As a kid, I went through a stage where I bugged my parents to let me have a dog. My dad, though, wisely realized that he would be the one who ended up having to take care of it, so jokingly told me that I couldn’t have any animal I wasn’t prepared to eat.

Apparently a woman in China took the same philosophy regarding her grandson’s pet, only she didn’t bother to tell him before she cooked it for dinner.

The Wang family lives in Kunming City, located in China’s Yunnan Province, where grandmother, son, and grandson share a tri-generational home. The youngest Wang loves fish, and a number of small aquariums with tropical varieties can be found throughout their residence.

As much as her grandson is taken with the creatures, though, Grandma Wang isn’t too fond of them. She doesn’t seem to have any aesthetic complaints about them, but to the woman – who presumably grew up under much harsher economic conditions that her grandson did – having to change the water in each tank every few days seems like a awful waste of money.

Still, Grandma Wang is apparently fond enough of her grandson that she didn’t want to get into an open argument over his aquatic pets. Recently, though, the woman found herself alone in the house with all those fish, since her grandson is currently overseas, and her son was away for a few days on a business trip.

When the son returned home, he noticed one fewer fish in the tanks. Curious, he asked his mother what had happened, to which she shamelessly replied she’d stewed and eaten it.

She even offered her impressions from her dining experience.

“It was a little tough in spots, but overall it was nice and firm, and it tasted nice.”

The son wasn’t only shocked by this revelation; he was worried. The species she’d eaten, an Asian arowana, is highly prized as a decorative fish in China. With auspicious gold and red markings, its shape is said to resemble a dragon. Beautiful as some find it to be, though, Wang didn’t know if it was safe to eat or not.

The son went online asking for help, and thankfully was told that while the fish isn’t usually eaten, his mother shouldn’t come to any harm from her unusual meal. She hasn’t reported any pain or discomfort, so it seems she’s avoided poisoning herself.

As to whether or not she’s poisoned her relationship with her grandson, that remains to be seen.

Sources: Liba, Yunnan
[ Read in Japanese ]