Do not eat the Escolar
Earlier this week my officemate mbod had a little gastronomic adventure. I told him that it would make a very good post but he never got around to writing about it, so I present his story with T's permission here.
On Sunday, R, G, mbod and I decided to barbecue so we went to Berkeley Bowl. At the fish counter I spotted some really nice-looking escolar steaks. Have you had escolar before? It has lovely fatty succulent flesh. It often served under the name "super white tuna" or "butterfish" at sushi restaurants. Anyway, the steaks were big and I picked up four of them. Meanwhile, in the produce section, mbod and R were selecting a bunch of veggies to juice. They got beets, ginger, celery, and turmeric root.
We went back to my place and made a pretty righteous meal. mbod and R made a detoxifying and very spicy juice with the aforementioned veggies and I made a mango-cilantro salsa to accompany the fish which was poached to perfection in a marinade of G's. It was a delightful sup!
That night G and I went to bed feeling a little nauseous, but we attributed it to the heavy dosage of ginger and beet and turmeric root. However, a good night's sleep put us right.
On Tuesday morning, on the bus, I got a call from mbod.
mbod: "Hey, I have a kind of personal question for you."
T: "Shoot."
mbod: "Uhhh... how are you feeling?"
T: "Fine, why?"
mbod: "You haven't experienced any gastric issues since we ate that meal, have you?"
T: "No! Why, have you?"
mbod: "Uhhh... I don't want to get into it now. G's feeling okay?"
T: "Yeah... we felt a little nauseous after dinner but I put it down to all that turmeric juice."
mbod: "Hmm... I don't think that's it. Well, okay. I'll talk to you later."
Later that day, in the elevator, on the way back from the gym, while attempting to sneak a wee cheeky fart, it felt like I shat my pants. Luckily, I had a spare pair in my gym bag so I scooched my way to the bathroom to change and made a shocking discovery.
There appeared to by a foul orange oily substance shooting out of my bottom.
I purged what remaining liquid as best I could, cleaned myself up, changed my underwear and went back to my desk and penned a quick update of my status to mbod. The following is a transcript of an IM conversation between mbod and I.
3:31:01 PM mbod: Durd.
3:31:05 PM mbod: got your email.
3:31:11 PM mbod: that's what I was talking about.
3:31:25 PM T: I'm glad I had a change of underwear!
3:31:29 PM mbod: Jesus.
3:31:35 PM mbod: I'm really, really sorry.
3:31:36 PM T: No kidding.
3:31:54 PM mbod: I've had turmeric and ginger juice before.
3:31:59 PM mbod: this didn't happen.
3:32:11 PM T: I wonder if it's the fish or the juice?
3:32:14 PM mbod: I don't know exactly what to attribute it to.
3:32:39 PM mbod: well... ginger can cause an increase in the production of bile.
3:32:57 PM mbod: and too much of it can cause a bit of gastic disturbance (so I'm reading now...)
3:33:10 PM mbod: I feel perfectly fine otherwise.
3:33:21 PM T: Me too.
3:33:25 PM mbod: oh, and beet and thin the bile as well.
3:34:05 PM mbod: beet can thin the bile.
3:34:23 PM mbod: I think we're OK.
3:34:47 PM mbod: I think the combination had a pretty powerful effect on our bile.
3:35:34 PM mbod: apparently, the body can produce up to nearly a quart of it a day, and the bile salts are reclaimed by the body before the rest of the "junk" is expelled.
3:35:59 PM mbod: bile itself is a dark green/brown.
3:36:27 PM mbod: but a yellowish color isn't out of the question, though I believe what we're seeing is the beet/turmeric/carrot.
3:36:34 PM mbod: JESUS.
3:36:45 PM mbod: never again.
3:36:52 PM T: You really overdid it this time, jackass!
3:36:59 PM mbod: anyway, I was a bit freaked about it.
3:37:02 PM T: Bwa ha ha ha ha!
3:37:08 PM mbod: so I did some reading.
3:37:22 PM mbod: toxicity of all those substances is decidely low.
3:37:24 PM T: Not as freaked out as I was on the elevator a few minutes ago.
3:37:29 PM mbod: sorry, man.
3:38:04 PM mbod: perhaps that and the massive quantity of fatty protein we ate really shot things into overdrive.
3:38:23 PM mbod: what is that fish called again?
3:38:30 PM mbod: MUST RESEARCH.
