Delicacy is a challenge, testing both human courage and reason. We often take pride in having tasted all the world's delicacies, yet the price we pay for our gluttony has still not made us understand a simple truth: we should also have a sense of reverence for delicacies.
Delicacy Index: ★★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★★★
1 gram of pufferfish toxin can kill 500 people, but "no poison, no delicacy." The exquisite taste of pufferfish has become the "Diaochan" of the Chinese culinary world—the more dangerous it is, the more coveted it becomes. The Song Dynasty poet Mei Yaochen wrote in his poem "Pufferfish": "In spring, buds grow by the water, and catkins fly on the spring shore. When pufferfish are in season, their value cannot be counted among fish and shrimp." Thus, pufferfish diners add a touch of "the wind is bleak, the waters of Yishan are cold," though before they pick up their chopsticks, they always have the waiter taste it first. Only if the waiter doesn't fall do they indulge heartily. The Japanese diners also have this spirit; they have already developed safe methods for eating pufferfish. The Chinese folk method is pufferfish meat plus radish. Every spring, a number of people fall ill, but in China, there will always be successors.
American Beef:
Delicacy Index: ★★★
Danger Index: ★★★★★
To date, over 100 people worldwide have died from eating beef infected with mad cow disease, and it is estimated that more than 2 million people have been infected with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (the human form of mad cow disease). The incubation period for this disease is 10-30 years, and the danger still lurks within the body. "If a person eats the meat, brain, or blood of a cow with mad cow disease, they may contract the fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The human brain, like the cow's, will turn spongy, leading to neurological disorders and eventual death." Such a description is certainly chilling. Fortunately, although Western food is becoming increasingly popular, the Chinese are still not a nation that loves beef. So, we are more worried about the day "mad chicken disease" might break out.
Salmon:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★
Its lovely pink color actually comes from colorings in its feed, and its rich, thick texture comes from antibiotics used in its artificial farming. The residual chemical toxins in its body are now potent enough to destroy the human immune and reproductive systems. Of course, its delicate and fresh taste still makes it the most popular fish for sashimi. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, an essential substance for the brain, retina, and nervous system, which can enhance brain function, prevent stroke, prevent heart disease, and prevent vision loss. It is truly a "treasure from the water," and given the current state of pollution, it is not enough to make people give it up entirely.
Civet Cat:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★★★
As a representative dish of the wild game faction, the deliciousness of civet cat is fading from the Chinese palate, although it is still a domestically bred and raised wild animal that is allowed on people's dining tables. But "coincidentally," the SARS-like virus found on civet cats is surprisingly identical to the SARS virus that infected humans. It is also rumored that among the first people infected with SARS in China was a chef from a wild game restaurant. The panic over SARS enveloped the country for over a year, and civet cats had to temporarily retire from the scene. But the Chinese interest in wild game has not changed; without civet cats, they'll just find "fox cats."
Dog Meat:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★
Humans can't outrun dogs—unless they poison them. As the smartest animal around humans, dogs never expected that the Chinese would not abide by the spirit of fair play and would use cyanide to hunt and slaughter them. Koreans were once boycotted by foreigners during the 2002 World Cup because of their practice of eating dog meat. "Dog meat boiled three times, even immortals can't stand steady," but these "immortals," the Chinese, hide behind their own doors, daring to defy dog lovers, risking nosebleeds, and risking the chance of toxic cyanide, all driven by an inner craving for dog meat's supposed aphrodisiac properties.
Oyster:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★
The aphrodisiac oyster was also the lifelong love of the great Casanova, and perhaps his secret for charming a dozen women a day was thanks to swallowing 40 raw oysters daily.
The beauty of an oyster lies in its freshness, so the advice to "cook it for at least 5 minutes before eating" is basically a "safe fallacy" that doesn't understand true delicacy and is impractical. The world's best oysters come from Europe, North America, and Japan. If you don't have enough money to eat in these reliable and hygienic places, you'll have to suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. There's no other reason; our farming environment and oceans are suffering from industrial pollution, and the oyster, like its body, is a garbage dump.
