Stoned in KK

No, it’s not what you think it is. The death penalty stands in Malaysia for such things.

I’ve been taken out to a hardcore seafood restaurant. One in which there is no menu. It’s much the same as the one in Penang, except this time we have a very large range of high quality and unusual sea creatures to choose from. With a lot of help from the main man, we chose a very large King Lobster, two very large Tiger Prawns (each about the size of a Coles lobster at home) and some “vegetable” which is actually some crunchy green thing that looks like a cross between a string bean and spring onion.

But that wasn’t all. We were walking around the tanks looking at what else was available, taking good care not to push any of the unsuspecting tourists – oops – diners, standing around photographing their dinner, into the drink. We were looking for oysters, and we found them, but not before stopping at a tank full of rocks. I was about to ask how they best prepare rocks for consumption when one of them moved. It turns out they were stonefish! I asked him why they were there, and he said they make great eating – if prepared correctly. He never did say whether the resident chef knew how to prepare them correctly. Regardless, I just had to try it.

Conclusion – a very tasty fish with a consistency not unlike scallops or crab meat. BUT, the entire skeleton is green! You have to see it to believe it, and I hadn’t brought my camera. Not only that, but I swear that as I sat at my table reflecting on my meal, my tongue and lips were tingling, my brain was a little fuzzy, and my body was very heavy. Could it have been the stonefish, or was it a combination of 660ml of guzzled Tiger Beer, mild sunstroke, tired contact lenses and sore paddling muscles?

I say it’s the stonefish.

Can I get jail for consuming a fish of dependency in Malaysia?

Footnote: Warning, truth follows. Stonefish venom is contained only in the dorsal fins, and is destroyed by heat.

Now, onto Japan where I hope to try some Fugu…