3:39:06 PM T: escolar
3:39:49 PM mbod: ginger and turmeric ingestion is contraindicated by liver problems relating to clogged bile ducts (forget what the condition is called)
3:40:06 PM mbod: because of the increase in bile production they cause.
3:40:31 PM mbod: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escolar
3:40:50 PM mbod: JESUS!!!!!
3:41:32 PM T: !!!!!!!!
3:41:37 PM mbod: now we know!!!!
3:41:40 PM T: Double sucker punched!
3:41:44 PM mbod: fuckin' A!!!
From the Wikipedia entry:
"Like its relative the oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus, the escolar is consumed in several European and Asian countries, as well as in the USA. Neither fish metabolises the wax esters (Gempylotoxin) naturally found in their diet, which causes an oil content in the muscle meat of the fish amounting to 18-21%. These wax esters may rapidly cause gastrointestinal symptoms following consumption; however, these effects are usually short lived.
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.
To minimize the risk of symptoms, strict control of portion size is recommended. Portions should be no greater than 6 ounces.
For these reasons, escolar has been banned from consumption in Japan since 1977, as the Japanese govenrment believes it to be toxic. In the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, after receiving complaints about diarrhea associated with escolar consumption, issued a bulletin recommending against import of the fish in the early 1990s. However, the FDA backed away from this recommendation and withdrew the bulletin several years later after deciding the fish was nontoxic and nonlethal."
A quick check-in with our fellow diners revealed similar plights.
On May 15, 2007, at 3:43 PM, R wrote:
Yup! your not alone.
On May 15, 2007, at 4:03 PM, G wrote:
Good Grief!
I was going to keep quiet ... unless it endured for a week or longer..... And the turmeric just adds to the horror.
How many ounces of that toxic deliciousness did we each consume, T?
According to my calculations the steaks were approximately 9.6 ounces, 3.6 oz. over the recommended 6 oz. limit. If the flesh is made up of 20% undigestible wax esters then we each had to pass 1.92 oz. of the stuff. Thankfully, it seems like we are all back to normal now. The moral of our story is: keep an eye out for escolar and keep the portion size down!
This has been a public service announcement.
-T
T adds:
I'm glad you liked the story. Feel free to anonymize and post it. I should say, though, that escolar really is one of the most delicious fishes you will ever ever taste; it's just that you have to pay a messy price for it. Next time I choose to share it with friends perhaps I could bill the dish as some sort of "extreme dining" experience.
On Sunday, R, G, mbod and I decided to barbecue so we went to Berkeley Bowl. At the fish counter I spotted some really nice-looking escolar steaks. Have you had escolar before? It has lovely fatty succulent flesh. It often served under the name "super white tuna" or "butterfish" at sushi restaurants. Anyway, the steaks were big and I picked up four of them. Meanwhile, in the produce section, mbod and R were selecting a bunch of veggies to juice. They got beets, ginger, celery, and turmeric root.
We went back to my place and made a pretty righteous meal. mbod and R made a detoxifying and very spicy juice with the aforementioned veggies and I made a mango-cilantro salsa to accompany the fish which was poached to perfection in a marinade of G's. It was a delightful sup!
That night G and I went to bed feeling a little nauseous, but we attributed it to the heavy dosage of ginger and beet and turmeric root. However, a good night's sleep put us right.
On Tuesday morning, on the bus, I got a call from mbod.
mbod: "Hey, I have a kind of personal question for you."
T: "Shoot."
mbod: "Uhhh... how are you feeling?"
T: "Fine, why?"
mbod: "You haven't experienced any gastric issues since we ate that meal, have you?"
T: "No! Why, have you?"
mbod: "Uhhh... I don't want to get into it now. G's feeling okay?"
T: "Yeah... we felt a little nauseous after dinner but I put it down to all that turmeric juice."
mbod: "Hmm... I don't think that's it. Well, okay. I'll talk to you later."
Later that day, in the elevator, on the way back from the gym, while attempting to sneak a wee cheeky fart, it felt like I shat my pants. Luckily, I had a spare pair in my gym bag so I scooched my way to the bathroom to change and made a shocking discovery.
There appeared to by a foul orange oily substance shooting out of my bottom.
I purged what remaining liquid as best I could, cleaned myself up, changed my underwear and went back to my desk and penned a quick update of my status to mbod. The following is a transcript of an IM conversation between mbod and I.
3:31:01 PM mbod: Durd.
3:31:05 PM mbod: got your email.
3:31:11 PM mbod: that's what I was talking about.
3:31:25 PM T: I'm glad I had a change of underwear!
