The Ex-Lax Fish

Unlike most people I know, I will eat just about anything. Some people steer clear of mushrooms; others turn up their noses at Limburger cheese. Me, I love strange meats, tripe, beef tendon, thousand-year-old eggs; you get the idea. I've had grasshopper in Oaxaca and snake in Hong Kong. Even my parents have certain food phobias; my mother doesn't like lamb, and my father objects to strong-smelling fish. Perhaps my only distaste is for raw onions because they leave an aftertaste that lasts for hours.

So, imagine my surprise when I came across a fish that gave me pause: escolar. It was on the menu of our new favorite restaurant, the Fine Line Bistro on State Street in Ithaca, NY. [More about this fantastic joint in another post.] I didn't order it when I first saw it, but I did Google it when I got home.

It turns out that escolar is known for causing extreme gastric distress in some people. It contains high levels of gempylotoxin, which has a similar effect on human physiology as castor oil, hence earning it the nickname of "Ex-Lax fish". The Wikipedia entry was particularly graphic:

The gastrointestinal symptoms, called "keriorrhoea", caused by these wax esters may include oily orange diarrhea, discharge, or leakage from the rectum that may smell of mineral oil. The discharge can stain clothing and occur without warning 30 minutes to 36 hours after consuming the fish. The oil may pool in the rectum and cause frequent urges for bowel movements due to its lubricant qualities and may be accidentally discharged by the passing of gas. Symptoms may occur over a period of one or more days. Other symptoms may include stomach cramps, loose bowel movements, diarrhea, headaches, nausea, and vomiting.

The fish is even banned in Japan, where they willingly and routinely risk horrible deaths by eating the poisonous fugu.

Of course, not everyone reacts negatively to escolar, and many people swear by it. Plus, there are precautions one can take: don't consume too much in one sitting, and make sure it's fresh. Even still, the mere possibility that I may become a scatological land mine is enough for me to say "no thanks". I'll have a mouthful if someone else orders it (I'm not unadventurous, after all). But for all intents and purposes, I now have two foods that I avoid: raw onions and escolar.