & buy some fishing tackle & then proceed to catch some fish with it. Upon catching some fish, put them in a bucket of salt water (assuming that you will be fishing in salt water) to keep them alive. When you have finished fishing, take the live fish from the bucket & proceed to cut their heads off & gut them. After this has been done, you can remove their scales.

Whilst doing this, it is important to only think of them as food. It may help you to give unspoken thanks to something (a god?) for providing such food & thus permitting your further existence.

I was a very unsuccessful fisherman as a young boy . I bought all the fishing paraphernalia and then went fishing maybe a dozen times. I never caught a single fish, at all ! I could catch a fish now and kill it and eat it. What I couldn't do is catch a whole load of fish and put them all on a table and sit and wait a few hours before killing them or scaling them alive. However I am sure in time I could get used to it.

[Cuban]

Try Hong Kong - live fish markets with the flanks removed and sold leaving the exposed heart and gills flapping to show the rest of the fish is still fresh!

[Bananaman]

I don't eat meat or fish and primarily for moral reasons so I am often genuinely appalled at the brutal treatment of animals intended for food in this country. What I really can't understand is why most fish sellers at the market keep the live ones in an inch of water so the poor things are just slowly suffocating. Why can't they just add a foot of water so that the fish are at least covered and relatively comfortable before having to endure whatever other atrocities the seller has in store for them?

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" –Mohandas Gandhi.

[kmart]

I don't eat meat or fish and primarily for moral reasons so I am often genuinely appalled at the brutal treatment of animals intended for food in this country. What I really can't understand is why most fish sellers at the market keep the live ones in an inch of water so the poor things are just slowly suffocating. Why can't they just add a foot of water so that the fish are at least covered and relatively comfortable before having to endure whatever other atrocities the seller has in store for them?

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" –Mohandas Gandhi.

The fish are kept in a barrel with just an inch of water covering them, so shooting them is easier?

Great quote from Ghandi there. Shame that a lot of India's animals are treated a lot better than most of it's actual people.

[Cuban]

Why can't they just add a foot of water so that the fish are at least covered and relatively comfortable before having to endure whatever other atrocities the seller has in store for them?

Guess: If you provide 'enough' water, the fish will swim around - fight over space and damage each other so be less sellable. If they are fighting for their life they will be in better condition to sell.

Look at the prawns given enough space they are not restrained like crabs or lobsters and do fight each other.

I think this is a vote with your feet situation.

( That's the thing about different countries - they are different. )

[Richb2004v2]

Why can't they just add a foot of water so that the fish are at least covered and relatively comfortable before having to endure whatever other atrocities the seller has in store for them?

Guess: If you provide 'enough' water, the fish will swim around - fight over space and damage each other so be less sellable. If they are fighting for their life they will be in better condition to sell.

Look at the prawns given enough space they are not restrained like crabs or lobsters and do fight each other.

I think this is a vote with your feet situation.

( That's the thing about different countries - they are different. )

This topic doesn't have to degenerate into a 'if you don't like it leave' situation.

Lets just keep it light shall we.