In the world of ornamental fish, arowanas are among the most prized species due to their regal beauty and auspicious symbolism. The name Arowana comes from two Indonesian terms, “Arwana” or “Nirwana”, meaning ideal or perfect.
Arowanas are characterized by their large size, two sharp whiskers protruding from their lower jaw, large shimmering scales, long fins, and a graceful swimming posture that resembles the legendary dragons of East Asian folklore. The value of an arowana can start below 5 million VND per fish, but with better conditions, prices can soar to 20 million, 30 million VND, or even hundreds of millions for a single arowana.
However, not everyone knows why arowanas are so expensive! Recently, social media buzzed with a short clip showing a young man meticulously trimming the fins and carefully poking at the eyes of a rather large arowana.
The young man took a fish worth tens of millions to “play” with, but the surprising truth behind it left everyone shocked.
At first glance, everyone thinks that this fish is about to meet its end. Therefore, in the comments section of the clip, netizens speculated humorously:
– “Oh no, it’s time to go to the chopping block. I feel so sorry for it.”
– “Oh dear, it breaks my heart to see this fish. After this phase, it must be steamed or something.”
– “Is this fish dead? Is it getting a minor surgery or what?”
– “Is this a Japanese cooking style? Everything must be meticulous, right? The ‘chef’ will probably have a series for us to watch about the arowana preparation.”
However, many commenters offered completely different opinions, enlightening those who were not aware:
– “Oh my God, this is an arowana worth tens of millions. What do you mean by steaming or frying? The fish has droopy eyes and is undergoing cosmetic surgery!”
– “A fish worth millions is not just for frying, steaming, or stir-frying. Only those passionate about fish know this! This is actually cosmetic surgery to enhance its beauty, correcting the droopy eyes!”
– “Oh my gosh, poor thing! It’s not dead or about to be a meal. You guys probably don’t know that a beautiful arowana must have factors like strong scale color, even and beautiful scales, no peeling; a balanced body, graceful swimming posture creating the fish’s charisma; whiskers not broken, mouth not protruding, eyes not drooping… so the owner wants it to look beautiful and sell for a high price, they have to find someone to perform ‘cosmetic surgery’ on the arowana.”
– “This is cutting off excess fat around the fish’s eyes to help the arowana’s eyes look balanced again. This is called ‘beautifying the fish’!”
In the comments, many netizens also noted that arowanas bring good luck to their owners. The more vibrant the fish, the more fortune the owner attracts, and vice versa. As a species regarded as auspicious, it’s not surprising that arowana enthusiasts often share whimsical stories, such as arowanas can ward off bad luck for their owners or if the owner is unwell, the fish also becomes ill… thus, caring for the fish thoroughly is something every owner desires.
Isn’t it strange? What do you think about this clip?