Is this the last word in fad food? Katy Perry feasts on acupuncture-treated sushi in Canada

By Tamara Abraham for MailOnline and Associated Press

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Katy Perry has given new meaning to the words high-maintenance after she tweeted about eating fish that had been treated with acupuncture.

The pop star revealed on Twitter on Tuesday that she had eaten the strangely prepared fish with Neil Patrick Harris and his fiance David Burtka in Montreal, Canada.

'Had the best sushi/wagyu from @ChefAntonioPark The wagyu was flown in this morning from JPN & the fish had previously had acupuncture #fancy,' she tweeted.

Fishy business: Katy Perry dined on acupuncture-treated sushi at a Montreal restaurant with Neil Patrick Harris (left) and his fiance David Burtka (right). The trio posed with chef Antonio Park (second left) after the meal

Fishy business: Katy Perry dined on acupuncture-treated sushi at a Montreal restaurant with Neil Patrick Harris (left) and his fiance David Burtka (right). The trio posed with chef Antonio Park (second left) after the meal

In her tweet, Perry said the fish had been prepared by Antonio Park, the chef and owner of Park Restaurant in Montreal, Quebec.

In her next post, Perry wrote: 'Also foodie kings @ActuallyNPH & @Davidburtka brought me here so durh.'

'Fishermen insert needles so that the trauma of death is avoided, allowing the cut to remain exceptionally tender'

Though it may seem like a bizarre way to prepare sushi, Mr Park is actually a pioneer of the technique, known as kaimin katsugyo in Japan, which translates as 'live fish sleeping soundly', Canada's The Globe and Mail reported in 2010.

Describing its 'acupunctured snapper', Park Restaurant's website explains: 'Fishermen insert needles so that the trauma of death is avoided, allowing the cut to remain exceptionally tender.'

The freshest fish in town: Neil Patrick Harris tweeted a photo of his sushi platter at Park Restaurant

The freshest fish in town: Neil Patrick Harris tweeted a photo of his sushi platter at Park Restaurant

Park life: Chef Antonio Park, the owner of the restaurant, is a pioneer of the acupuncture fish technique

Park life: Chef Antonio Park, the owner of the restaurant, is a pioneer of the acupuncture fish technique

The technique also allows the restaurant to import the freshest possible fish from Japan. The acupunture keeps the fish in a live but comatose state - at least for around 12 hours after which oxygen in saltwater-soaked envelope carrying each fish is used up.

'Freshness is about the search for purity in the taste of the fish,' Mr Park told The Globe and Mail. 'You want to taste the maximum flavour from the fish, where the true palate comes from.'

Of course, this being a fine dining establishment, such freshness comes at a price. According to various reviews starters cost between $6 and $21; mains $19-$49. 

That's gotta hurt! Katy later posted a picture of herself getting the acupuncture treatment

That's gotta hurt! Katy later posted a picture of herself getting the acupuncture treatment

Katy Perry

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