[floatr][/floatr]Eleven fire engines raced to an apartment in Kadoma City, Osaka after a neighbour had phoned the emergency services with a report of heavy smoke coming out of a building. On arriving at the scene, the firemen found that the smoke was coming from a grill where a woman was cooking fish for dinner. Further investigation revealed that she has three sanma on the go and they were probably done. The woman said she had heard sirens but didn't imagine for a moment that she was they were heading for her. Officers from the local brigade confirmed that there were no signs of an actual fire but cautioned the woman to take better precautions and perhaps clean her grill from time to time. They denied that they had overreacted by sending 40 firemen in eleven vehicles, pointing out that it was a normal response to such a report. However, a spokesman did say that, with sanma in season right now, neigbours might first like to ask "Are you on fire over there?" before calling the emergency services. He also added a cooking tip that it is best to keep the fish away from a naked flame.
I only started eating fish when I was in my twenties. Even at that, I prefer fish like salmon, tuna ... not a big fan of "fishier" tasting fish like spanish mackerel. I don't mind sanma but definitely don't like it if it's prepared at home. I cannot stand the odor that lingers for days afterwards.