If you’ve read The Sunday Times, you’ve probably come across the story about how an 83-year-old man died last month after an Indonesian mud crab pricked and infected him with a type of flesh-eating bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus. He was washing the crabs to cook them when he grazed his left hand against the shell.
I have somehow missed this piece of news earlier but when I read it on Sunday, I freaked out big time.
DON’T COOK ANYMORE CRABS FOR ME PLEASE! I told my man.
If I want to eat crabs, I’ll eat it at the restaurants!
He had actually offered to cook his pepper crabs for me again soon.
So on learning the reason, he decided to cook my next favourite seafood dish, which is prawns. And he tried a new recipe he picked up from a TV program that Sunday afternoon.
To experiment, he bought smaller tiger prawns and whipped this up in half an hour. I don’t have a name for this dish and while the prawns are not as great tasting as the pepper crabs of course, it was good enough for me.
I’ll definitely miss his pepper crabs alright. But I can live without that. I mean, no way am I going to eat my favourite dish at the expense of him.
I maybe greedy. But I’m definitely NOT silly.
Just for mud crabs right?
DR: No leh…from what I’ve read, the docs are saying live and raw seafood. In fact, not only confine to crabs. It’s a rare bacteria, not everyone will kena, but then…better safe than be sorry.
Comment by domestic rat — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 @ 5:21 pm
Aiyo… don’t worry la! Unless your ah lao catch the crabs himself, I think it is still safe to eat his signature pepper crabs lor. 安la!
CM: No ah…not only catching the crabs…the 83-old man was washing and cooking the crabs in his house leh…but of course, it’s not a common thingie. But I’m just paranoid. Anyway, cook crabs very messy also lah.
Comment by crazymommy — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 @ 6:22 pm
same sentiments. we’ve a habit of buying oysters back to shuck and gorge. now i think we’ll just stop that. too easy to cut yourself while cleaning seafood…
imp: Yeah, you probably eat the oysters raw and that’s even more dangerous…maybe it’s supposed to be a rare problem but heck, it has happened so I’ll rather not take chances.
Comment by imp — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 @ 12:19 am
what makes the pepper crabs and pepper prawns mighty delicious is the love accompanying the cooking, which you would not find in any restaurant. you’re so lucky to have a man do these for you!
sexy mom: Yes, thank goodness cos I’m not a good cook myself.
Comment by sexy mom — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 @ 4:53 am
Ah…what i can feel in this post is your love for your man, and your man’s love for you…aiyoh…Love is in the air!
Eileen: Yoh…I didn’t intended it to come out mushy lah…
Comment by Eileen — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 @ 12:24 pm
eileen’s right, can feel the love your man has for you right in your post…and the feeling’s so nice.
think not only crabs would carry the flesh eating bacteria leh….prawns and live seafood all would carry the same bacteria….better be safe than sorry, eat from outside better.
Jan: Yup…but I think live seafood is more dangerous. Dead prawns, fish, still okay…
Comment by Jan (My lovely Rays) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 @ 1:25 pm
that sounds scary but i did a search on Vibrio vulnificus and this site : http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/vibriovulnificus.asp actually says that u can get it by eating uncooked or raw seafood oso leh. not just when u get cut by it.
Evan: Eeee…like that Japanese food also have to be careful right? Hearing about it is one thing but after seeing the pictures, it was frightening to me!
Comment by Evan — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 @ 11:27 pm
The crab was dead when it pricked the old man?
Looks like pepper prawns that he had whipped up?
ZM: I don’t know. It wasn’t clear from the report. But usually for crabs, we got to buy lives ones to kill and cook. So it’s probably alive. No, not pepper…I also don’t know. Haha…
Comment by zara's mama — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 @ 2:20 pm