Isn't eating raw fish bad for you?

Question

ok, sorry if i sound ignorant but so many asian ppl eat raw fish but i was always taught that raw meat held many bacteria and other things that could kill you, so thats why you had to cook them. How come asian ppl eat raw fish with no problems? can you eat raw beef and still be ok??

Answer 1

Raw fish is not common in all Asian countries, just to get that idea out of the way.

If the fish has been prepared correctly (kept frozen, clean etc.) chances of getting sick from it are extremely rare. Not saying that there are no risks, but Japanese chefs at least are very precise when preparing sushi , sashimi or any other kind of raw seafood.

I’ve personally eaten raw fish in both Japan and my own home-country (where raw salmon is a Christmas delicacy) and have never had any health-problems.

Answer 2

The danger problem about raw fish is sanitary contamination.

In Japan fish to eat raw is always handled very carefully by supplier and retails in certain temperature and sealed packing  and taken care by strict sanitation law so that bacteria and  miscellaneous germs won't increase to limit for health damage.

You must eat raw fish once served as soon as possible of course too.

Eating raw fish is not gambling as far as correct way done to be served as same as raw beef offal too.

Some fish may be danger for possible parasitic worm but Japanese know which fish is no harm as same as people knows which mushroom is no harm.

Answer 3

As far as i know the only meat that should not be eaten raw for health concerns is pork. The Japanese eat not only raw fish, but raw beef as well. Raw beef lever, stomach and sometimes womb are the delicacies served in almost every chicken joint in Japan. It might be true that bacteria is nothing to be sneezed at, but basically we don't care that much.

And raw horse is just as good!

Answer 4

No, Japanese don't eat raw fish everyday.  Raw fish isn't bad for you, if the fish is stored and prepared correctly.  Like Sashimi(or fish) you see at the Japanese grocery store are always kept cool and (or)should have been frozen until they arrived at the store.  When I was living in Japan and if I had Sashimi for dinner one night, and if we had some left overs, we usually cook them next day.  The quality of raw fish is all about freshness.  Japanese are eating them for long long time and we know how to keep it fresh by freeze them or refrigerate very cool right after the fish were caught, and also we don't eat old raw fish for sure.  I personally don't eat raw meat such as beef, pork or chicken, but some people do. I don't even want to try it though...   So, anyway, I've never had a problem eating raw fish in my whole life.

Answer 5

It depends on how 'raw' it is. If it's fresh, like on sushi, you'll be okay. But if it's been sitting somewhere for a while, you probably shouldn't eat it. Steak is basically raw beef, depending on how cooked you like it.

If you eat too much off anything raw though, it will make you sick.

Answer 6

First and foremost, every living thing in the wild has some sort of bacteria or parasite. You take a bigger risk eating pork than eating fresh sushi.

Sushi is fish on rice, or it can be vegetables and egg (cooked).  The fish is sliced and cleaned, so the risk of parasite and food borne illness is reduced GREATLY!  

However, it's still partially dangerous by getting food poisoning and such... which is no fun, it makes you not want to eat sushi for a while.

When I was pregnant with my son, I refrained from eating sushi except ebi (shrimp because it's boiled, therefore it's cooked), tamago (egg), and cucumber.  

You take a risk eating all foods, even fruits and vegetables that harbor parasites. However, I never, ever, ever eat pork which is an intermediate host for parasites. And it's very unhealthy.

These foods are not eaten daily.  Many Japanese people like to make burgers or hot dogs at home, too.  Japanese eat things like noodles, and rice, and miso.  They eat things like chicken, beef, and pork.

In high school, my friend Ichie would often bring more American food to lunch that her mother had made rather than some sort of traditional staple Japanese food.

Answer 7

Better than one in six people in the world are Asian. Red meat is different.

Answer 8

It depends on how its prepared. If the fish has diseases or the place where it is made is unclean, then you can get sick. Most fish that is used in sushi is boiled, but some is raw. You just have to trust that you arent eating bad food. Eating raw food can be just as dangerous as cooked food. You basically take a gamble any time you eat anything.

you can eat raw beef and be okay, just be careful. In fact there is a whole diet plan where you eat nothing but raw food. (How do you think animals and early humans survived? They dont cook their food)

Answer 9

It's not,rather good for your health as far as it is served fresh and clean.

I LOVE raw fish and have eaten 1000s times in my life but can't remember any specific serious problem that that caused.

Eating raw eggs is also normal in Japan.

I have tried

beef,pork,horse,chicken,duck and whale etc.We don't eat those meat raw normally,but have some places or special dishes for them.I think I did not get sick on them.

