Just Hungry

I probably would not. I can't say 100% that given the right time and place I never would, but it is not something I am seeking out.

I would be more likely to eat the non-poisonous variety mentioned in the article, for what it is worth.

As for people who do choose to eat it, well, that's their choice. There are many, many things that are more worth being upset over than other people eating a potentially dangerous fish. If that's what makes them happy, good for them.

I wonder how the numbers of people getting sick and/or dying from eating undercooked hamburgers compare to those eating fugu. I absolutely eat hamburgers rare, and you will not get me to stop, but it is not for the 'thrill'.

I am not sure. I wouldn't say definitely that I won't eat it, but it's not at the top of my list of things to try.
That said, if I knew that the chef was extremely skilled and experienced, I might try it.
I love all kinds of sashimi so it's possible. I think though, there are only two or maybe three places in the San Fransisco Bay Area that will serve it. And I think it's always special order ahead of time.
I think it's probably safer to eat than wild gathered mushrooms! Here each year there are at least one or two reports of whole families getting sick or dying form eating wild mushrooms.
Seems to usually be an immigrant family, so I'm guessing there is a mushroom here that looks just like an edible one back in their homeland. Except this one is poisonous!
Also, not a fun way to die!

So maybe I'll have Fugu for my 80th birthday party and if I live then I'll have a few more years left to try it again! ^^

I ate fugu when I lived in Japan, and it was quite tasty. However, I didn't think it was a "to-die-for" level of deliciousness. I think it's worth trying once, so that you can impress your non-Japanese friends, but unless someone else is paying, I'm unlikely to eat fugu again.

I've been in Japan for a while now but I've never had the chance of trying fugu. I would probably try it if someone else bought it for me but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it myself. Even if I had the chance to try, I would probably just have a tiny bit, just to be able to say that I've tried fugu.

About other people, well it's their lives, so they can do whatever they want. Some people do bungee, other eat fugu. To each its own ;)

I would try fugu, not for any kind of thrill but out of sheer curiosity. I've gotten plenty of snide comments because I like eating raw fish (sushi) and here in Texas, they call that bait. If I'd listened to people trying to get me Not to eat it, I'd have been missing out. You're just as likely to get ill from the other kinds of sashimi and sushi the chef serves as you are from the fugu, in my opinion. Raw fish is, after all, raw. I don't know of any places that serve fugu in my part of Texas, but I haven't been looking either. I'm going to look now, though, just in case the opportunity presents itself for me to try it.

I would. But cautiously and at a reputable fugu place.

I read "The Serpent and the Rainbow", a book by an ethnobotonist searching for the ingredients to the Caribbean zombi powder. Two main ingredients were blowfish poison, to simulate death, and datura, to force mindlessness. He had a section about blowfish consumption, specifically fugu, and since then I have really wanted to try it. Not for the intent of reaching a near death state, but because of the risk/thrill of it.

When I was in Japan as an exchange student ten years ago, my host father's birthday celebration include fugu sashimi, fugu hotpot and champagne. I found it rather decadent and knew it would be a great story to take back with me to the States. I would indulge again so long as I had no reason to suspect the preparing establishment. In terms of food-related deaths, I think you're almost more likely to choke to death on mochi. Perhaps not, but still, the risk of death from fugu is extremely low when compared to one's risk in general.

If I knew for absolute certain that it was a reliable chef who'd never had any incidents, I'd try it. But cooked, raw fish is something I simply cannot eat, I've tried and couldn't handle the texture. Still, I'm adventurous enough that I'd try it.

I had the chance to eat fugu several times during my time living in Japan. The first time was at a lovely restaurant in Osaka, and the other times were in Tokyo. I thoroughly enjoyed it every time. It's a mild, somewhat sweet fish, very nice as sashimi, and really good fried (but then, what isn't good fried?). I think that as long as the people who are preparing and serving it are licensed, then it's fine. If you look at the statistics of deaths from fugu, around 98% of the deaths from fugu were those where the fugu was prepared by people at home, uneducated in what they needed to know about preparing fugu. So while that does leave a small chance of going from poisoning at a restaurant, to me, it's not worse than the chances I take otherwise in life. I'm actually putting together a trip to take friends to a restaurant in NYC to partake of some fugu.

I have been to Japan on 2 separate occasions and was offered by my gracious Japanese friends a chance at eating Fugu, and I had refused both times. Fugu is so expensive, I certainly did not feel at all nice if we ate this dangerous dish and something happened- somehow the locals never felt it was dangerous, it probably was a Gaijin thingy.

I most certainly would not eat Fugu. There are so many fantastic food and simple delights at every corner in Japan that cost very little so why commit your life to something so expensive and possibly fatal.

Notwithstanding, being with the Japanese people and having studied your culture, I think everything Japanese is set in rigid rules and regulations. There is also so much protocol to follow for everything one undertakes- from traveling (Japanese guidebooks tell you specifically what to do, what to eat etc) to the trivial (there is a shocking number of guidelines available).

I think the act of eating Fugu equalizes everyone. While there is ranking outside but at the table, everyone is an equal, partaking an equal amount of risks and of their own choice.

Also, since everything has a rigid sort of outcome, the risks of eating Fugu provides a romantic notion of something different. While the outcome could be quite disastrous but I think from reading enough Japanese literature, that death is a romantic ideal too.

I don't think I would try this, I think it's too risky and I'm not really attracted to danger in general.

While I would be curious to taste fugu and have trust in the chefs to prepare it in a non-poisonous way, I recently saw a documentary about fugu on tv, that shocked me. Apparently they cut up the fish while it is still alive to have it served as fresh as possible! The fish is fileted in full consciousness, with the chefs taking care not to pierce any of the inner organs so it will stay alive as along as possible! I find that so incredible, nightmarishly cruel, I would never eat this fish at a restaurant, where this way of preparing fugu is practiced. (This reminded me of a 'recipe' from the middle ages I once read, that had instructions for roasting a duck in a way that it would be still alive while being eaten. Horrible and unnecessary!)
The fish would not be any less fresh if it had been killed right before cutting it up and serving, so I don't understand why it is done that way?

But I would certainly try fugu if I knew they had killed it BEFORE cutting it up.

Considering that I currently find myself living in Shimonoseki which is the fugu-capital of Japan (everything from the busses to the sewer lids are branded with cartoon fugu) I have had the chance to try it. It is indeed delicious, though no tingling lips or sensation of any sort. I've so far only been able to try fugu sushi but I look forward to trying fugu nabe sometime soon... there was a big festival about a week ago to celebrate the launch of fugu season!