Panic Ensues After Japanese Supermarket Accidentally Sells Deadly Fugu Fish

You’ve had Domino’s three Fridays in a row, there’s absolutely no way you’re cooking from scratch, and suddenly your boyfriend suggests that you “try something new” for dinner tonight. Oblivious to the fact that the mundanities of your life will not be solved by eating at a recently opened Korean restaurant, you give in and agree to eat something different—like sushi. But before you know it, you’re teetering on the edge of mortality, having consumed deadly Fugu fish. And all in the name of “trying something new.”

This is the fate facing unsuspecting shoppers in the Japanese city of Gamagori, after a recent supermarket mix-up caused improperly prepared fillets of the toxic Fugu fish to be put on sale. According to the BBC, the shop sold five packets of fish that still had their livers, which contain the poison tetrodotoxin and are deadly to consume.

In an attempt to recall the toxic fish, loudspeaker announcements have been transmitted across the city, warning citizens to avoid eating any purchased Fugu. Although three packages of the fish have been retrieved, two are still missing.

Fugu, a delicacy in Japan, can only be prepared by a chef with three or more years of training. In addition to the liver, the poison can be found in the fish’s ovaries, eyes, and skin, and can cause paralysis and asphyxiation if eaten. What’s worse (or, if you’re feeling wild, another reason to try this tasty sashimi dish), there is no known cure for the effects of the poison.

We’ve never heard of a poison pork chop!