On 2007-03-12 13:38:55 -0700, "Art" > said:

> On Mar 12, 11:02 am, Gerry > wrote:
>> On 2007-03-10 22:44:07 -0800, "Art" > said:
>>
>>> Nigiris:
>>
>>> Mackerel - Haven't had great saba since I left Boston. Everything down
>>> here tastes pickled. This wasn't great, either.
>>
>> Saba, when done well, is one of my very favorites. I assume you know
>> that saba is always lightly pickled?
>
> I know, but down here in NJ it tastes more like pickled herring.

I was just clarifying. I've bumped into highly pickled saba
occasionally that is horrid, and frequently (probably related) overly
firm. Stiff, actually. It is the only thing I have ever "sent back".
I do that for embarassment purposes.

>>> Spanish mackerel - on the tough side. Wouldn't order again.
>>
>> Aji is whittled up fresh, and not pickled. So logically if you had a
>> bad aji, you can be sure you've diminished the back log by one! You
>> should have as good a shot as any that the next will be okay.
>
> It was from a whole fresh piece of fish. The chef left the tough piece
> of skin on.. but aside from that, it just didn't have much flavor.

Better luck next time.

>> I don't like being in the same room with that stuff.
>
> Why not?

What fish is it, exactly? It's not tuna. This most predominantly
refers to escolar. Why not call it escolar, then you might wonder.
That would be handy, one would think.

Whenever a sushi chef I don't know offers it I snort or laugh or joke
about it ("I like dinner to STAY eaten"), and they are quick to point
out that "some people like it" but that they too won't eat it. That's
not exactly a sales job.

Fat quote from wikipedia who says:

> The gastrointestinal symptoms, called "keriorrhoea", caused by these
> wax esters may include oily orange diarrhea, discharge, or leakage from
> the rectum that may smell of mineral oil. The discharge can stain
> clothing and occur without warning 30 minutes to 36 hours after
> consuming the fish. The oil may pool in the rectum and cause frequent
> urges for bowel movements due to its lubricant qualities and may be
> accidentally discharged by the passing of gas.
>
> Symptoms may occur over a period of one or more days. Other symptoms
> may include stomach cramps, loose bowel movements, diarrhea, headaches,
> nausea, and vomiting. To minimize the risk of symptoms, strict control
> of portion size is recommended. Portions should be no greater than 6
> ounces.
>
>
> For these reasons, escolar has been banned from consumption in Japan
> since 1977, as the Japanese govenrment believes it to be toxic. In the
> United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, after receiving
> complaints about diarrhea associated with escolar consumption, issued a
> bulletin recommending against import of the fish in the early 1990s.
> However, the FDA backed away from this recommendation and withdrew the
> bulletin several years later after deciding the fish was nontoxic and
> nonlethal.
>
> Escolar is sometimes consumed raw as sushi or sashimi. It is also sold
> misleadingly as "white tuna", "butterfish", "oilfish" and "Hawaiian
> butter fish"; in Hawaii and Fiji, it is known as walu.

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