FUGU: THE DEADLY DELICACY

Fugu fish is also known as blowfish or even balloon fish and he is able to stretch its body due to its reinforced collagen fibers, the fish pumps air of water into his stomach and the collagen fibers stretches making him 300 times bigger and wider!

Fugu is a Japanese name and it means Pacific Ocean Native Fish, better known as fugu fish.Fugu fish is a member of Tetraodontoid family, these types of fishes are extremely toxic and they tend to expand their bodies by up to an astonishing 300 times! They are generally very unattractive however they have a unique ability to puff their bodies and expand, some even have razor sharp spikes that come out for their protection.

This astonishing ability of the fugu fish makes extremely hard for the predators to eat or swallow him. Once he is inside of the predators mouth or even stomach, he can still stretch his body making the predator no choice but to letting him out. However if for some reason the fugufish is killed and swallowed, the extreme fugu fish skin toxins can still kill some small predator fishes.

The fugu fish has a beak like mouth with strong jaws, however it has also one big disadvantage, the teeth and muscle arrangement of fugufish makes him little slower to commit a bite. This allows plenty of time to small and faster fishes to swim away quickly without getting swallowed by the fugu fish.As mentioned earlier, fugu fish extremely toxic, here are some of his toxic organs: ovaries, testicles, skin, muscles and particularly the liver! It contains high level of tetrodotoxin, a powerful poison. Tetrodotoxin is 1,200 times deadlier than cyanide, and one fish contains enough poison to kill 30 people. Acting mainly on the nervous system, the symptoms in order of severity are:

Physical discomfort

Pallor

•Dizziness •Prickling or tingling of the mouth •Vomiting •Diarrhoea •Numbness

•Hypersalivation •Sweating •Weakness •Subnormal temperature •Hypotension

•Rapid weak pulse •Respiratory distress/arrest •Death

There is no known antidote. And this fish is considered a delicacy in Japan. There are lots of tasty fans there that would love to adventure and eat this poisonous fish, and a lot of them have died eating it!

A family supper – Kazuo Ishiguro

Exploring the short story

Completing the table Family Supper

Title

Author

Number of pages

Main characters

Other characters

Family Supper

Kazuo Ishiguro

TenNarrator; narrators’s father; Kikuko (narrator’s sister)

Suichi; Vicky; Watanabe-San

About the Author

Name

Date of Birth

Birthplace

Family

Studies

Dream Job

Music publishers´ reaction

Reasons for writing

Definition of international novel

First publication

Other publications

Civil Status

Awards

Kazuo Ishiguro

8th November 1954

Nagasaki

His parents moved to England in 1960

Was schooled at the University of Kent and the University of East Anglia

Being a musician

Found his music hideous

A consolation for something that got broken

A novel that contains a vision of life that is of importance to people of varied backgrounds around the world

A Pale View of HillsAn Artist of the Floating World; The Remains of the Day; The Unconsoled

Married

Winifred Holtby Prize; Whitebread Book of the Year; Booker Prize

First impressions about the story

“ At the time of my mother’s death, I was livig in California. My relationship with my parents had become somewhat strained around that period, and consequently I did not learn of the circumstances surrounding her death until I returned to Tokyo two years later. Apparently, my mother had always refused to eat Fugu, but on this particular occasion she had made an exception on having been invited by an old schoolfriend whom she was anxious not to offend. It was my father who supplied me with the details as we drove from the airport to his house in the Kamura district. When we finally arrived, it was nearing the end of a sunny autumn day.”

His mother dies

He was in California

Never in his mother life she had eaten Fugu

When she decides to eat Fugu, she dies!

It is his father that tells him about the details of his mother death.

The action takes place

At dinner timeAt the house of the narrator’s parents

In Kamakura District

“sitting on the tatami floor of his tea room.”

TOKYO

TIME

On a sunny autumn day

Late afternoon

and evening

“ When we finally arrived,it was nearing the end of a sunny autumn day.”

THE STORY DEALS WITH

Family relationships

The author had a strained relationship with his father

We can notice a tense atmosphere between the members of the family

“His general presence was not one which encouraged relaxed conversation; neither were things helped much by his odd way of stating each remark as if it were the concluding one. In fact, as I sat opposite him that afternoon, a boyhood memory came back to me of the time he had struck me several times around the head for “chattering like an old woman”.”

After the arrival of his sister, the dialogue between them was franker and showed their need for freedom

“Just then a girl’s voice came echoing through the house. “At last.” My father rose to his feet.”Kikuko has arrived.” Despite our difference in years, my sister and I had always been close. Seeing me again seemed to make her excessively excited and for a while she did nothing but giggle nervously. But she calmed down somewhat when my father started to question her about Osaka and her University. She answered him with short formal replies. She in turn asked me a few questions, but she seemed inhibited by the fear that her questions might lead to awkward topics. After a while, the conversation had become even sparser than prior to Kikuko’s arrival. Then my father stood up, saying: “I must attend to supper. Please excuse me for being burdened down by such matters. Kikuko willlook after you.” My sister relaxed quite visibly once he had left the room. Whitin a few minutes, she was chatting freely about her friends in Osaka and about her classes at University.”

The characters

THE NARRATOR’S PORTRAIT

PHYSICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL

In the story we are not told about his real age, but we can inference that he is young, probably between 23, 25 years.

As he was living in California, we can say he is an independent young man; observant; a somewhat insecure ( he doesn´t know what its planes for the future will be ); tactful and wise.

THE NARRATOR´S FATHER´S PORTRAIT

A large stony jaw and furious black eyebrows.

PHYSICAL PSYCOLOGICAL

Disciplinarian, conservative, authoritarian, honest, lonely, cold.

“My father was a formidable looking man with a large stony jaw and furious black eyebrows. … proud of the pure samurai blood that ran in the family. … His general presence was not one which encouraged relaxed conversation; … odd way one. “

THE NARRATOR´S SISTER´S PORTRAIT

PHYSICAL

As she is studying at Osaka´s University she is between 19, 20.

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Nervous, energetic, modern, irreverent.

“… excessively excited… giggle nervously… chatting freely…”“I´ve been dying for a smoke…”; “If we go, we´re going to hitch-hike.” “And Suichi – I like him, but I`m not sure I want to spend so much time with him.” …

The story is built Upon the characters

The relation between father, son and daughter

The main character is the father

He hopes / wishes the reconciliation with his returning son.

The question is why?

“I followed my father from room to room. I had forgotten how large the house was. A panel would slide open and another room would appear. But the rooms were all startlingly empty.”

“This house is too large for a man to live in alone.”“I don’t have much use for most of these rooms now.”

“Since the firm folded. I have a little more time on my hands.”

… For a moment his face looked almost gentle. “A little more time.”“That seems odd”, I said. “You were always so busy.”“Too busy perhaps.” He looked at me with a small smile. “Perhaps I should have been a more attentive father.”

“There are other things besides work.”

“If you wish to stay here, I mean here in this house, you would be very welcome. That is, if you don’t mind living with an old man.”

“Kikuko is due to complete her studies next spring”, he said. “Perhaps she will want to come home then. She´s a good girl.”

“Perhaps she will.”“Things will improve then.”“Yes, I`m sure they will.”

He is an old man

He feels completely alone

He wants to conquer his son´s love and trust

He is trying to be…

Gentle

Good humoured

Comprehensive

human

“We fell silent once more, waiting for Kikuko to bring the tea.”

Give another ending to the story