He samples fish imported from Japan which was supposed to be toxin-free
Hedy Khoo, The New Paper 8 Mar 09;
HE is a sushi chef who tasted death - well, almost.
Mr Anson Lim, 28, came within a sliver of being the first person here to die of puffer fish poisoning when he tasted the deadly Japanese delicacy as part of his job.
A few slices of puffer fish, known as fugu in Japanese, were enough to cause temporary paralysis to his face.
Doctors at Gleneagles Hospital later told him that they had never come across a case of puffer fish poisoning here before.
The incident, which took place in late 2007, came to light when The New Paper was alerted to it recently.
Mr Lim, who has 10 years of experience, was then the head sushi chef at a restaurant near the city.
'I thought I was going to die for sure,' he said in Mandarin.
He had bought two fugu fish for $150 each from a seafood supplier.
'I was slicing the first fugu fillet and my three assistant cooks were watching me,' he said.
'As a sushi chef, it is my responsibility to taste the fugu first to ensure it is safe before serving it.'
Mr Lim, who was trained by a Japanese master chef in 2003, ate a slice.
'I was watching the clock and it was 7pm then,' he recalled.
He then offered his assistants the opportunity to taste the fugu.
'I was confident it was safe because the imported fugu we bought had been prepared in Japan with the toxins removed before export,' explained Mr Lim.
It is not known how the poisonous fillet got into Singapore, but Mr Lim's 'taste test' probably saved the lives of his customers.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority would only say that the import of puffer fish into Singapore is allowed.
As with the import of all other seafood, the importer in Singapore must be licensed by AVA and an import permit is required for each consignment.
Said Mr Lim: 'My three assistants asked me how long it would take before I know if I have been poisoned. I told them half an hour.
'One decided to try it on the spot, but the other two replied that they would only taste it half an hour later if I was still alright,' he recalled with a smile.
Mr Lim himself ate two more slices and some of the fugu skin as he continued to slice and prepare the fish for serving later.
It took only 20 minutes for the poison to kick in.
'I remember reaching out my hand for a glass of water when I suddenly experienced a momentary black-out,' he said.
'It was like a lightning flash, then I felt my mouth and lower jaw go numb. I knew I had been poisoned.'
Mr Lim then turned to his assistants and told them he had been poisoned.
'It was difficult for me to speak as I was losing control of my tongue and stuttering. Nobody believed me. They thought I was joking,' recalled Mr Lim, who said he frequently joked with his colleagues.
They were convinced only when he insisted they call the manager.
'I told the manager that I must get to the hospital within half an hour. I got into his car, then remembered my assistant had eaten the fugu too,' Mr Lim said.
'I was very frightened and anxious at that time, but I tried to think.'
Mr Lim ran back to the restaurant, got his assistant to join them and told the kitchen staff not to serve the fugu.
They then rushed to the emergency department of the Gleneagles Hospital.
'My heart sank when I asked the nurse if there was any injection they could give me to neutralise the poison and she said no,' he recalled.
Mr Lim was told to wait for a doctor.
'It was the longest and most agonising five minutes of my life. I kept thinking of my fiance and worried about what would happen to her if I died,' he said.
'I didn't want to die so young when I have yet to fulfil my ambitions.'
Mr Lim then had his stomach pumped.
'It was the worst experience of my life because I was conscious throughout the procedure,' he recalled.
'It was very painful as they had to put a pipe down my nose and I could see the water travelling up and down the pipe.'
He then saw the slivers of fugu being sucked out from his stomach.
'That was when I felt I had a chance to live,' he said.
Midway through the procedure, Mr Lim vomited blood.
Immediate relief
'It was horrible. The blanket over my lap was soaked with my blood. But as soon as I vomited out the toxins, I felt the sensation coming back to my mouth and jaw,' he remembered.
After a gruelling two hours, Mr Lim was sent to the intensive care unit.
'As I was being wheeled in, I called my mentor chef on my handphone and told him I just had my stomach pumped after eating poisonous fugu,' he said.
But his mentor told him he was not yet out of danger.
'He told me I had to wait another two to three hours before I knew for sure if I was going to live, as the poison can take up to six hours to kill a person.
'I told myself to just get past midnight.'
It was 9pm then.
All through the three hours, Mr Lim had his eyes glued to the clock.
'Even after midnight, I didn't dare sleep. I was afraid I would never wake again.'
But at 2am, Mr Lim's condition remained stable and his anxiety turned to elation.
'I couldn't sleep after that because I was so happy,' said Mr Lim, the memory putting a big grin on his face even now.
His assistant cook did not have his stomach pumped, but was given charcoal water.
Mr Lim was discharged after two days.
'I never regretted tasting the fugu because it was part of my duty as a chef,' he said.
His Japanese master chef trainer had a condition: he would impart his skills only to trainees who dared to eat fugu themselves.
But Mr Lim said he would never eat fugu in Singapore again.
Mr Lim, who now works at a Japanese bar and restaurant called Chiharu at Bukit Timah, said he also tells friends and customers not to eat fugu here.
'The fugu itself is tasteless. Fugu is eaten only for the thrill of gambling with death, so you can boast to your friends that you are brave enough to eat it,' he said.
'But most people don't understand this fish.
'Japan has very strict regulations on fugu. Not only must the chefs be licensed, the restaurants must also be certified.
'I'll still eat fugu, but only in Japan.'
FISHY FACTS
1 The puffer fish contains a poison, tetrodotoxin, which has no antidote. It causes paralysis and eventually death. In Japan, only licensed chefs are allowed to prepare the fish. They remove the toxins before serving. Cooking does not destroy the poison.
2 Each prefectural local government in Japan has its own qualifying system for chefs, who are not allowed to serve fugu in other prefectures, said Mr Hiroshi Abe, First Secretary of the Economic Section of the Embassy of Japan in Singapore. The certification is not valid here.
3 It was reported in 2007 that in Thailand - where the puffer fish has been banned since 2002 - some vendors sold it by dyeing the meat and passing it off as salmon. Between 2004 and 2007, more than 15 people in Thailand died and 115 were hospitalised after eating fugu.
4 Last year, two Malaysians died from eating the fish, known locally as ikan buntal. The sale of the fish is banned in Malaysia, but a black market for it was reported in Pontian, Johor.
5 The National Environment Agency said there have been no other reported cases of poisoning from fugu in Singapore.
More links
Don't eat toxic fish balls on the wild shores of singapore blog.