3:31:29 PM mbod: Jesus.
3:31:35 PM mbod: I'm really, really sorry.
3:31:36 PM T: No kidding.
3:31:54 PM mbod: I've had turmeric and ginger juice before.
3:31:59 PM mbod: this didn't happen.
3:32:11 PM T: I wonder if it's the fish or the juice?
3:32:14 PM mbod: I don't know exactly what to attribute it to.
3:32:39 PM mbod: well... ginger can cause an increase in the production of bile.
3:32:57 PM mbod: and too much of it can cause a bit of gastic disturbance (so I'm reading now...)
3:33:10 PM mbod: I feel perfectly fine otherwise.
3:33:21 PM T: Me too.
3:33:25 PM mbod: oh, and beet and thin the bile as well.
3:34:05 PM mbod: beet can thin the bile.
3:34:23 PM mbod: I think we're OK.
3:34:47 PM mbod: I think the combination had a pretty powerful effect on our bile.
3:35:34 PM mbod: apparently, the body can produce up to nearly a quart of it a day, and the bile salts are reclaimed by the body before the rest of the "junk" is expelled.
3:35:59 PM mbod: bile itself is a dark green/brown.
3:36:27 PM mbod: but a yellowish color isn't out of the question, though I believe what we're seeing is the beet/turmeric/carrot.
3:36:34 PM mbod: JESUS.
3:36:45 PM mbod: never again.
3:36:52 PM T: You really overdid it this time, jackass!
3:36:59 PM mbod: anyway, I was a bit freaked about it.
3:37:02 PM T: Bwa ha ha ha ha!
3:37:08 PM mbod: so I did some reading.
3:37:22 PM mbod: toxicity of all those substances is decidely low.
3:37:24 PM T: Not as freaked out as I was on the elevator a few minutes ago.
3:37:29 PM mbod: sorry, man.
3:38:04 PM mbod: perhaps that and the massive quantity of fatty protein we ate really shot things into overdrive.
3:38:23 PM mbod: what is that fish called again?
3:38:30 PM mbod: MUST RESEARCH.
3:39:06 PM T: escolar
3:39:49 PM mbod: ginger and turmeric ingestion is contraindicated by liver problems relating to clogged bile ducts (forget what the condition is called)
3:40:06 PM mbod: because of the increase in bile production they cause.
3:40:31 PM mbod: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escolar
3:40:50 PM mbod: JESUS!!!!!
3:41:32 PM T: !!!!!!!!
3:41:37 PM mbod: now we know!!!!
3:41:40 PM T: Double sucker punched!
3:41:44 PM mbod: fuckin' A!!!
From the Wikipedia entry:
"Like its relative the oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus, the escolar is consumed in several European and Asian countries, as well as in the USA. Neither fish metabolises the wax esters (Gempylotoxin) naturally found in their diet, which causes an oil content in the muscle meat of the fish amounting to 18-21%. These wax esters may rapidly cause gastrointestinal symptoms following consumption; however, these effects are usually short lived.
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.
To minimize the risk of symptoms, strict control of portion size is recommended. Portions should be no greater than 6 ounces.
For these reasons, escolar has been banned from consumption in Japan since 1977, as the Japanese govenrment believes it to be toxic. In the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, after receiving complaints about diarrhea associated with escolar consumption, issued a bulletin recommending against import of the fish in the early 1990s. However, the FDA backed away from this recommendation and withdrew the bulletin several years later after deciding the fish was nontoxic and nonlethal."
A quick check-in with our fellow diners revealed similar plights.
On May 15, 2007, at 3:43 PM, R wrote:
Yup! your not alone.
On May 15, 2007, at 4:03 PM, G wrote:
Good Grief!
I was going to keep quiet ... unless it endured for a week or longer..... And the turmeric just adds to the horror.
How many ounces of that toxic deliciousness did we each consume, T?
According to my calculations the steaks were approximately 9.6 ounces, 3.6 oz. over the recommended 6 oz. limit. If the flesh is made up of 20% undigestible wax esters then we each had to pass 1.92 oz. of the stuff. Thankfully, it seems like we are all back to normal now. The moral of our story is: keep an eye out for escolar and keep the portion size down!
This has been a public service announcement.
-T
T adds:
I'm glad you liked the story. Feel free to anonymize and post it. I should say, though, that escolar really is one of the most delicious fishes you will ever ever taste; it's just that you have to pay a messy price for it. Next time I choose to share it with friends perhaps I could bill the dish as some sort of "extreme dining" experience.