Asia-Pacific News

Taiwan restaurant blasted for serving "dead-and-alive fish"

Jul 8, 2007, 1:55 GMT

Taipei - A Taiwan restaurant has been condemned by the public for serving fish whose body has been fried but its head still moves when the fish is served to diners, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The restaurant in Chiayi, central Taiwan, said it sent cooks to China's Sichuan province to learn how to prepare Yin Yang Yu, or dead-and-alive fish, and began to serve the dish in June, the United Daily News said.

But far from booming business, the creation has brought the restaurant only trouble, with animal-rights groups and members of the public condemning the restaurant for its cruelty to fish.

'This is shocking and disgusting. How can someone be so cruel? It's alright if you want to eat a fish, but do you need to put the fish to so much torture?' the paper quoted a source identified as Miss Chen as saying.

Miss Chen urged the Chiayi City Government to ban the restaurant from serving 'dead-and-alive fish,' because though carp is not an endangered species, 'The restaurant is still being cruel to animals and shows no respect to life.'

Another Chiayi resident, also named Chen, said that Taiwan should not follow the example of China, where 'dead-and-alive fish' is allowed to be served.

'I heard that Britain will ban cruelty to fish,' the second Chen said. 'We should learn from Britain.'

Even Chiayi city authorities disapprove of serving the 'dead-and- alive fish.' One official, Huang Wen-hsien, called it inhuman to serve a fish while it is still alive.

'The fish's eyes stare at you when you're eating its meat. Do you have the heart to swallow its meat?' he asked.

The restaurant manager, named Wang, defended the dish by saying that another dish known as 'shrimp cooked alive' is even more cruel because restaurant boil shrimp in glass bowls to allow customers to watch the crustaceans being boiled alive.