Taiwan's Famous Urban Legend - The Fish with a Human Face

It was a muggy April evening in 1995. Mr. Chen and a few fishing buddies were casting their lines by a riverbank in Gangshan, Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. As the float bobbed violently, a large, plump Tilapia, about 40 centimeters long, was pulled from the water. Cheering, they brought their catch back to the yard, set up a charcoal grill, slathered it with coarse salt, and eagerly anticipated a hearty late-night snack. As night fell, the fish on the grill sizzled and filled the air with a fragrant aroma. Everyone couldn't wait, grabbing chopsticks to pick up the tender fish meat and put it in their mouths, praising its freshness and sweetness. However, just as the atmosphere was at its peak, the air suddenly chilled. A deep, ancient woman's voice abruptly echoed in their ears in Taiwanese: "Fish, meat, good, eat, yes?" At first, they thought someone was playing a cruel joke, pushing and accusing each other. To their dismay, the eerie question came again. Everyone froze, their eyes instinctively drawn to the grill. In the dim firelight, where the fish skin had been peeled back, the face of an old woman with a pained expression gradually distorted and emerged. Her eyes and mouth even twitched slightly. Witnessing this anomaly, the men were so terrified they vomited on the spot. One of them frantically snapped a photo with his camera. Legend has it that the anglers who ate the fish were rushed to the hospital that night with bizarre poisoning, and Mr. Chen, who caught the fish himself, died in his sleep a few days later. This curse, "Is the fish meat good to eat?", has since become the most profound and terrifying nightmare on Taiwanese dining tables.