Here’s one for the food ethicists to ponder: When does the act of eating a meal qualify as evil? Does it depend on the presence of suffering? Does it depend on the point in the chain that the suffering occurs? Does it depend on the simple act of taking life? (In which case, please read Samuel Butler’s Erewhon.) Now here’s a video that’s sure to get people’s hackles up. In it, Chinese diners pick at a supper of deep-fried fish. The catch? It’s still alive. [Warning: Sensitive viewers may wish to skip watching this video.] And here’s a video of a similar live-fish dish being prepared. Yes, the people of Shanghai certainly do like their fish fresh. Now, I’ve had my share of meals that many would consider questionable, including a live lobster, antennae a-twitching, but this one would probably take the cake. Does deep-fried live fish qualify as an evil food in which people take pleasure in gratuitous suffering? Or are people being selectively sentimental when, when it boils down to it, it’s simply a fact that (most) people eat animals, and we shouldn’t be squidgy about where we get our food from? If you agree with the latter, where do you draw the line? What’s your take?[...]

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Evil Food? Deep-Fried Fish That’s Still Alive