Skip to content
  • Epic Quest
  • Contact Me!
  • About Me
Instagram YouTube Facebook
Menu

Writer. Traveler. Tea Drinker.

Writer. Traveler. Tea Drinker. Doing all three in China
Instagram YouTube Facebook
  • Epic Quest
  • Contact Me!
  • About Me
Hit enter to search or esc to close
Home  >  China • Chinese Culture • Chinese Food  >  The Voyage of a Fish in China
Posted inChina Chinese Culture Chinese Food

The Voyage of a Fish in China

Posted By Becky Ances Posted on April 12, 2012
Please install Travelera Share Buttons plugin

I should start by saying I am not a fan of eating fish. But I’m in the clear minority here in China. In almost every restaurant there is a tank, or small cooler filled with fish just waiting to be eaten, and every supermarket has a tank. In fact, when I tell Chinese people much of the fish served in normal (ie. cheap) restaurants are frozen, they consider is blasphemy. Actually, not even blasphemy, they just plain don’t understand because it is a totally foreign concept to them. Even the smallest, diviest restaurants here serve fresh fish.
When I was in Hong Kong I got a good look at the process of the final moments of a fish here in China. From the tank to the mouth. Here is this one little fish’s story.
The one picture I didn’t get was when the fish was still alive. My friend picked it out of a tank in the local supermarket, and the butcher grabbed it, killed it quickly and handed it to us in a clear bag with a bunch of spring onions.
Once home, it was put in the plate as the chef was preparing to cook it.

Then it was thrown in a pan, and cooked, or simmered, in a sauce with some vegs. Food is cooked fast in China and the same is true with fish. Then, it’s put on a plate and ready to serve.

Fish is almost always served whole and intact. And you just go at it with chopsticks, peeling away the flesh. But what about the bones, I hear you ask? Yeah, well that’s a problem. I mean, you try to avoid them, but they are so tiny it is hard not to occasionally eat one. When that happens it seems like everyone has their favorite “cure,” much like westerners and hiccoughs. Some people say you should eat rice, to push the bone down, other suggest drinking an apple vinegar drink to “dissolve” the bone. Either way, no one is too concerned about having a bone stuck in their throat as they know it will eventually work its way out.

As you can see, not an ounce is wasted. With a bigger fish half of it is picked clean, and then it is ceremoniously flipped over allowing everyone to get at the meat on the other side. You wll notice one thing, the head is still pretty much intact. Is that because they think it is gross and don’t want to eat it? Of course not. They are just saving the best for last. Eyeballs and all.

My friend ate the head, and I do have pictures, but I’ll save you from that gruesome sight and show you the fish at the end of the meal.

The final product is just some bones and a little piece of the tail. In some ways I find this totally repulsive, and in other ways I feel shame. I mean, in the west we waste so much. If we had a fish we would cut it all up, throw away a lot of the different parts, and just cook and eat the meaty center. I mean, what happens to all the fish heads in America? I’m sure some hearty chef’s cook it up in a stew or something for flavor, but I have a feeling most end up in “seafood flavor” dog food.

So while I could never do it myself, Chinese people, I salute you.

Tags: chinese food eating fish fish
Previous Article Long Time, No See!
Next Article Office Hours

Related Posts

What’s the Laziest Way up a Mountain? This Way.

As I rode the slick new escalators up the side of the mountain in the Xiamen botanical Gardens, I hated myself a little. Why was I here, supporting the destruction and abuse of this gorgeous natural mountain? I mean, is there anything lazier than taking an escalator up a mountain?

Read More about What’s the Laziest Way up a Mountain? This Way.
Please install Travelera Share Buttons plugin

The Instagrammification of a Beach

You’d think in a country where Instagram was blocked there would be no Instagrammification of places. But then you’d be wrong…very wrong.

Read More about The Instagrammification of a Beach
Please install Travelera Share Buttons plugin

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Recent Posts

  • What’s the Laziest Way up a Mountain? This Way.
  • From Zero Covid to Zero F&#*s
  • The Instagrammification of a Beach
  • The Stuff of Nightmares
  • The (Surprising) Best Chinese Food for a Picnic

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Recent Posts

  • What’s the Laziest Way up a Mountain? This Way. Becky Ances January 31, 2023
  • From Zero Covid to Zero F&#*s Becky Ances December 29, 2022
  • The Instagrammification of a Beach Becky Ances November 21, 2022
  • Popular
  • Recent
  • The Swiss Family Robinson are a Bunch of Jerks December 11, 2009
  • Making it Official: My Chinese Boyfriend December 7, 2012
  • Good Chinese Wife Review and a Chance to Win a Free Book!! July 27, 2014
  • 10 Signs You've Lived in China a Long Time March 29, 2014
  • What’s the Laziest Way up a Mountain? This Way. January 31, 2023
  • From Zero Covid to Zero F&#*s December 29, 2022
  • The Instagrammification of a Beach November 21, 2022
  • The Stuff of Nightmares September 12, 2022

Subscribe Now to Our Newsletter, It’s Free!

Get the best content delivered straight into your inbox!

Facebook Twitter Google+

About

I’m an American who has been living in China for more than a decade! This is my blog where I muse about all things China. Please also check out my YouTube channel “Badminton Becky” and my other badminton blog at www.badmintonbecky.com

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • What’s the Laziest Way up a Mountain? This Way. January 31, 2023
  • From Zero Covid to Zero F&#*s December 29, 2022
  • The Instagrammification of a Beach November 21, 2022
© Copyright 2017. Theme by BloomPixel.