Several Chinese epicures died after partaking of soup
made from a particular parcel, and "red prickly" was forthwith
credited with poisonous qualities. The consignment was traced to its
origin, and popular opinion at the time was that the boiler had, unknown
to the proprietor of the station, induced verdigris. Investigation,
however, gave ground for the belief that the fish in the boiling exuded
juices of such corrosive qualities that the copper was chemically acted
upon. Beche-de-mer, is now invariably cooked in iron vessels, the bottom
half of a malt tank being a common boiler, and the "red prickly," after
being absolutely worthless for many years--so quaint are Oriental
prejudices--is now regaining favour in that market.
Beche-de-mer, though called fish by tradesmen, neither swims nor floats;
neither does it crawl, nor wriggle, nor hop, skip nor jump. It simply
"moves" on the ocean floor, when not reposing in apparently absolute
and unconscious idleness like its distant relative, the star-fish. Nor
does the creature possess any means of self-protection. Some species are
rough and prickly, and are said to irritate the hand that grasps them.
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