"it does irk me when people can't handle knowing that the meat on their plate comes from a real animal that had real organs, just like them. you should really be able to handle that kind of information if you're going to consume meat."

Exactly. I'm disgusted at how as Westerners we've become so disconnected from the reality and the impact of the things we do, so accustomed to our carnage coming in little individually wrapped packages.

If you're going to eat meat, understand it, respect it, relish it, but never kid yourself that it wasn't alive at one point.

As an aside, many cultures hold that one of the best parts of the fish is the cheek meat, and I'm inclined to agree. In Singapore one of the indigenous dishes is Fish Head Curry, a cultural melting pot of a stew with Indian, Malay and Chinese influences all folded in, made with what the British and Dutch considered to be worthless garbage pieces of fish. Their loss.

Some people also like the eyes. I didn't really get into that when I was living there, but to each his own.

Then again, I love tempura-fried shrimp heads. Go figure.

"COD SPERM?? I take it you are serious - so is it like a macho equivalent of caviar, or what?..."

Yep, totally serious. I think it's primarily a Japanese thing. The yang to caviar's yin. Though I sort of thought of it less as a macho thing, and more of having a slightly homoerotic edge to it. I'm straight but I still love flaunting the 'freak out factor' around the squeamish to get a rise out them. (that said, I'd still eat the stuff anyway even if no one around me thought twice about it)

You can get the whole sacs roasted, stewed or prepared other ways, or seasoned with chili, which is great in a rice ball (onigiri), my fave snack. Buying those things at convenience stores kept me alive when I was living in Japan. Good source of protien.

Hell, they keep me alive now. Had 2 and a bottle of green tea for lunch a few days ago.

<shoots heroin and downs eel>