10.28.2009

Zombies

Halloween Week Day #3: Zombies

Oh those sneaky blowfish, bringing back people from the "dead".

Certain cultures like to eat blowfish, particularly the Japanese, in soups. Raw puffer meat, or sashimi fugu, is also sometimes eaten because of its intoxicating effect.

If someone eat too much of it, however, the meat can be deadly. Its poison can cause dizziness, vomiting, and numbness of the mouth. This is likely followed by a rapid heart beat, decreased blood pressure, paralysis, and a coma. If the person is one of the lucky ones and stays alive for 24 hours, he or she has a good chance of survival, but the coma can last several days. Worst of all, the person is typically aware of being in the coma, but due to the paralysis, can't communicate!

Before modern medicine, the decreased heartbeat and coma presented itself as death. The poor victim would then be treated as deceased. But lo and behold, a few days later at the funeral (if not too late!), he or she would wake up! To the distress of loved ones, the only explanation they could come up with would be "It's a zombie back from the dead!"

The lengths people will go through for delicious food. :)

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