Answer 10

Japanese do not eat it raw fish (sashimi) everyday it is a delicacy and is expensive. Sushi does not always have raw fish in it sometimes it does not have fish at all. Many people think Sushi is raw fish but it is not. It may have raw fish in it but the name Sushi refers to the vinegar rice. People don't eat Sushi every day either.

It can be unhealthy if the fish was from a polluted area or if it has parasites. Freezing is often used to kill any parasites. If it was kept and or prepared improperly it may also be unsafe. Most Japanese chefs are very skilled at reducing these risks and Japanese food standards are very high. People have been eating raw fish for thousands of years.

p.s. most people do not eat raw beef in Japan. Mostly it is boiled in Water or quickly cooked at a high temp to kill bacteria. Sometimes people may eat raw Wagyu but it is a delicacy and very expensive.

Keep in mind that Japan is a very food oriented society. Highest food standards and service are implemented in Japan. People of Japan enjoy a very diverse variety of food. In the past people used to eat Miso soup, pickles, and fish for breakfast everyday but this is modern times people eat it once in a while but now eat cereal, toast, eggs and things like that for breakfast too. They go to eat Curry, and Italian food, McDonalds etc so there is no one who eats raw fish everyday.

Answer 11

Yes, you can eat raw beef if it's the right beef. It's called steak tartare and any upscale French restaurant serves it. However you hear a lot more stories about food poisioning at fast food joints that fry the c**p out of everything than upscale restaurats where people are eating raw oysters, sashmi, steak tartare, etc.

It's a matter of how the food is raised and handled. I wouldn't eat raw eggs from any North American supermarket because battery hens live in filthy overcrowded conditions and the inventory sits there for maybe a week before it gets sold. I'm no animal rights activist but I think a lot of people would go vegan if the knew the reality of factory farming.

An egg from a free-range hen that was hatched the same day is a totally different story. Japanese hunters eat raw boar and I have had raw caribou, but eating raw pork from a farm would be a bad idea-again it's a matter of game isn't stuffed into a barn sleeping in their own excrement with 10000 other animals. Remember too that when you are eating something like raw tuna that tuna was frozen solid until shortly before you ate it. Freezing is pretty much like cooking when it comes to getting rid of bacteria.

I'm not going to say Japanese food safety is perfect, but all of the recent food safety problems in Japan have involved processed food. At least when you scarf down a raw oyster you know exactly what you are eating.

Answer 12

Yes, raw meat does contain many bacteria.  But it depends on it's freshness.  Usually, it should be safe to eat raw fish because immediately after it is caught, it is put into a bucket of ice, where it is frozen.  They will go through process to preserve the freshness of the fish on the ship immediately so once they return to shore, the fish should still be safe to eat.  

Because they go through the tedious process of preserving the freshness in the fish, the fish is safe to eat.  But it doesn't mean you can randomly head into a grocery store and pick out raw fish and assume it is safe to eat.  You have to read the labels and usually it would say something like "Sashimi" or something of the sort.  It should be labeled if it is alright to be eaten raw.

No, eating raw beef is not ok.

No, the Japanese doesn't eat raw fish everyday.  There are a variety of different types of food in Japan, other than raw fish.  There are bento boxes that can be found in supermarkets, and many mothers pack their children with bento for lunch.  There are many types of noodles, such as soba, a drier type of noodle dipped into a type of soy sauce like liquid with wasabi and nori.  There is udon, which is a soup type noodle added with other plates on the side, such as tempura.  There is the famous ramen with a side of meat and vegetables.

There is natto, usually fed to small children because it is easy to swallow.

There are many more foods other than just raw fish.

The only time you might gamble when eating raw fish is if it is blowfish, I believe.  You'd be practically placing your life in the hands of the chef who prepared it.  Because blowfish is poisonous, there is a special way to slice in where the poison will not reach you.  But normal raw fish, like salmon, tuna [that has been specially prepared], is not risking your life.

There is also the fact that wasabi [Japanese horseradish] is used when the raw fish is dipped into soy sauce because the wasabi is extremely "spicy" and will "kill" the bacteria, if any are left.

I hope this helped a bit.  

Answer 13

uhh it really depends. but mostly nott. but if the raw fishh still has blood gushing out of ittt, then dont eat it. its BAD for youuu! and also never eat RAW BEEF... it can cause GREAT harmmm >.<

Answer 14

from what i've heard, salt water raw fish is very clean. and beef is too, beef tartar is raw beef. i don't know how it is prepared or cleaned or anythin, but yeah. but you do take a chance with pork, and i hear almost all poultry has salmonella.