Crab:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★
The first Chinese person to eat a crab has long since passed away. In the golden autumn season, holding a crab and drinking wine is one of life's great pleasures for the Chinese. But this scavenger is also a diarrhea-inducing menace to the stomach and intestines. Especially, it cannot be eaten with persimmons, as the combination immediately causes food poisoning. Other foods with similar reactions include: pears, peanuts, eggplant, muskmelons, and even ice and tea. To eat one crab, you have to avoid so many things, but can you really avoid them all? You will eventually be caught. Furthermore, with rumors of hormones used in crab farming, the severity of "red tides," and the practice of feeding birth control pills to crabs during their spawning season, crab, a signature dish in countless seafood restaurants across the country, has inevitably become a high-risk food.
Soft-shelled Turtle:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★
The proverb "A soft-shelled turtle eats a soft-shelled turtle—recognizing no kin" may speak of the turtle's absurdity, but its taste is indeed delicious. However, the problem is: if it's a wild turtle, it's a multi-year animal, and its large number of internal parasites must be guarded against. If it's farm-raised, it has been exposed to being fattened with sex hormones; a 7-year growth period is hyper-compressed into 7 months. Is its meat light or a trigger for illness? It's terrifying. Doctors also warn: "Patients with hepatitis should not eat soft-shelled turtles. Its rich protein will increase the burden on the liver, and in severe cases, it can rapidly worsen the condition, inducing hepatic coma, and even death."
French Fries:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★★
This was a sensational discovery two years ago: Swedes found that "some starchy foods produce varying amounts of acrylamide after being processed at high temperatures such as frying, baking, or grilling," with potato fries or chips containing the most. Acrylamide is a carcinogen. According to the standards set by the World Health Organization, an adult's daily intake of acrylamide from drinking water should not exceed 1 microgram, while an average kilogram of french fries contains 1000 micrograms. Yet today, french fries and chips are still a favorite snack for many people because they are crispy, high in calories, and convenient.
Mushrooms:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★★
Every year, people die from their own choices. Every year, this includes suicide, swimming, and picking mushrooms. Foraging for wild mushrooms in the mountains for a picnic seems to be a hobby for many gourmands, and every year, there are cases of toxic mushroom poisoning. Perhaps the charm of more than 300 types of edible mushrooms that are antiviral, delicious, nourishing, and unique is too great for the poison of the 100-plus types of toxic mushrooms to match. People are not afraid of death! Japanese youth are even more extreme; a type of "magic mushroom" made from several mushrooms containing anesthetic ingredients, described as "non-addictive but causes hallucinations," has recently become popular as a psychedelic drug.
Cured Meats:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★★
In the old days, when logistics were poor, people had to worry unnecessarily and used various methods to cure meats into products like cured meat, sausages, and other preserved meats. But in today's world of smooth logistics, eating cured meats has become a matter of taste habit. They offer a concentrated sensory stimulation of five-spice flavor and a nostalgic memory of autumn breezes. So, we risk eating them, knowing they may contain color fixatives, stabilizers, preservatives, and other potential carcinogens, and we willingly risk the "unsubstantiated" chance of developing esophageal, stomach, or even intestinal cancer. As for whether they were made from dead sow meat by a ditch, we care even less. If we have to blame something, blame the "autumn wind."
Shark Fin:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★
Sharks are now hunted worldwide, the key being that some rogue scientist discovered: "Of all animals in the world, sharks are the only ones that do not get cancer." In our current daily anxiety about whether some part of our body has already become cancerous, shark fin has become a lifeline on a dangerous dining table. Shark liver oil is made into expensive health supplements in Norway; shark fin at banquets in China represents a form of炫耀 (showing off). There are hundreds of shark attacks on humans reported each year, making headlines, but humans eat sharks every day. Humans consume 800,000 tons of sharks annually. Furthermore, studies say that shark liver oil cannot be taken in large doses or for a long time, otherwise it will cause poisoning.
Goose Liver:
Delicacy Index: ★★★★★
Danger Index: ★★★
It is a noble delicacy, with a mellow and fragrant texture, paired with a 1870 red wine, it becomes a floating feast. Little do we know that such a fatty delicacy is simply the liver of a goose that has developed liver disease. Our long-standing traditional cuisine does not include goose liver, but the French came up with a method of force-feeding geese for four weeks with a mixture of wheat, corn, fat, and salt to make their livers "diseased." A large size, heavy weight, and pure color are what make it superior. Besides the maddening tenderness and rich aroma, it is also rich in lecithin.